Having trouble with Speaker groups? Read this first

[kelanfromgoogle]

Hi everyone, 

Thank you for continuing to notify us of the reliability issues you’re facing with your Speaker groups. I escalated these issues internally and the team is actively investigating a resolution. If you’re able, all feedback is appreciated! Please keep it coming by saying “OK Google, Send Feedback." Providing details, such as mentioning that the issue is with the "speaker group," is especially helpful.  As always, we appreciate your feedback and are working hard to alleviate the issues. 

Thank you for the patience,
Kelan

[kelanfromgoogle · Accepted solution]

Hey folks,

Thank you for your continued patience while our team has been working to address the issues with Speaker group functionality. I want to give you all an update and confirm that a fix was identified which will address a specific problem where some devices, when acting as the group leader, cause an issue with audio not playing on other speakers that are part of the same group. However, you may experience that the main (or leader) device will still play the media as expected.

The following devices will cause this behavior when used as the group leader:

- Chromecast with Google TV (4K)
- Chromecast with Google TV (HD)
- Google Home (Fixed as part of firmware update 3.73)
- Google Home/Nest Hub (first-generation)
- Google Home/Nest Mini (first-generation) (Fixed as part of firmware update 3.73)
- Nest Audio (Fixed as part of firmware update 3.73)
- Nest Hub (second-generation)
- Nest Hub Max
- Nest Mini (second-generation) (Fixed as part of firmware update 3.73)
- Nest Wifi Point
- Pixel Tablet
- A small percentage of third-party speakers were also affected

Note: the issue must be fixed on the device that is the leader of the group in order for the other devices in the group to start playing consistently

The fixes are specific to each device type, and are dependent on upcoming scheduled update rollouts. We will update this post as the fixes begin rolling out for each device so you can test your own speaker groups.

There may be some devices that take longer to receive the update so if you’re still encountering issues, you can try these temporary workarounds:

Cast directly: if you’re trying to play audio in multiple rooms, cast the audio directly to the individual speakers.

Restart your devices: If you’re having trouble with your speaker group and are unsure which device is the group leader, try restarting all devices that are part of the speaker group. This can often resolve the issues.

As always, we deeply appreciate the feedback and your patience. If you are still running into issues with Speaker groups, please leave a comment below with clear descriptions of the behavior you're encountering. This feedback will help the team further investigate and mitigate anything else that might be causing this feature to not work as intended.

Thanks again, we're working diligently to get everything back to how it should be.

Kelan

[Bardickson]

This is the issue that bought me here. Only as of this evening (12.6.24 in UK), my daily routine includes playing spotify through my stereo (nest minis 2nd gen) speaker group. Today it helpfully tells me "something went wrong." 

Same troubleshooting as you with cache clearing, resetting, unpairing, uninstalling, reinstalling regrouping (and repeating whilst uninstalling and reinstalling both spotify and google home on various devices)

It is only an issue with spotify (not other apps - works with YT music, radio, news). But that's a pretty big issue because - it's spotify. No, I don't want to transfer over to YT music.

It is only an issue with speaker groups. Individual speakers can still work. But given this thread, speaker groups for music are a pretty huge portion of the customer base and a common use. In fact, it's why I bought the **bleep** things. 

I don't think just expecting google to enable speakers to keep working is a big ask. In fact, I think having left AND right is a pretty basic part of the service if you are selling smart speakers.

[crog62]

Be honest with your community: Google won’t do anything beyond this post. This problem is far too prevalent to not to be known by Google. I’ve had this problem for years.  This post is simply a feint towards doing pretending to address the issue. It is support theater and nothing more..  

[marcolopes]

As this one is! https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Speakers-and-Displays/Strange-popping-sound-in-my-nest-mini/t...

Reported for the fist time 4 YEARS AGO, and gained visibility more than 6 months ago! Still ON!!!

[crog62]

I contacted Google support via chat and went through the suggestions including this one: 

1. **Reset your Google Home speaker pair**: Sometimes, resetting your speakers can help resolve connectivity issues. To do this, press and hold the microphone button on both speakers for 15 seconds. This will reset them to their factory settings.

Here's what happened: 

• Deleted speakers from Google Home, 
• Performed factory reset.
• Added device: 
  • Also tried manually entering wifi password
  • Also selecting “Other Wi-Fi Network” and entering all the details manually
• Get “Choose a Device” - select Google Nets or partner device
• Choose my Home
• Get “Looking for devices…” and it finds Nest Audio device - Choose “Yes”
• Get “Connecting to Nest Audio…” screen - Hear the connection sound
• Get “Did you hear the sound?” answer “yes”
• Get “Help improve Nest Audio” answer “yes”
• Get screen asking where the device is located. Select room.
• Get “Connect to Wi-fi” display. 
• Choose wifi - select my home network using saved password
• Note this is a Google Nest Wifi Pro
• Get “Connect to same WI-FI” screen
  • Review "help"
  • Because this is a Google Nest WIfi Pro there is no AP isolation option
  • Also I disabled then renabled UPnP on the Wifi settings.
• None of this worked, the device never connects. 
• I tried this at least a dozen times on two different Nest Audio devices (the ones I was trying to make into a group)

I now have no functioning Google Nest Audio devices because I followed Google's support directions. At least before I could listen to one speaker at a time.  

[rickjforbes]

I can relate to this.

My agent told me to retrain my voicematch as this would help (speaker group issue...I know right?)

Now I can't set up.the voice match on my phone again (Pixel 6 Pro)

I just get this "hilarious" loop

https://photos.app.goo.gl/JF14FeE2qvjUUYQVA

And then they ignored me raising it with them saying that they are "the home speaker department" and I need to create a new ticket with the right department (couldn't even pass me over or say sorry...just like it never happened)

It is now a separate case..and that also is unresolved 

..about 4 months in on that one.

[marcolopes]

AVOID google support. Their help is ZERO on problems like this.

They will always ask for a reboot, reset, and so on, even if 10000000000 users already did that, posted here, and confirmed it DOES NOTHING!

This is a FIRMWARE issue.

[Uncle-Googs]

Hey all.  If you are a YouTube music user like me - Try iHeart.

Yesterday I had a moment where I wanted to play to a speaker group in my Garage that has never worked in YouTube music.  To my shock - the Group showed up in iHeart almost instantly and the group played!!!  I was in shock.

Just opened the iHeart app now (the next day) - and my groups and pairs are all there!

Come on Google - get your act together.

Time to ditch paid YouTube music... if this is my fix.  Again - 

[Uncle-Googs]

OMG.  So i ditch YouTube and Subscribe to iHeart.  Suddenly the instant I do that (I am paying for iHeart for 5 minutes) - my speaker groups and pairs are a complete mess just like they were in YouTube music.

Come on.

I bet this is all just a big DRM handshake issue on the back end causing the problem. DRM - seems to always default to "you are criminal" unless proven otherwise.

Here I am just trying to use the stuff I pay for.

What a joke.

Get your crap together.

[Uncle-Googs]

I take that back... May have spoken too soon.  What an odd coincidence though. Now things are back in iHeart.  I will report back in a few days.

[rickjforbes]

I enclose a video of my Group experience.
In this example I have a Group that is called "Kitchen Group" it consists of the Nest Hub Max you see in the image and a legacy speaker with a  Chromecast Audio in it (called Kitchen Speaker) 

The Kitchen Screen has the default audio playback set to "Kitchen Group"

In the video you will see that the speaker positively responds to voice commands and says playing from Kitchen Group, yet neither device plays sound (so as far as Google are concerned this may be a erroneous "Success")
Further prompting shows that it selects the Kitchen SPeaker only for playback even though Kitchen Group is selected, and I only end up getting any sound at all when a single device command is issued (i.e going around teh default group)
In no circumstances does the group, or part of the group work

https://photos.app.goo.gl/GFXo1SoFmDLwGBi26

It's a similar story with my Lounge Group consisting of two devices, including the one showing in the video.
Again I get a positive affirmation, but no sound playback.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/x3iTY22wwa7fTrnP9 (warning, I express my frustration in this video)

[BeerNecessities]

This has been broken for 9 months.  I tried your solution and it did not work for me.  I even rebooted my nest hub after changing the settings.  I sometimes get it working by rebooting the router but that isn't a solution.  Please google fix this!

[Uncle-Googs]

So far after leaving YouTube music - and using iHeart things have been better.  I am only on day 4 of the switch.  While it is not super fast for all my devices showing up - they do eventually appear.

I maybe spend 5-7 minutes waiting for what I am looking for will show up eventually -vs- trying for 40 minutes and never being successful.

Good luck all.  iHeart seems to have this implemented better than YouTube.

[Uncle-Googs]

Still a mess.  I thought iHeart was better - but after a few weeks -  it is equally a disaster like YouTube music.  Thanks Google 

[Dastud]

Hubs still won't  play in a group. Now, for added frustration, about every week my group only plays 2 of the 8 speakers in it. I am **bleep** tired of the lack of action on this. This problem is not new. Are you really telling us that google can't figure this out in 2 years???? 

[Janne]

The sleep sensor cannot be activated. it says; "can't save settings" Factory reset it several times. Been that way since it was new. Nest Hub Gen2

[BrokenSpeakers]

Still won't cast to the nest hub or other weird behavior since last September/October. 

[Dastud]

Been a lot longer for me,

[morf]

Ehy guys...is there someone interested to a class action?

[Dastud]

The most common age range of Google employees is 20-30 years. 60% of Google employees are between the ages of 20-30 years. They are too busy working on woke search engine results and inclusive BS to worry about whether their equipment works. Take away the wine drinking and the PS5s and maybe, just maybe they can work on it for the 12 hours they actually work per week.

[Wrenloch]

We need to be able to control the master volume of a speaker group rather than having to change the volume on each individual speaker. Are we in the 90's still?

[kelanfromgoogle]

Hey @Wrenloch,

You can control volume for multiple speakers or devices at once using the Google Home app or through Google Assistant. We posted a recent blog about this, you can check it out here.

Thank you,
Kelan

[rickjforbes]

 Hi @kelanfromgoogle and @Wrenloch 

I just read the link you provided above and have screenshotted below.

I may be being stupid but I cannot see the functions described in the Google Home app

It says open the app and then a mysterious "start a playback session"

How do I do that? As far as I can see there is no way to start a playback session from any screen in the Home app, other than creating a cast mirror of device audio on my phone.

As far as I know voice commands are the only way to play and these would play via whichever app is configured..this in turn would be the app you would then expect to be able to control the volume from..i.e launch in Spotify..control from Spotify or by voice (.i.e "reduce volume by 10%")

I wouldn't expect separate and distinct media controls to come up.

I attach a screenshot of three screens in the Home app..please can you direct me to which one fulfils the instructions show in the instructions in the link you provided below in #2 #3 and #4

The Devices Screen?

 The Favourite Screen?

 The Device Cast Screen?

 

Please let us know.

I think when most of us want speaker groups to work we either have a default group set as playback for each listening device (i.e my kitchen hub default playback group is Kitchen Group) and I would ask Kitchen Hub to play XYZ (Radio, Spotify YT Music, BBV Sounds) and it would play on the default group OR I would speak a specific device group name IF I did not want it to play on the default group. I.e play xyz ON Lounge Group or "play THIS on Lounge Group INSTEAD" if I was moving room.

During this my mobile device should not need to be anywhere near me...as it is voice commands..

Yet these instructions appear to be mobile device centric and yet still nonsensical.

The only other way to initiate a playback is through the app in question..i.e Spotify and I tried that..it works like a Cast and does NOT bring up the controls shown in your link (for me at least)

A video might be more helpful..if you could show us this update in action that would be great.

Anyone else seeing what I am or am I missing something here?

Richard 

[RussdaFuss]

This would be really practical if only playback on one group of speakers would work at all.

[Bardickson]

Stereo Speakers will not work with spotify

Only as of this evening (12 June 24 - in UK), my daily routine includes playing spotify through my stereo (nest minis 2nd gen) speaker group. Today it helpfully tells me "something went wrong." 

Escalated troubleshooting in with various orders of cache clearing (apps), resetting devices (phone and speakers), unpairing speakers, uninstalling (apps on all devices), reinstalling (apps), regrouping speakers (and repeating whilst uninstalling and reinstalling both spotify and google home on various devices. And that included doing a 'clean' reinstall of spotify so all my downloads are gone. And testing with new account.

After all of which I can say:

- It is only an issue with spotify (not other apps - works with YT music, radio, news). But that's a pretty big issue because - it's spotify. No, I don't want to transfer over to YT music to replace spotify. I use spotify along with 600 million odd others. 

- It is only an issue with speaker groups. For me, that means stereo. Individual speakers can still work. But given this thread, speaker groups for music are a pretty huge portion of the customer base and a common use. In fact, it's why I bought the things. 

I don't think just it's a big ask to expect stereo speaker casting for a popular music app. Some might say having left AND right is a pretty basic part of the service if you are selling smart speakers. A service that worked fairly seamlessly for years. But no more.

[marcolopes]

Stereo Speakers will not work with spotify: https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Speakers-and-Displays/Having-trouble-with-Speaker-groups-Read...

And just a reminder that i keep saying and saying...

GOOGLE HOME DEVICES are APP AGONOSTIC!!!

When someone tells someone to CLEAR the CACHE / REINSTALL Spotify, etc, because the Google Speakers are not performing as they should, it denotes a total and complete lack of knowledge!

Are you going to reinstall or clear WHAT on WHAT??? You don't need a phone or a tablet or a PC to use a Google Home device!

Sure, you need Google Home APP to CONFIGURE the devices, but that's about it! You don't even need the Google Home APP anymore...

[GaryMac1971]

Just recently, as in Tuesday, I have lost the ability to play music from my Hub Max when grouped together with my other two Hub devices in the same group.

Was running great up until Tuesday, since then, its only my two Hubs, and the Hub Max displays (sometimes) what is playing but no volume.

Any idea what gremlins are lurking? I uninstalled my Spotify, and reinstalled (from both computers, laptop and Samsung Cell) and it worked for about 1 day and back to 2 hubs playing,  hub max nothing.

[RussdaFuss]

Don't waste your precious time. It's sad but true, but there's nothing you can do as a user. My Nest Hub hasn't played any music in a speaker group since the beginning of September 2023. All the measures that support recommends and that you can take as a user are completely useless.

[rickjforbes]

Just in case any agent tells you different @RussdaFuss @GaryMac1971 

Here is one of the agents "looking after" one of my cases admitting it is a known bug.

Don't waste your time. Complain to retailer if you are in warranty..use this screenshot 

 

[GaryMac1971]

Crap. Figured as much, such a pain in the butt, I may have to start reconsidering my Google Ecosystem here.

[marcolopes]

"I uninstalled my Spotify, and reinstalled (from both computers, laptop and Samsung Cell)"

SPOTIFY APP (and even GOOGLE HOME APP) have NOTHING TO DO with the problems of the GOOGLE STANDLONE DEVICES!!!

YOU DON'T NEED Spotify installed in ANY device!

Why would you???

Do you need a PHONE or TABLET or PC with Spotify installed, connected to the same network where your Google Home DEVICES are to play music????

NO!!!!!!!!

NO!!!!!!!!

NO!!!!!!!!

You only need the Google Home to CONFIGURE the devices. After that, you don't even need the Google Home APP, let alone SPOTIFY or any other app!

[GaryMac1971]

---

@marcolopes wrote:

"I uninstalled my Spotify, and reinstalled (from both computers, laptop and Samsung Cell)"

SPOTIFY APP (and even GOOGLE HOME APP) have NOTHING TO DO with the problems of the GOOGLE STANDLONE DEVICES!!!

YOU DON'T NEED Spotify installed in ANY device!

Why would you???

Do you need a PHONE or TABLET or PC with Spotify installed, connected to the same network where your Google Home DEVICES are to play music????

NO!!!!!!!!

NO!!!!!!!!

NO!!!!!!!!

You only need the Google Home to CONFIGURE the devices. After that, you don't even need the Google Home APP, let alone SPOTIFY or any other app!

---

I understand that. At first I thought it was Spotify. Sometimes, Spotify can get.. well, spotty.

While I am doing things today I am going to try like heck to get this working. I cannot fathom why working all this time now one speaker, in my group of 3 would just decide to stop working. 

Makes no sense. Would be nice however, if I can get all 3 speakers in my All Speakers Group playing in unison like they were on Monday of this week.

[GaryMac1971]

I resolved the issue.

This time I reset my router (unplugged it for about 5 min) and then plugged it back in (best to do this monthly anyway).

I once again, deleted my "All Speakers" group, re-added everything back in and now it works as it was on Monday. 

All speakers playing in unison. Hopefully this is the last time I need to do this. 

[Dastud]

just wait........

[GaryMac1971]

Maybe, maybe not. Only time will tell.

[Dastud]

All I'm saying is remember what you did. 🤣

[GaryMac1971]

LOL of course!

[HansWSchulze]

I had a lot of issues over the last 8 months or so. I have had these toys for 3-5 years.

Today I was able to ask Nest to play spotify on a Sonos device, a specific album.   It worked!

Now if only Shield would wake up when I threw a request at it.  I know the gatekeeper, will poke him, thats a 6 month issue as well.  Usually those get fixed in a month or two.

Assistant has been pretty unstable too over the last month, sometimes only replying at the second repeat of a question or request.  That's fixed.

[Uncle-Googs]

So... As reported switching to iHeart didnt help like I thought it did.  More annoying - i cannot play requested songs or stations WITHOUT ads on Iheart (via voice command) even though I am paying for iHeart!!!  I have tried Linking my accounts, setting defaults... Nope.  As far as my Nest / Audio speakers are concerned - i am on the free (with ads) iHeart only if I use voice commands.  Neat - money well spent!  Oh WAIT- I could just CAST from the app on my phone though!  Oh wait - that is trash also (see all previous posts and rants).

I am officially done with any Nest Audio/home devices.  No more new devices or upgrades for me.  My next move is to phase this trash out of my house.

Nest wifi

Google Fi

Pixel Phones

Nest home Minis

Chromecasts

Google TVs

Nest Audios

Nest Hubs

Nest Hub Maxs

.... Done.

I will stick with Pixel phones... But no more Google products for me.

[Uncle-Googs]

Hanging out in my garage this am cleaning up - meat smoker going.  Been... 1.5 hours of rebooting, refreshing, restarting, closing, pulling power cables.  But - i cannot get my garage speaker group to show up.  Stupid me - thinking my all google ecosystem would work.  I am so done.  Cannot wait to phase this crap out.

[Wd080679]

Before you trash it try and get me some information about what you want to actually accomplish. You wanna rock out in your garage and you have wireless, Bluetooth speakers then go to Bluetooth settings and then scan for your devices. Idk or understand what you mean you did all this work because a reboot, pulling a few wires and bitchn and moaning because it doesn’t work after that sounds like me lmao. I hate the **bleep** things some days, I’ve actually on two occasions thrown my nest hub through the window of my bedroom once and almost through the fkn wall a second time and it’s got its scars and bruises but I keep trying to make it work for me because I like the concept and idea of what the smart speaker is actually capable of doing. I don’t mean to sound rude or a smart asz but it’s the way I think and talk so please don’t be sensitive about it and get sand In your **bleep** and just communicate back with me and I will tell you how to handle your problems. Later and Peace ⭐️💯✌️