Google Home never plays the right version of a song

[RichardA]

If I ask Google to play a song it ALWAYS plays remixes or live versions. Even if I ask for the original version I still get something weird. It has gotten worse more recently too. I know I can cast but that defeats the object of Google Home. I know I'm not the only person suffering with this but I haven't been able to find a solution. Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated!

[Njmtb80]

Well, seems like this is absolutely pointless. The so called google rep Muddi sounds like a bot, asking the same questions and never giving any answers. I’ve given up and switched to apple HomePods and been getting rid of google devices including stadia, another great google disaster. Keep it up!!

[Steeled]

 Ok I too have been experiencing this for at least six months probably closer to eight or nine, anytime I request a favorite song on my Google assistant enabled smart speaker or on my Google nest mini. The blackweb smart speakerbar I’ve had for nearly 5 years and used it this way nearly daily without this kinda hassle. The nest mini for 2 years. Now one thing I noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned heretofore is that when I started using YouTube premium close to one year ago i began seeing this problem a lot. For the first time. And that was why I switched back to Spotify premium. Problem was resolved bing bang boom … except it has followed me here now, only when using googled assistant does it rear it’s ugly head presenting me with hot garbage instead of what it knows I play on repeat and even repeats back to me the title and artist of my chosen song before embarking on said idiocy. So let it be known this is the beginning of the exodus goog! I’m nixing googles assistant! No more of this aggro **bleep** in my home! Ain’t assisting me with what’s always been the most used feature of your service? Then why wiuld I continue allowing you to collect my data by the ream?! 

[Knives]

This problem makes the speakers basically useless to me — playing music is 90% of their use. No matter how specific the request, even if I include the album, it will play a remix of the song I’ve asked for from some random album. I’m on Apple Music but I can see from this thread the problem is with Google as it’s effecting other music providers 

[Lbw]

Me too, I use it for weather the morning alarm and play music. Specific music. Music by the actual artist who did the song.

[Thisis_vee]

Is there still no answer to this yet Muddi?!?! It’s so annoying when you ask the speaker to play a song and it gives you a random remix version. This has only just recently started happening.

I have an Apple subscription and its linked to my Google speaker. I don’t want to have to connect via Bluetooth and play that way, it defeats the purpose. I just want to be able to ask a google to play Perfect by Ed Sheeran and get the original radio edit, not a house/drum and bass remix, it ruins the mood!!

HELP PLEASE!!!!!

[rsf]

So if you have been reading about Amazon's issue with Alexa (losing billions) you will also see that the same thing plagues Google Home and other AI. There is no way to monetize these things. So I will guess that there is no one home now or ever again at Google Home. Just going to have to find your songs on spotify and stream to the speakers. Home is just good now for setting alarms and asking the weather forcast.

[Lbw]

Sadly you are right.

[VileTo]

Hey Google, play the album Hollow Meadows.

"Playing the album sampler Hollow Meadows by Richard Hawley" Cue random RH song from the album.

For extra FFS, see here - https://photos.app.goo.gl/P47Wj6xEdQv6DcKJ6

Edit: may trigger random song from your Nest - mute before playing!

[Lbw]

LOL. FFS indeed. My Google heard it all the way from the other room, it certainly does have good ears, if nothing else.

[krenkes]

Just hopping on to say THIS IS MADDENING! I just got rid of Alexa and replaced with a new Google Home. Both devices use Spotify, but Google Home always ALWAYS plays the wrong version. I thought Alexa was an idiot, but it turns out, I'm the idiot for buying this Google device.

[JozLei]

Currently having this problem. Got this google nest in November, ask it to play Dancing on my Own by Calum Scott, Creepin’ by Metro Boomin, or Broken by Isak Danielson and I get nothing but remixes. Please fix this as it’s irritating as can be, no matter how many times I ask for the original of said songs plus more it’s the wrong version. 

[Jonathanb087]

When did the issue start? We just purchased our Nest Mini at Christmas and encountered this issue out of the box. 

How often does it happen? It happens every time we request a specific song (for example: “I’ve Been Everywhere” by Johnny Cash)

What is the default music service set on your Google Home app? Apple Music

Do you have a premium subscription? Yes. 

Do you have the same issue when playing music on a different music service? We don’t have any other music services. 

Please try using the Google Assistant app on your phone and check if you have the same issue. When using the phone app, the correct song will play on the phone. When I tell the phone app to play on the Nest Mini, it plays the wrong version of the song. 

[olistead]

Well, I guess I'll just join this frustrated party, but I am a premium Apple Music user in the UK and I tend to use Sonos, but I have just moved house and only have my Google devices hooked up right now. I can't seem to play anything, rendering them basically useless for music. I guess nobody has discovered a fix?

[Reed125]

No fix discovered apart from connecting via Bluetooth and playing through your music app. Not exactly the point but a work around. STILL NOT A REPLY OR FIX FROM GOOGLE. 

[Wtfihavetoreg]

Geez this is annoying. My smart display has started this. I ask for a song, it correctly identifies the song, says it's going to play it, then just plays something else entirely. It used to work.

Typical Google, break something, move on.. Never fix anything 

[RichardA]

Well, it's clear Google don't care about their users. Feel a bit of an idiot for investing in whole house Google Nest products at the moment. Support is non existent. 

I have noticed recently that Google Assistant's ability to answer questions is getting worse too. 

[Wtfihavetoreg]

Just be glad you didn't invest in one of their smartwatches 

[Wtfihavetoreg]

Just confirming this isn't a device issue - asked 3 different Home devices to play "we will rock you by queen". All 3 acknowledged correctly and said they were about to play it. All 3 decided to play Livin' on a Prayer by Bon Jovi. I guess it's good they're at least consistently broken

[Lbw]

Yeah, the lack of response and help is so frustrating.

[Gareth2]

Just bought a pair of Nest Audio and facing the same issue as others here. The Nest Audi/Google Home is linked to my Apple music account. When I ask Google to play "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse I get a (pretty bad) live version. When I ask the same thing on my Homepod mini I get the proper (studio) version. Same goes for a lot of other songs. Why, Google? Why does Siri get it right and Google Assistant get it wrong?

I can see the posts here go back a year and still this problem exists. I'll be sending the 2 Nest Audio back.

[Dash_Riprock]

Where are you Muddi??? Every now and then you will post questions you have already asked but that's it then you go away and say no more. So this is an obvious issue across platforms. What is Google's position on this issue?

[Gareth2]

Just to confirm, because of this problem of playing the "wrong" songs, I have returned the 2 Nest Audio I just bought and I'm having to re-think my plan to move from the Apple Eco-system to Google Home. What a disappointment.

[Lbw]

they'll never fix this.

[Wtfihavetoreg]

Yep. Google never go back and fix critical bugs, they just move on to the next version or kill the product line.

[Gareth2]

Interesting - just asked Google to play some of the "problem" songs on YouTube music. I got the "correct" version each time.  So, doesn't work with Apple/Spotify/Deezer but does work with YouTube. Surprise surprise.

[RichardA]

I had the same thought myself but hadn't tested the theory. Makes sense, I guess they'd like us to switch to their own platform. 

[lilaundgelb]

Just wanted to add one more voice: We've been experiencing this same issue for many months. We have an Apple Music subscription, and our Google Nest/Assistant will almost always play a weird version of any song we request—usually a live version, a cover, a remix, or an outtake. If we ask for the album, it will usually play the album and we can manually skip to the desired song (unless there is an alternate version of the album—say, a soundtrack in a different language).

We also own an Alexa device and it always plays the original version of the songs we request.

I spent a while on this issue with Google support last year and they said that there was nothing they could do. I suggested they give Amazon tech support a phone call, but I think they didn't follow that suggestion 🙂

[rsf]

Amazon laid off all those people anyways. I have to do the same thing, except I need to search what album it was on. Sad

[Bridgeview]

We noticed this happening more last July. We tried play Lola by The Kinks at that time, it started playing a Strange version. Today it is playing an instrumental, 2014… It does not matter how I ask, if I dislike. 

I have a horse home with Google nest system.

voice. Recognition has also gotten worse… Sometimes the display will literally start with what I said and then change to the wrong thing. 

if this cannot be fixed, I’m on to a different system asap

[omgyeti]

I have noticed this issue for some time with Google speakers and using Apple Music. I will specify something like “Blank Space by Taylor Swift,” and it will go find some live Kidz Bop variant of the song. If I specify “Blank Space by Taylor Swift on YouTube Music,” it will play the correct song without fail. It seems to be an intentional choice by Google to induce people to stop using other services. My solution is just that I’m going to replace my Google speakers with Apple HomePod Minis. Hopefully Apple will make one with a screen soon.

[Njmtb80]

Sorry to tell you that it won’t fix the issue. I have HomePods and Siri/Apple Music is just plain useless most of the time. oh and they also don’t work when streaming audio from my Mac or appletv either. So much for “apple ecosystem”

[omgyeti]

So they behave differently than Siri on the phone? I’ve never had an issue with that Siri playing the appropriate song. It’s only $99 to do a trial of a HomePod Mini, so I’ll try that at minimum.

[MJKG]

Same problem for me - Google Nest playing Apple Music, constantly finding unwanted alternative versions of tracks. I hoped to find advice here, or at least an explanation, but it looks like a vain hope.

[lilaundgelb]

I contacted Google customer support about this issue (via phone) at the end of January. The support person I spoke with was able to duplicate the problem and elevated the issue to their tech team. Since then, the tech team has asked me to try various fixes and send them information every week or so. So some people at Google are aware of the issue and seem to be investigating it, although I don't know whether this will lead to a fix.

[rsf]

You might want to send them a link to this forum. Lots of great examples and senarios.

[RichardA]

I did this 18 months ago, nothing fixed it and nothing has changed. Try streaming You Tube music and see what happens......

[Dozier]

I can’t believe this is still going on. I’ve had this issue for about 6-8 months now. It’s pretty infuriating, as soon as I hear the garbage live version I just give up and tell it to stop. I’m thinking if I want to listen to my Apple Music I’ll just get a home pod and be done with it. Also I’m sure Muddie is just AI to satiate the crowd every few months. 

[boyking]

help me plsss

[Zolo]

When I ask for a specific song, Google will play artists and albums I've never heard of. I have Spotify premium and YouTube music.

The only way I can get it to play correctly is by naming a Spotify playlist something so specific, like googlesucksbutt. Then I say, hey Google,  play googlesucksbutt... on Spotify.

At least I learned from this forum, that others have this problem, and Alexa seems to be worth switching to. 

[omgyeti]

I’ve never had the issue with YouTube Music, but it does it all the time with Spotify and Apple Music. I wound up buying an Apple HomePod a few months ago, and so far it has never done this, and the HomePod still handles my lights and timers well enough, so I’m just planning to switch to those. I gave up Alexa long ago and switched to Google, now it looks like I’m moving on again.