Google Assistant 'hey google find my phone' stopped working

[Shaune]

Reposting here on request from here:

https://support.google.com/assistant/thread/124237417/google-assistant-hey-google-find-my-phone-stop...

As requested there I have tried all the instructions here:

https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/6160491?hl=en

Basically my find my device stopped working via google assistant on the google home (mini, nest, hub) speakers.

It is set up correct, the website finds my phone just fine, and the app on other devices find it as well.

But Google Assistant instead just tries to call my phonenumber thinking there are no findable devices.

It used to work just fine but I just recently replaced my Pixel 3 XL with a Fold 3. If I ask 'hey google find my phone' it happily offers to find my Pixel 3 XL.

If I unselect Pixel 3 XL (and select the Fold 3) from here:

https://play.google.com/settings

Now it can't find my Fold 3 and just asks if I want it to call my phonenumber instead.

Seems like it thinks the Fold 3 is a tablet not a phone, and therefore doesn't offer to find it? Or some other reason the Fold 3 is different from every other phone it happily finds.

Note the distantly is ringing the device via find your device (which overrides volumn/mute etc.) versus just dialing the phonenumber on file.

Thanks

[frances]

Hi Shaune,

Thank you for your response. I am sorry to hear that your 'Find my iPhone' feature is not working. I understand your concern and want to ensure that you get this issue resolved. 

As you are asking a Google Assistant related question, I recommend you posting your question to the Google Assistant Help Community Forums. This is an issue for the Google Assistant team as there is no issue with the Google speaker/display device itself.

A specialist there should be able to look into this issue and help you.

Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns, thanks!

[Shaune]

Thank you for your reply,

If you check out the first link in your post you'll see I did start off posting there and they redirected me here given the problem only occurs when asking Google Assistant to find my phone on a smart speaker, but if I ask Assistant on my phone etc. it seems to work fine.

I can try again there

Shaune

[frances]

Hi Shaune,

I am so sorry that you are being redirected back and forth. That is not ideal and I apologize for the inconvenience caused. I understand that this is a frustrating issue and I want to make sure that your device starts working again. As you've explained, this issue is happening on all of your devices, so it is clearly a Google Assistant issue.

Please keep me updated. I will also try to see if there is anything I can do to help.

I sincerely thank you for your patience. I'm here to help and look forward to your response. 

[frances]

Hi Shaune and TerryR,

Thank you for your detailed posts! I apologize that you two are encountering these issues with your Google Assistant. 

Unfortunately, I cannot help with this issue and need you two to post your questions to the Google Assistant Help Community Forums. This is an issue for the Google Assistant team as it is in regard to the Google Assistant and because there is no issue with the Google speaker/display device itself. The team there will have better insight and knowledge on how to resolve Google Assistant questions.

Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to help. Thank you. 

[TerryR]

Thanks for the "punt it to someone else" response.  There's no reason to put it on the other forum since they already punted it here.  I have learned there is no Google support.  Thanks for confirming it.

[TerryR]

I had the same problem when I got my fold.  Have you gone here to sign out of your old phone?  It worked for me.
https://myaccount.google.com/device-activity?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fmyaccount.google.com%2Fsecurity

[Shaune]

Thanks for the reply, yes I did that and signed out of the old phone. From that page, or from the find your device website everything works well. But when I ask google assistant to find my phone it just defaults to 'you have no phones lets call your number' mode, so the old phone is correctly unregistered but for some weird reason it isn't seeing the new fold as available to find (despite the fact the website find your device can find it just fine).

After you did that does it work correctly for you? I.e. you can ask google assistant on a smart speaker/display (not on a phone) to find my phone and it then causes your fold to make noise (not just dial it as a phone call)?

[TerryR]

After I signed the old phone out, my hub briefly didn't think I had a phone, but then it did after an hour or so.  One thing I still can't figure out is "find my phone" now calls my phone instead of just making it ring at full volume.  Searching on how to fix that is what lead me here.

I read today that a factory reset of the Hub fixes the problem, but I'm not home yet to try it.  I am hoping it fixes a few recent problems like "what's on TV" used to pull up the YouTube TV channel guide....now it shows google results for the question.  It has me wondering if my new phone is the issue or Google did one of their famous updates that "fixes" what was already working.

[Shaune]

Yep that is my problem. It dials the phone as in makes a phone call to it, rather than using find my device to cause the device to ring at full volume.

Sounds like you have the exact same problem as me, it doesn't see the Fold as a phone. It has the same behavior as it does with tablets, which makes me think it thinks the fold is a tablet and not a phone..

The phone call is what it does if there are no phone devices on your account (e.g. you have an old non-smart phone) and it just dials the phone numbers on your google account.

[TerryR]

So this just happened.  I added a Google Voice phone number and now when I ask "where's my phone" the Hub says I have two numbers and asks to call each in order.  When I say "no" to both it tells me it can send a notification with sound and to just turn on notifications in the Google Home App.  I got excited, but notifications are on. 😞 

I still think there is a setting somewhere I'm missing.

[frances]

Hi All,

Thanks for your comments.

In regard to not being able to see your 'Find my phone' notifications, have you set them up in the Google Home App and iPhone settings?

Here are the steps:

1. Open the Google Home app .
2. Tap Settings   Notifications.
3. If you have the option, tap Turn on Notifications  Go to settings. This will take you to the Google Home screen in your iPhone’s Settings app. 
4. If you don’t have the option to turn on notifications, then they’re already turned on. 
5. Tap Notifications  turn on “Allow Notifications.” 
6. Go back to the Google Home app for the setting to take effect.
7. To turn on Critical alerts, from the home screen, tap Settings   Notifications  General notifications > turn on Critical alerts.

Also, please keep in mind that you will not receive any notification alert from your phone if the device

• Is set to silent or Do not disturb, unless you’ve enabled critical alerts
• Doesn't have a cellular signal or isn't connected to the internet.

Lastly, @TerryR , you said you were going to try a Factory Data Reset. Did that help resolve the issue or not? 

Thank you all for your patience. 

[frances]

Hi All,

It's been a few days since we have heard from you. Just checking to see if you have any other questions or concerns. Thank you.

[frances]

Hi All,

I have not received any new responses, so I'll go ahead and lock this thread. If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to start a new thread and we'll be happy to help.