Talk and Listen Delayed / Unusable on Nest Doorbell (wired Gen 2) & Nest Doorbell (battery)

[24df42]

I've had most of my Google Nest products for about a year now and until just recently (within the last 3 months) everything has been working. I have 2 Nest Cam's with Floodlight, 1 Nest Doorbell (wired Gen 2), and 1 Nest Doorbell (battery)[wired].

I first noticed an issue in late February 2024 when someone rang my doorbell and I couldn't have a conversation with them. Their audio and my audio were severely delayed. I got home tested it and sure enough the audio was delayed/cuts out both ways - for the person at the door and for me. With the doorbell being just under a year old, I called Nest support and ended up replacing the Nest Doorbell (wired Gen 2), but even after the swap, the issue still happened. With the original Nest Doorbell (wired Gen 2), I went through all the steps to see if I could fix the issue; rebooting Wi-Fi/Modem, turning the breaker off/on, factory resetting multiple times - nothing worked.  I just installed an additional Nest Doorbell (battery) and it also experiences the same issue (it was at a different location previousy and has been factory reset and put into my network). Here is a list of information that I have confirmed:

1. This issue has happened with two different internet providers, so my service isn't the issue. (I just switched from Xfinity to AT&T).

2. Both of the Nest Cam's with Floodlight work flawlessly (instant audio for Talk and Listen, both ways) before and now, so it's not my Wi-Fi network.

3. The video on both Nest Doorbells is instant and not delayed.

4. The doorbell notifications to my chime/ Google Home devices and quick replies work almost instantly.

So in closing, is the issue the Google Home app? Has something happened recently that could cause this? I feel like I'm out of options and I'd like to see if I can get this sorted out.

UPDATE: I have a Google Nest Hub and I can talk through both Doorbells flawlessly which leads me to believe it’s definitely an app issue.

[MplsCustomer]

@24df42 

Have you tried deleting and reinstalling your Google Home app?  Sometimes that corrects anomalies, and you don't lose any settings; you just log back into the app with the same username and password you were previously using.

[24df42]

I have tried this on both devices. I also had someone else in my home management group attempt to talk through the Doorbell with the same issues.

[MplsCustomer]

@24df42 

Is this happening when your phones and the phones of those in your Google Nest "household" are connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your doorbells?

[24df42]

Yes it is, both on Wi-Fi and on 5G.

[MplsCustomer]

@24df42 

I'm out of ideas.

[24df42]

As am I, haha, which is why I posted. Thank you for trying to assist, I appreciate it.

[zoeuvre]

Hi folks, 

Thanks for chiming in, @MplsCustomer. 

@24df42 and @Bjerre14, I'm sorry for the inconvenience you're experiencing with the audio delay on your Nest Doorbell devices. Since you've already performed troubleshooting steps and confirmed that the issue is not related to your internet service or Wi-Fi network, it's possible that the problem lies with the Google Home app or a software-related issue. Here are a few additional steps you can take: 

1. Check if there are any available updates for the Google Home app on your mobile device. Keeping the app updated can help ensure compatibility with the latest firmware and resolve potential bugs or issues.
2. Try clearing the cache and data of the Google Home app on your mobile device. This can help resolve any temporary glitches or conflicts that may be affecting the app's performance. You can usually find these options within the app settings or through your device's application manager.
3. Install the Google Home app on a different mobile device and see if the audio delay issue persists. This can help determine if the problem is specific to your device or if it's a broader issue with the app itself.

Let us know how it goes.

Best,

Zoe 

[24df42]

Hello Zoe,

I apologize for the late reply here, but I appreciate your response.

I have updated/uninstalled then reinstalled the Google Home App on 4 different mobile devices (iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro, iPad Mini 6, and Google Pixel 😎 and the issues still persist. 

The only place I have clear conversations with my doorbells is on my Google Nest Hub 2nd Gen.

[JonLAWeiss]

I'm having the same problems.  Support is running around in circles without acknowledging that.  New unit.  Same problem.  Reset unit.  Same problem.  Created new "home" in Google Home.  Same problem.  Reinstalling all Google devices.  Same problem.  So much wasted time, and nobody acknowledges that this problem is reported in this forum and elsewhere (Reddit) where others are being run around in the same circle.

[24df42]

I' m sorry to hear you are having this issue too! I really think it must be a Google Home app bug and I hope they sort it out soon.

[ToddinPA]

I am also having this problem with my new gen 2 wired doorbell. I also am getting the run around from support. I even called an old friend in a different state and his is doing it as well. When I use the quick response messages, the audio is clear and fine.

I can even hear the audio cutting in and out when listening to the live video. 

[JonLAWeiss]

Yesterday, I sent them a recording of the audio cutting in and out along with screenshots of my Deco M5 App showing solid connections.  Today, they said they are "re-escalating the case to our higher tier."  (Who de-escalated it?)

As for the audio delay, they previously tried to explain that away:  "Audio delay is normally caused by some interference with the connection, however please note that it's normal for there to be a few seconds of delay, as it takes a moment for the data to go from the camera, to the Nest server then to the phone/computer that you're using. So having a few seconds audio delay up to 4 seconds is normal when checking feeds." 

[24df42]

I’m sorry you’re dealing with this as well, but it definitely has to be widespread. Also, the acceptable delay argument is such bunk because the Nest Cams in my environment have 0 delay. 

[JonLAWeiss]

As a follow up to my post

(1) sharing the audio recording of the doorbell to demonstrate audio cutouts (it's music playing through a Bluetooth speaker) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ARz_zg2AMT_vet1b9ZFrv6UF8hSOTOJY/view?usp=sharing

(2) Twice I've checked the camera around 10 p.m. Pacific time, and there has been no delay.  The next day, back to normal.  

[tennisgal99]

I have the same thing going on it occurs with all our Google Nest Hubs and our phones. We have a wired Nest 2nd gen doorbell that is less than 6 months old. Is there anything being done to get rid of the Google Home bug that is causing this? The doorbell is useless!!!

[Jenny71783]

Same issue here. So frustrating not being able to fix this problem! Gonna try a ring doorbell and see if google has to go bye bye.

[pcompton40]

I've had the same issue on the last three Nest wired doorbells (gen2) which were installed at two different locations. While attempting to talk and listen using the home app it appears to buffer, send, buffer, send, causing the whole talk and listen function to be useless. When I initially installed the doorbell it worked fine. It seemed that these problems began after upgrading to the longer recording Nest Aware subscription. The live audio has delayed and buffered ever since the Nest Aware upgrade occured. The same result occurs if somebody rings the doorbell and you answer it really quickly. It takes almost 20 to 30 seconds for the connection to begin streaming. So the attenuation occurs when live streaming begins to be process at the Nest video service layer on Google's servers. It doesn't appear this is going to be resolved until Google's engineers solve this buffering issue during the live stream.

[ToddinPA]

This is now being reported all over the web. CNET and other online outlets. 
https://9to5google.com/2024/04/03/nest-doorbell-wired-audio-dropouts/

[vpersad · Accepted solution]

Based on this other related thread, a fix is being rolled out and few members have confirmed the issue has been solved. Not sure whether the fix requires a software update, or if it's just being rolled out on Google's end 🤷 I asked and awaiting confirmation, however mine still shows software version 1.71 even though the issue seems to be gone on my end as well.

[ToddinPA]

After reading this I went out and tried the doorbell. It works perfectly!! 
I had no input, it was fixed in the cloud?

Thanks Google. 

[24df42]

As the creator of this thread. I can confirm the issue is now fixed. Thank you Google, even if it took too long for my taste.

[pcompton40]

Something appears to have been rolled out. I checked my four doorbell cameras at three different home locations and it appears that the delay has been resolved at this point.

[Bjerre14]

me here.  appears to be working now.  However now I see delays and cut outs when replaying videos on the cameras (non doorbell)  I hear there's a fix coming for that too but we will see