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GoogleNestTeam
Community Manager (Admin)
Community Manager (Admin)

Hey everyone, 

Due to a recent legal ruling we’re making some changes to how you set up your devices and the Speaker Group functionality will work moving forward. If you’re using the Speaker Group feature to control the volume in the Google Home app, by voice with the Google Assistant, or directly on your Nest Hub display, you’ll notice a few changes: 

  • To adjust volume on your speaker groups, you will need to adjust each speaker individually instead of using the group volume controller. You’ll also no longer be able to change your Speaker Group volume using your phone’s physical volume button. 
  • Most Speaker Groups should continue functioning as expected unless you have a speaker group containing other brands of Cast-based devices, like JBL or Lenovo, they need to be on 1.52.272222 or higher Cast firmware version. Check out this article on how to find your device’s firmware version or contact your device maker. 
  • A small set of users will need to use the ‘Device Utility app’ (DUA) to complete product installation and updates. You may receive a prompt to download and run DUA, and it will ensure that your device is connected to Wi-Fi and receives the most updated software version. 

We will continue to support our users and work to minimize any additional changes.

Thanks, 

Google Nest team

993 Comments
Brausmith
Community Member

Just imagine a car manufacturer removing a feature like a steering wheel from your car, because it was found they infringed someone else's patent. And then they said to you too bad, like Google has said in this blog post.

Consumers and governments would lose their s#!t at the manufacturer.

@GoogleNestTeam Why do you think this is any different?

Clive
Community Member

Good news everyone!

I now have a work around that that allows me to change volume using voice, routines and timed routines.

I have consolidated my nearly obsolete google homes and minis into one room and renamed them Volumelevel1, Volumelevel2, Volumelevel3. with volumes manually set at on each to match its name.

To operate a seamless volume controlled audio experience simply say "OK Google Play <my music> on Volumelevel2".

You don't need to find your phone and  open the challenging home app to do it either - winner, winner chicken dinner

I have patented this idea so don't go officially selling it Google. 

witrich
Community Member

any news about this? 

It's very annoying to do this every single time I want to adjust the volume level:

OK google ... pause
Ok google ... Up the volumen 
Ok google .. Continue

Three voice commands to adjust the volume? 


I actually expected more from you Google.

 

 

 

Thecraigmcleod
Community Member

This is a pretty big hit, Google. We’ve invested in the Google Home/Nest eco system primarily because of how the group functionality worked. This is pretty sh*tty to pass this on to us. 

tommykat1
Community Member

1/17/22 - Day 11 of disabled functionality prevents mirroring my device to cast audio to speaker groups. My Chromecast array of 15 stations and 30 speakers is now worthless. Im back to using Bluetooth on a single portable speaker! When will you supply a solution, Google? I'm counting the days, or will there be a refund soon?

Note: those similarly afflicted may wish to give negative reviews on the Google Home App installation page in the Google or Apple Stores.

Doug_
Community Member

Thirteen days since I have been able to control an individual speaker's volume with voice commands and @GoogleNestTeam says they still "have to monitor it for now so that [their] Software Engineers will be able to fix it." Ya'll are looking pretty incompetent, 'cause it shouldn't take over thirteen days to implement a fix for such a widespread problem, unless of course it going unfixed is intentional. And, if that's the case, acknowledge it and let us move on. (I'll even promise to remain unhappy, if that's what you want.)

speaker_guy
Community Member

Like so many users, I bought my 4 Google Nest speakers exclusively for use within speaker groups. The functionality I now have is not the functionality which was advertised.

By my reading, this is a violation of the "Nest Terms of Service". The terms include the paragraph:

Automatic software updates. We may, from time to time, develop patches, bug fixes, updates, upgrades and other modifications to improve the performance of the Nest devices and services. These may be automatically installed without providing any additional notice or receiving any additional permissions from you. You agree to receive these automatic updates. If you do not want such updates, you should stop using the Nest devices and services. 

I can't find anywhere that I agreed to Google being able to deliberately downgrade my Nest device and service.

Whether the terms of service have been violated or not, the implicit trust required when selling smart appliances most certainly has. When selling smart appliances, the service is as much part of the offering as the device itself. That Google have made the decision to transfer the cost of their loss to their users really ought to be a nail in the coffin for their entire Nest ecosystem. They have shown their true colours - I feel they cannot be trusted.

ThomasR
Community Member

Can we please get a comment from @GoogleNestTeam what they plan to do with this situation?

Sonos pride themselves with 2100 patents so it is understandable that Google might stumble, but it is not understandable, nor acceptable not to take care of your customers and not communicate your plans as to  how to restore product functionality sold.

I guess you are surveying this community and in a holding pattern to see if this is becomes a small or big storm that will die by itself, and that is very disappointing.

Holmes
Community Member

I hate I just expanded my google home instead of switching to apple… I thought google had more connectivity, however I’m have nothing but issues. New Routines don’t work, speakers can’t control its own volume. Speakers remember old names of light bulbs and refuse to turn on correct system… google, can you please get your act together… I’m losing faith

tommykat1
Community Member

@speaker_guy , thanks, you nailed it.

For emphasis aimed toward the powers that be at Google, I wish to make it clear how extensive my investment is in their system, going back to my original purchase four years ago, and culminating with purchases in Nest speakers as recent as 2021 to complete my listening environment.

I have 15 "channels" of Chromecast devices:

> 8 Chromecast audio dongles (since discontinued by Google). These feed my Denon 8.1 Dolby Digital receiver in my listening room, powering a pair of old-school professional JBL 4312 studio monitors as main speakers, a pair of JBL Control 5 speakers as front effects, an M&K subwoofer, a KEF center channel speaker, and two unnamed rear channel effects speakers; an Onkyo receiver in my dining room powering a pair of old-school Bose Sound Cubes with subwoofer; a Hitachi receiver in my garage powering a pair of JBL Control 5 speakers and subwoofer; a Kurzweil stereo powered pair in my living room; a Klipsch THX stereo pair with subwoofer in my office; a Vizio soundbar with rear effects and subwoofer in my master bedroom; a Bose Revolve+ in bedroom 2; a Bose Revolve+ in bedroom 3; a Bose Revolve+ for portable backyard speaker, which is powered by a DC battery supply.

> 1 Chromecast video dongle in my TV, which couples with the Denon family room system.

> 3 Nest speakers, one each in exercise room, hallway and kitchen.

> 3 Nest Minis, one each in master bath, 2nd bath and guest bath.

 

ALL OF THESE "CHANNELS" ARE NOW RELEGATED TO BRICKS BECAUSE I CANNOT MIRROR MY SAMSUNG GALAXY PHONE AND CAST MY AUDIO TO ANY GROUPS OF SPEAKERS. I CAN ONLY CAST TO A SINGLE CHANNEL AT A TIME.

 

I DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR THIS; I SIGNED UP FOR YOUR ADVERTISED OFFERING THAT I HAVE CONTINUED TO INVEST IN OVER FOUR YEARS. FIX IT!

Ripper365
Community Member

Ugh. Please fix this or issue refunds. I, like many others, have spent years amassing a collection of speakers throughout my home because of the group functionality. I have:

3 Google Home Maxes

2 Nest Minis

2 Google Home Minis

3 Chromecast Audios

2 Insignia Smart Speakers

2 Lenovo Smart Displays

3 Lenovo Smart Clocks

To suddenly have all these devices no longer interoperate with one another like they have historically is a giant FU to customers. Sort this out. If you stole Sonos' stuff in order to give give us features, that's your problem, not ours. Pay the piper.

CuirBear
Community Member

Just curious. Has anyone tried to talk to Google Support about the Speaker Group issue? Or talk to an actual human about it?

I find it odd that we have heard nothing at all (not even recognizing there is a problem)

Brausmith
Community Member

@CuirBear I tried to on live chat last night via my Google One subscription.

Was told the Nest team was not currently taking live chats due to a high demand, and that an email would be sent instead.

Jeeez, can't image why they are so busy? 🤔

tommykat1
Community Member

@CuirBear, the disabled functionality appeared first thing in the morning on Friday, January 7th. I was not able to mirror my device and cast audio to any of my speaker groups. I spent roughly an hour trying to diagnose the issue, including scouring the internet, rebooting, etc. I sent two "Feedback" messages to Google explaining the problem with groups. I have not heard back from them. No acknowledgment from them, and I know of no way to speak to a human.

Never mind the volume issue. I can't even get past step one. Note, I don't use streaming services; I cast from my music app and mp3s on my phone, hence the advantage of "mirroring," a function shared with Sonos, but not available with Amazon Alexa. I assume this is one of the patent violations, but it was a major feature for my decision to go with Chromecast, and it is now...gone! 

Doug_
Community Member

@CuirBear Talked with Google Nest support via chat and email about volume control being almost entirely broken. All they'll say is that they're aware and to continue waiting.

At this point, it's one of two things – either they never plan on fixing it or they did a quick rewrite to get the most basic volume control functionality (control of the device you're talking to) without the patent-infringement and are working on a more thorough rewrite that they'll hopefully release soon. If it were the latter, I'd expect them to tell us just to shut us up... and they obviously haven't.

roweboat
Community Member

My speaker group of 10 Google Home minis, a Nest Home mini & Chromecast audio quit functioning about 3 weeks ago. Just found about this lawsuit.

random speakers will play in the group, but it will never play on all 12 anymore. Very unhappy since we use them to play music for customers.

Grant-Ryder
Community Member

I don’t understand why people are angry at google for this. This is a change due to sonos’s greed. If you’re pissed take it out on them.

Tamugridge
Community Member

I think something has happened.  I've literally just tried using the volume command and also my phone to change the volume on my "Speakers" group and it worked.  The source is YouTube Premium where I play all my music from.  🙂

Halo69
Community Member

SOLUTION TO GET SPEAKER VOLUME BUTTON BACK .

Download an older version of the Google Home app and turn auto update off in App Store (make sure Preview Program is also unchecked in Home app). 

This link worked for me: https://apkpure.com/google-home/com.google.android.apps.chromecast.app/variant/2.46.1.7-XAPK

Still can't use Volume Voice Control but at least the buttons are back. Better than nothing. 

 

 

 

dbuzzell2
Community Member

Google needs to start paying royalties or whatever it takes to get the original functionality back.  Just unacceptable. 

BJKirkpatrick
Community Member

You wait until after you've fleeced everyone on Black Friday deals until you let us know that we wasted our money when we upgraded or doubled our investment in your ecosystem and then you have the audacity to issue a statement without apology.

I'm just waiting to join the class action that is inevitable. Alexa, tell Google to **bleep** off.

Brausmith
Community Member

It's incredible to see here how much power Google has to not only diminish their own hardware via software, but also 3rd party hardware.

Google Assistant audio hardware partners should be pissed off. This greatly devalues the whole ecosystem for them and their sales.

I see hardware partners are still advertising audio grouping.

Daghall
Community Member

Sonos can go fornicate themselves!

Everything is a pain in the old behind now:

- I cannot change the volume by voice commands. Spotify usually says I am only connected to one of the speakers, which is confusing.

- Everytime I start music, one speaker is way louder than the other, so I have adjust that speaker every time. Before it was easy to sync them by using the group slider. Now I need some super pixel manipulation skills.

- When I tell the assistant to play music it now starts over from the playlist top, instead of continuing from the previous spot.

VancityS4
Community Member

Sonos is not really to blame.  The patent system rules have allowed Sonos to patent a seemingly simple idea, and Google has not played by the rules, however flawed the rules may be.  Google simply has to pay a royalty to Sonos and that would be the end of this issue.  I think the losses Google will experience due to the crippling of their ecosystem will FAR outweigh any royalty.  I think it's only a matter of time before Google gives in and opens the checkbook.  They would be stupid not to.

cawauk
Community Member

Nest really is going **bleep** up. Issues so far this week (that's yesterday and today):

1. Music playing to a group of speakers (paired home minis, nest mini, and nest audio) stutters and breaks up to the point I have to ask google to stop casting to the group.

2. Today, I ask Nest Audio to play Chopin, starts playing Chopin. I ask Nest audio to switch to Amplifier (connected via Chromecast Audio), replies "ok, I'll play that on Amplifier". Nothing happens. Chopin continues on Nest Audio. I tell Google "stop the music". It stops playing. I ask again "Play Chopin on Amplifier", Google starts to play two different Chopin pieces, one on Amplifier AND one on Nest Audio, both in the same room. FFS. "Google stop music". Stops playing Chopin on Amplifier, continues on Nest Audio. "Google stop playing ALL music". Finally stops. 

3. As someone mentioned, past groups and device names linger on. I renamed "HiFi" to "Amplifier" last week because out of the blue, casting to HiFi stopped working "Sorry something went wrong". After the rename, I can cast to Amplifier. But Google still remembers "HiFi" because now 7 days since the rename, if I ask it to play something on HiFi, it will try to do so, followed by "Sorry something went wrong, give it another try". A week ago I powered off every single Google device (including switching off my phone) and rebooted the Router too. But this ghost memory lingered on. No doubt on Google's cloud, not in my home. 

4. And this morning, the Home App wouldn't let me control the volume of my paired Mini speakers. I could change the volume in the App for all other speakers I was casting to, just not the minis that I had asked to play the news on. The slider in the Home App was working for these minis, just no volume change actually happening.

These frustrating issues are becoming more and more frequent. Google Nest team seriously needs to up its game.

Y_
Community Member

It's seems like Google and Everything Google is becoming an annoying brand 

that should be boycotted for the idiotic things they apply to their products. 

Maybe we should go back Yahoo all the way... 

 

tommykat1
Community Member

1/18/22 - Day 12 of disabled functionality prevents mirroring my device to cast audio to speaker groups. My Chromecast array of 15 stations and 30 speakers is now worthless. Im back to using Bluetooth on a single portable speaker! When will you supply a solution, Google? I'm counting the days, or will there be a refund soon?

Note: those similarly afflicted may wish to give negative reviews on the Google Home App installation page in the Google or Apple Stores.

CPngN
Community Member

Today I couldn't load a YouTube video on a v1 Hub and then send it to my TV. It literally told me in tiny gray text that this is not available for YouTube. Wow. Nothing to do with volume, just flinging the video elsewhere. If even THAT is now dead, they can definitely expect lawsuits. Does each day bring more pain? It seems like a new piece dies regularly, but maybe I just haven't discovered everything that's missing yet.

tcarey
Community Member

@Bnsherer 

 

Any update on your exchanges with the external party you've contacted? I think quite a few people are eager to move forward as soon as there is confirmation it's feasible.

 

So far documented features removed or broken that were previously advertised:

1) Group volume control by app or voice command

2) Group volume control by phone volume key

3) Casting mirrored audio from Android to a speaker group (previously accomplished via Google Home) - casting to a group now only plays on one speaker when connected. Breaks the use case of playing non-cloud audio which, quite honestly, is a much bigger issue than volume control - it's akin to disabling AirPlay on iPhones

4) Controlling the volume of other Home devices including Android TV from a Nest speaker or display by voice command

5) Using the majority of 3rd party speakers in a speaker group since JBL / Lenovo will likely never update them, which means they are entirely missing the speaker groups feature they were sold with 

6) Reportedly there are many issues with custom commands for 3rd party devices suddenly being disabled in late December (e.g. "Hey Google, how much battery is left?" on portable speakers no longer works)

 

All of these need to be addressed in a claim, not just the Home app volume control change that Google chose to highlight in order to misdirect the media and community away from the more serious dismantling of core speaker group features.

 

 

Bnsherer
Community Member

@tcarey   I sent scans of some of the boxes and inserts last week - haven't heard anything since then by email or phone...

maybegarbagenow
Community Member

Created a profile to give feedback. I have over 20 Google home devices throughout my home. This downgrade completelyrics negates what was advertised. I want a rebate or money back. 

tommykat1
Community Member

@tcarey, you appeared to have nailed the problems, Thank you for your analysis.

For me, the most dire circumstance is this disabled feature:

"3) Casting mirrored audio from Android to a speaker group (previously accomplished via Google Home) - casting to a group now only plays on one speaker when connected. Breaks the use case of playing non-cloud audio which, quite honestly, is a much bigger issue than volume control - it's akin to disabling AirPlay on iPhones."

I essentially can no longer use my Chromecast system whatsoever. I choose Chromecast mirroring of my device, as I don't subscribe to a compatible online music player. My choice has been Amazon Prime music, and Google has never allowed this streaming connection because, frankly, Google and Amazon like each other about as much as Apple and Microsoft do, which means not at all! Previously, I could mirror my MP3 files from my phone, or cast my Amazon Prime music through Chromecast mirroring. The mirroring functionality for casting to groups has been 100% REMOVED!

To listen to music throughout my habitat, I am now walking around with a portable Bose Revolve+ speaker connected to Bluetooth!!!!

ARE YOU LISTENING, GOOGLE? MY SYSTEM OF 15 CHANNELS AND 30 SPEAKERS HAS BEEN REDUCED TO BRICKS!!

DonutPanic
Community Member

2 weeks and no update on this is beyond laughable, get your #@$& together

Billymalcolm
Community Member

And yet the media is going nuts over Google Nest changing the sound of their "White Noise", not this.

What is wrong with this picture???

c0sm0naught
Community Member

 

@Leticia @GoogleNestTeam @RachelC 

are you guys seeing this?

a little back and fourth may be worthwhile, it would go a little to showing us you are at least taking our comments on board and actively giving us a reason to put up with these products as they stand and keep them in our homes/work. For a LOT of people this downgrade means our speakers,TV's, amps, etc are now worth less and don't fill their intended use.

At least if we know you're working on a fix (paying Sonos as an example) we wont have the expense of switching eco-systems - which, I imagine, would be bad for you in the long run.

 

Ignoring us may make us get bored and go away - but at least in my case, I wont be back to buy any more of your products.

jtiger121
Community Member

some of you are giving google and nest products way too much credit for what they broke. For me, google home and nest products have been buggy since the start. They never really worked THAT GOOD. I don't even have time to go over all the constant little issues or design flaws. 

  • home/away sensing breaks
  • nest cams go offline at times
  • nest hub max: having to toggle the hardware button to bring the camera back on
  • yada yada

it is a decent home automation ecosystem, but it is far from "awesome" and bullet proof. There just arent that many better competitors at the price point with the range of options. Speaker groups never worked sufficiently for me as i've always had to tinker with the delay correction and third party vendor support for systems like cast or google tv is awful (sony, i'm looking at you). I have already started deploying ubiquiti equipment into my network and switching over to POE based cameras. I have slowly lost my trust that home/nest is sufficient to work in my time of need such as home protection. It is consumer class and more like a never ending beta

 

tommykat1
Community Member

1/19/22 - Day 13 of disabled functionality prevents mirroring my device to cast audio to speaker groups. My Chromecast array of 15 stations and 30 speakers is now worthless. Im back to using Bluetooth on a single portable speaker! When will you supply a solution, Google? I'm counting the days, or will there be a refund soon? 

Note: those similarly afflicted may wish to give negative reviews on the Google Home App installation page in the Google or Apple Stores.

 

MuzykMann
Community Member

Adding my voice here. I, too, have purchased dozens of cast audio devices over the last few years, several thousands of dollars spent, in order to use whole house audio. Taking away the group volume control is absolutely unacceptable. How can I be expected to individually control 20+ speakers every time I want to turn a song down for a moment?

Restoring the functionality (at whatever cost to Google) or refunds should be the only options. I spent all this money based on an advertised feature that is now being taken away. Google - This is not how you repay those who heavily bought into your ecosystem.

 

tommykat1
Community Member

@c0sm0naught, in an email I received today, you said this at 8:32 AM:

"now google are deleting my posts?!!?!
does anyone have a copy of my post from earlier in their email they could send me please?
If they are deleting it, at least they are reading the posts here
and if they don't like it I can post it elsewhere..."

I can't find this post, nor any others of yours going back to Friday. I have gotten into the habit of archiving my emails regarding this Nest debacle, as I also was worried that posts may vanish.

This is the latest post I've seen from you.

tommykat1_0-1642634780591.png

 

JohnBartlett
Community Member

Honestly, I think the propensity of these comments are ridiculous.

If the WiFi standard was replaced and any of these devices wouldn't work anymore, it wouldn't be Google's fault. Google acted in good faith to provide the product they did. It doesn't have one feature anymore, in its original incarnation, and there is a work around.

I'm getting the impression that everyone who is complaining is doing so in the hopes that Google will pay for exorbitant refunds, in most cases for products that have not even been affected, or there is a bot campaign to smear Google or make it cave into an agreement with Sonos (I think...).

I have owned the entirety of Google's media products, and I cannot stress this enough, I have not ever been disappointed (or I wouldn't have bought, and kept the products, as opposed to returning it if it displeased me).

If you're not a bot, go ahead, reply to this... let's see if you have some good reasons to complain.

If you don't want to, maybe you should consider toning down the rhetoric. Please.

In good faith, John

Billymalcolm
Community Member

@JohnBartlett lucky you! I wish I had the same experience. I'm a Google fanboy for years. Over the past year every single Google product crapped out on me. 

Tamugridge
Community Member

Seems everyone's complaints are valid.  Simply put, we purchase something based on the manufacturers claims and operating manual.  So it stands to reason, if the manufacturer is unable to perform or provide a service for which is was originally intended based on it's written and advertised claims, then we have every right to pursue remedy!!

Also, it would seem the reason we are here (again) is because of Google's questionable business practices and not simply because it was overlooked.  They literally took another manufacturers patent and used it!  Which is obviously why Google themselves did not patent the tech - they already knew it was taken!

tommykat1
Community Member

@JohnBartlett , I'm not a bot, and IMO, your reasoning is unrealistic about the possibility of changing WiFi standards affecting what these products do.

Read my posts. I'm one of many severely affected, as mirroring from my device and casting to speaker groups is no longer working. Like others here, my system is 100% bricked.

Ripper365
Community Member

@JohnBartlett People who are upset have been affected and are posting. Our experiences are drastically different than previously, and why we bought into the ecosystem in the first place. But, please tell us more about how our use cases are different than yours and how we shouldn't care and are a bunch of whiney babies. Cool, thanks.

monkey1aj
Community Member

@JohnBartlett honestly don’t understand how one couldn’t get upset at Google for selling stolen technology and then screwing consumers of their product and the inventor? Given you joined the community two weeks ago and have only posted replies to this thread that are Pro-Google, maybe you are the bot?

mikeyo
Community Member

@JohnBartlett not sure if you are trolling or not, but to have a devils advocate is ok.

A  change in standards that renders the hardware no longer capable of delivering functionality is completely different to what is happening here. If hardware is not longer capable of delivering functionality due to obsolescence, most accept that. In most cases consumers would be well aware of those upcoming changes and plan/purchase accordingly. In this case these products are still on the shelves and the removed functionality has been promoted by both Google and its hardware partners right up to the lawsuit loss.

As someone with 30+ years in the CE industry, apart from users I feel deeply for all those TV and Speaker manufacturing partners are caught up in this mess. They are going to now be taking large amounts of heat as it is their brands tied to this debacle. Remember Google called out a minimum cast version to now expect speaker groups to work reliably moving forward. Most of their partners a well behind that version and i suspect may not update.  (in my house that's JBL,Harmon and LG) 

Whether you believe Sonos winning the case was right or wrong, apart from the fact that Google does not want to pay the licencing fees, there appears to be no technical reason that this hardware could not be still operating as it was offered to market. What troubles me most is the response i have seen from Google to reviews on the Home app etc calling out this functionality being removed as a problem. Responses such as "you can still change the volume of each speaker independently" are so unhelpful and embarrassing. Its like Tesla saying yeah we disabled the accelerator in your car, but hey you can still push it.  

We all bought into this ecosystem expecting some very basic functionally presented as the product value proposition to be preserved over the duration. For no reason other than a commercial one, we all got proven wrong here. I recommenced the Google ecosystem to friends and family and they are now burnt, more fool me.

This now brings into question consumer confidence to buy into the Google Ecosystem and OEM partners joining it. I have seen hardware/software partners turn their backs on Google in the Chrome Os Eco system for how some things have been handled, so they can perhaps expect the same blowback here also. If Apple hobbled Airplay or Sonos themselves hobbled group speaker volume, their communities would equally and rightfully be up in arms.

A stroke of the pen at Mountain View could sort this out, however it appears there is no appetite for that presently. Perhaps when Google branded Nest products take a market share hit and Google are caught with stock in retail land they will reconsider.

Until then we are all just passengers here watching the wheels go round.

FixSpkrPairVol
Community Member

@JohnBartlett Troll, Google employee, misguided, or simply clearly misinformed?


I am physically disabled and made my decision of what to purchase based on advertised, thoroughly reviewed and well understood functionality. Lack of advertised functionality directly impacts my daily quality of life (sad but true).


Advertised functionality started failing for me, ~15 December 2021. These failures continue to this day, 19 January 2022.


Weeks past with hundreds of customers complaints here, hundreds more on Reddit, likely thousands of calls to support (including mine), and dozens of news articles outlining some of the missing functionality.

All the while, customers (including myself) are being put through entirely unnecessary and non-productive hours of resets and reconfigs, as repeatedly instructed by Google support.

Of course, this was not a bug or unexpected system failure, it was and is a known intentional change made by Google, unacknowledged externally.

The failure to acknowledge a known internal change, for weeks, cost many hundreds (thousands?) of customers and support hours. Wasting countless hours of loyal customers time and associated support hours should upset any Google share holder.


When Google finally responded with a quick blurb here, where most customers will never see, they offer a "solution" that is vauge and fails to address all of the broken functions.


FYI, per the Google announcement(s) here, my personal setup that was working just as advertised and as I expected prior to 15 December 2021, should have no issues. Alas, over a month later I continue to have the same issues, as do many, many others. No, it's not just about group volume for everyone.


As far as a wifi protocol change, not even close to an accurate comparison. If a wifi protocol changed, beyond the control of Google, my devices would continue to work as advertised as long as I maintained my, assumed obsolete, network in it's existing configuration. 


This change by Google resulting in lack of advertised functionality, is 100% Google's "fault".


Google knowingly stole IP from Sonos. Sonos should have never been granted such patent(s), but they were. So it is what it is and Google and others are expected to behave accordingly.


No one forced Google to knowingly infringe on patents, and use said infringement to create, advertise and sell products to unaware "good faith" customers.


Customers were not made aware at time of sale that patents had been knowingly infringed and that functionality could and likely would be removed at some point, long before any reasonable expectation of product obsolescence.


As I have stated several times, I care not to have my comments quoted in the news, be involved in any legal actions, win big money, or stick it to any company. I simply want the functionality advertised at my time of purchase to be restored.

I am not whining or expecting anything more or less than what I was sold, period. Neither are most if not all commenters here.

First world problem, perhaps. However, as I have previously stated, it is not ok to be lied to and/or robbed, not to mention disrespected, in any world...

 

Pleased to hear that you're happy with your purchases. As you can see, many, many others are not. Most if not all who are complaining have more than enough reason to do so.


I suggest that it would be wise for you to reconsider your seemingly rather narrow view.


I am not a bot 😉

 

DuMees
Community Member

@JohnBartlett 

I'm still happy with my products, not a bot, but hoping that Google speeds up with a real fix. Not looking for a refund either.

 

I personally don't understand as in my first comment described, these rulings can exist. 

Logically Sonos should have been awarded money (I dislike the idea that something like group volume can be patented in the first place) for every breach by Google for a fair amount. If the statement of the court is that Google did Sonos wrong. That should not be much like a 2-3 euro/dollar per device sounds fair to me (and as I'm writing this on internet it must be true and off course unflawed logic 😜 ) Google also went through to trouble to develop the functionality themselves. The idea is infringed, no code is stolen I believe. Google made profit (I suppose) on our devices so it wouldn't do real harm I think.

Allowing to remove such crucial functionality in sold devices now puts the debt on our shoulders. 

My take in this, the court completely forgot to protect the end-users in this ruling and is therefore not a fair ruling.

Sidenote: I imagine a Sonos employee a couple of years back laughing (perhaps an evil laugh) and sharing this awarded patent with colleagues, completely in disbelief that it is accepted. "Ow boy, we got them now" 

FixSpkrPairVol
Community Member
c0sm0naught
Community Member

@tommykat1 thanks - I did find my post. It was on another blog or google post but wasn't showing in my profile. bit odd, but my mistake. appologies to google for assuming they had removed my post.

 

@JohnBartlett I have no problem with products I buy becoming outdated/superseded/obsolete. But to remove functionality with little to no feasible workaround and brick many products I have - then yes it does p!ss me off. I have many old piecces of tech from decades past that still function as original but this is the first time i remember ever having products neutered during their realistic life span and within their warranty period.

For example; I still have many old games consoles that the video input isnt standard anymore, but these products still work fine, plenty of work arounds. I'm happy to provide my own work arounds where possible.

If wifi standards changes i would still be able to use any of my old routers/equiptment and still run these legacy products as they were originally sold. 

We are asking for refunds/rebates as what else can we do with these essentially useless products that are now filling our homes?? Does Google expect us to keep mindlessly buying their products and not remember what they have done to us here? if they offered some recompense it shows good will - something they appear not to care about. 

 

More than anything I just want them to return the functionality as it was originally sold to me. 

 

We should expect a product to do more over it's life span with updates, we should never except having our products downgraded at our expense. We've already paid for them to perform a task - why should we except less???

 

I have also been a bit of a google fanboy for a long time now - they've crapped out on me a LOT;

Google Listen, Play Music, Wear OS, Android 12 (this is, IMO, the worst iteration of android EVER. but i wont go into this here), Daydream, Google Labs to name a few of the bits that I used to love about their products and services that showed promise.