Presence sensing isn't an option on my partner's phone

[kateantons]

I have a home account set up for my partner and me, but presence sensing doesn't show up as an option on his settings page. From my phone it says he has "location access off," but he has Google Home set to "always" in his Location Services. We've tried uninstalling the app and reinstalling, removing him from the home and re-inviting him, restarting his phone. Nothing works to give him the ability to turn on presence sensing. I've seen people run into this issue before, and none of the troubleshooting listed has helped. How do we get presence sensing to work for him?

[zoeuvre · Accepted solution]

Hi kateantons, 

Yikes! I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing difficulties with getting presence sensing to work for your partner in the Google Home app. Kindly try these: 

1. Check that the Google Home app has the necessary location permissions enabled on your partner's phone. Go to the app settings on his phone, find the Google Home app, and make sure that location permissions are granted.
2. Confirm that the location accuracy settings on your partner's phone are set appropriately. In the phone's settings, go to the Location section and ensure that the location mode is set to "High accuracy" or "GPS only" for the best results.
3. Some phones have battery optimization features that can restrict background activities, including location services. Make sure that the Google Home app is not being excessively optimized or restricted by these settings. Look for battery optimization or power-saving settings on your partner's phone and ensure that the Google Home app is exempted or allowed to run in the background.
4. Make sure that your partner's Google Home app is up to date. Check the app store on his phone for any available updates to the Google Home app and install them if necessary.

Remember that these are general suggestions, and the specific steps may vary depending on the type of phone or operating system version your partner is using. It's also worth noting that the availability of certain features, like presence sensing, can vary based on location and other factors.

I hope these suggestions help resolve the issue. Best of luck, and I hope you and your partner can enjoy the full functionality of presence sensing in the Google Home app.

Best,

Zoe

[Kranknpop]

I’ve tried all of that for my wife’s iPhone. Location permissions “always”. Precise location on. Deleted her from Home and readded. Deleted the Google Home app and reinstalled. Rebooted her phone. Turned on location sharing in Google Maps. Added her home address to her Google account. I’m pulling my hair out! Still. No Presence Sensing option on Settings of Google Home. Any other suggestions?

[zoeuvre]

Hi there, 

I'm sorry to hear the frustration you're experiencing with the Google Home app and the absence of the Presence Sensing option on your wife's iPhone. Don't give up on us yet—we'd like to further check on this. Could you fill out this form and let me know once you're done?

Thanks,

Zoe

[Kranknpop]

Resolved after contacting Google Support. Needed to set up Home and Away on my wife's phone. Support walked me through, and I wish I could remember exactly what we did, but it was quick and easy - just not intuitively obvious.

[zoeuvre]

Hi there, 

Great! I'm glad that everything has been sorted out. If you have questions or concerns in the future, feel free to start a new thread, and we'll be happy to help.

Regards,

Zoe

[Troutphisher]

Please help. Having the same issue!

[kateantons]

Thanks for this! Still need to give it a try, and will keep you posted.