Assistant cannot set alarms using bedtime routine

[aschettler]

I have had a bedtime routine set up with Google Assistant for years and have never had a problem with the alarm feature. A couple weeks ago, however, my Nest Hub (2nd Gen) started producing am error during this routine. I would say the command to start the routine and Assistant would, as usual, ask what time it should set the alarm for. At this point, regardless of the time or how I said it (I tried "9", "9 am", "tomorrow morning at 9 am“, etc.), Assistant would respond with confusion. "I'm not sure how to help with that. Here are other things you can try:" is what it would say, presenting options such as "Tell me when it's 9 am" and. "never mind". If I tell it not to set an alarm ("no alarm" or "don't set an alarm"), it responds with "If you just asked to cancel an alarm, there are none set at the moment." In all cases, the routine fails to complete midway, never going on to turn the lights off and play sleep sounds. I have deleted and recreated the routine and I've factory reset the Nest Hub, but the result is always the same. I cannot set an alarm using the bedtime routine. Oddly enough, if I ask it directly to set the alarm, it works without problem. Alarms set via the display also have no issue.

[Adıyaman]

I have that problem too on my Google Nest Hub device. When i say the command: 'Time for bed' it says when i want to wake up. When i say like 7 I'm clock, it says: 'Okay, when should i wake you up?' I said 7 o' clock again, but then it did not play my routine.

[Kimmie3]

A week ago the same problem starting with my nest hub.  Very frustrating and not sure how to fix it.  Before that I never had an issue.

[mwhitman]

I'm having the same exact issue. It started at the same time, also a Google Nest Hub 2nd generation. The routine does work on my phone, but not the Nest Hub.

I noticed that it coincided with the change in the Google Home app where routines became automations. I think it's a bug. I have no idea how to fix it or if there's anything I can do.

I did try a device restart and editing the routine.

[mwhitman]

I found a way to fix this. I opened the Google Home app. I went to automations and removed the part of the bedtime routine that set the alarm. I saved the change then added it back to the routine.

Something about removing then adding it back fixed it.

[aschettler]

I had tried that, but it still fails for me. I ended up just setting a recurring alarm on my phone and removing the alarm from the routine. It sticks, but I'm tired of Assistant not knowing how to do such a basic thing. I'm also very disappointed that nobody from Google have reached out to the thread.

[mwhitman]

It turns out my celebration was premature. It only works once. I have to edit the routine every time I want it to work. It works once then stops.

I'm also disappointed that nobody from Google has chimed in.

[Akash9207]

I’ve been struggling with exact same issue since past 3-4 weeks now. I was working fine since past couple years. I don’t know if it was an update that triggered this issue on these devices! 

[Dan_A]

Hi folks,

@aschettler, @Akash9207, this is not the experience we want you to have; let us help you. A few questions: aside from the mentioned Nest Hub (2nd gen), which Nest speakers are we working with? Were there any recent changes made? What troubleshooting steps have you done so far?  

It would help a lot if you could do a sequential reboot first: 

1. Unplug the power cord from your router, followed by your Nest speakers.
2. Plug them back in after 3 minutes.
3. Restarting your phone might also help.

Also, you can recreate your routine or better yet, create a new one with new actions and alarms to see if the behavior is the same.

Furthermore, try to set an alarm only without adding it to your routine and tell us how it goes.

Best,

Dan

[Adıyaman]

Hello Dan,

I tried all your troubleshooting steps, but none of them seems to work. I tried to update my mesh and main router, but that didn't also work. I think it's no use.

Greetings,

- Adıyaman H.

[aschettler]

As I mentioned in my original post, I have  ot only rebooted my Hub multiple times, removed the alarm from the routine and added it back, deleted the routine and created it again, factory reset the hub, and nothing has worked. I've resorted to simply using my phone for my alarm since Google Assistant has no idea what to do when I ask it to verbally or as part of the routine.

[mwhitman]

Hi Dan,

For me, I tried the reboot and it had no effect. I was able to fix it once by removing the alarm, saving, and re-adding it. But that wasn't a permanent fix. The alarm worked fine outside of the routine.

Ultimately, I was able to resolve it by moving the alarm so it wasn't the first step in my routine. For some reason when it's the first step it fails. I'm afraid to mess with it at this point since I finally got it working.

I've also noticed that the response is shorter and doesn't make sense when you aren't verbally asking to set the alarm. It used to say something like "What time do you want to set the alarm for?". Now it says something much shorter like "ok, when for?" But if you are in a routine and not asking the question it's a bit weird.

[Lumos]

I’m having the same issue as well. I used to love my nest, but having troubles with such a basic task and lacking software updates is making me reconsider.