Google Nest No Longer Makes Announcements

[Tattz]

For more than a week or more my Google Nests no longer make announcements.

For example, I had a routine set up so that every day at 8:00AM my Google Nests would say "Don't forget to take your medication". It worked great and basically took the place of 'Family Bell'.

Now, I hear the alarm tone but no message is read out and as I had several different morning reminders the alert tone on it's own is pointless.

I have tried deleting and re-entering these alerts, re-booting the devices but nothing works.

This appears to be yet another feature of Google Home that no longer works.

Is there a fix for this or a way of making it work again?

[SmartHomeH-TAGS]

I just made a routine with an announcement included and it rang and successfully made the announcement.

If the routine is a Household try a new one from Personal or vice-versa.

They're just "Announcements" aren't they? Not a custom command.

Try one of the pre-made announcements like "I'm Home"

[Tattz]

Okay, I'll give it a go and report back with my findings. Thanks.

[Tattz]

No go. Tried it as a Personal Routine as opposed to a Household Routine and it still doesn't work.

I set the time for 2:30PM, told it to say "This is a test" and at 2:30PM the alarm tone (Do-do) sounded followed by a stony silence.

Some theorists are suggesting that Trump has issued an executive order to Google for them to restrict functionality to any non-American IP addresses. Given the amount of complaints I'm seeing here and on Reddit etc I'm starting to believe that it's true.

[SmartHomeH-TAGS]

@Tattz I live in Australia, but have the Google Home app language set to English (United States). Announcements work here.

[HouseOfH]

We're having the same problem, although it started about a month ago (and we're in the US). Our nests, plural, are also not responding to the reset process. The strangest part is that if after the tone goes off you ask Google to repeat that, it will say the message it should have said. 

[Pmase29]

I am having the same issue and its annoying.  Jobs that ran like clock work just stopped working properly.  Is there a fix for this and is it coming soon?  I am in the US and have it set to English (US).   I have tried every adjustment suggested in this blog and some suggested by Gemini.  Nothing has worked.   I thought it was just me but I see others have the same.

[SirGArilla]

I'm having the same issue. It allows us to make announcements but when it plays there is no actual announcement just the normal "announcement from ___" then nothing.

[DeboraJ]

Hi @Tattz

Thank you for reaching out to the Community! I understand you're experiencing difficulties managing your routines in the Google Home app. I know how frustrating this situation can be, but please don't worry. I'm here to assist you.

To provide you with the most accurate troubleshooting steps, I need some information from you:

• When did this issue begin?
• What model of device are you using?
• Did you create this action as a reminder or a routine?
• Are any other routines or reminders working correctly?

Once I have this information, I can provide further assistance.

Best Regards,

Debora 

[Tattz]

Hi Debora,

It probably started about two to three weeks ago and appears to be getting progressively worse.

I have three Nest Minis around my home and these are the ones most effected. The Nest Hub in my bedroom seems okay.

Initially they were set up as routines in the Google Home app but when they stopped working I went back to trying Family Bells in Google Assistant. That worked once but then stopped.

All other routines and commands seem to work fine. I can tell Google to open my garage door, turn on the TV or turn off lights and everything is okay. But if I try for an announcement on one or all speakers at a certain time and/or day nothing happens. It's very annoying as I rely on these to remind to perform certain tasks or to take my medication.

Funnily enough, when using Family Bells my android mobile phone tells me a Bell is ringing but the Mini Nests remain silent.

Hope this might give you a clue as to what has gone wrong. I suspect a bug in a recent update??

Tattz

[DeboraJ]

Hi @Tattz

Thank you very much for providing that information. It is indeed helpful in determining the cause of the issue. Let us proceed with some troubleshooting steps to restore your Google device's functionality.

• Step 1: Restart Your Google Home
  • Think of this as giving your Google Home a little refresh. Sometimes, a quick restart can clear up any temporary hiccups. To do this, simply unplug your Google Home from the wall outlet, wait for about 30 seconds, and then plug it back in.
• Step 2: Try Setting a Timer or Alarm
  • Let's see if your Google Home is responding to basic commands. Could you please try setting a simple timer or alarm using your voice? For example, you can say, "Hey Google, set a timer for 5 minutes."
• Step 3: Check if Google Home Heard You Correctly
  • After you give a command, open your Google Home app and check the activity log. This log shows you exactly what your Google Home understood you to say. It's a great way to make sure it's hearing you correctly.
• Step 4: Checking Timer and Alarm Status
  • You can easily check the status of any active timers or alarms. Just ask your Google Home, "Hey Google, how much time is left on my timer?" or you can also check in your Google Home app.
• Step 5: Factory Reset 
  • If the problem continues after trying the above steps, we can try a factory reset. This will restore your Google Home to its original settings. Please be aware that this will erase any personalized settings and data. 

Please try these steps and let me know how it goes. If these steps don't fix the issue, don't worry! We'll find another solution together.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Best regards,

Debora

[Tattz]

Thanks Debora,

At the moment it appears to have started working again. I will see how long it lasts and if it goes on the fritz again I will follow your steps.

[DeboraJ]

Hi @Tattz 

I'm glad to hear the issue has been resolved! If you experience the same situation with your devices in the future, you can try the steps I mentioned. Also, please remember that you can always reach out to us for assistance.

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Best regards,

Debora

[basta25]

Looks like the same here https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Speakers-and-Displays/Broadcasts-have-no-audio-at-all-only-te...