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

[aesopal]

FYI my max speaker (original, not nest) has started working again in speaker groups in the last couple of days. My other speakers worked fine post 3.73 update as long as the max was excluded from the group.

Great to see you one assigned dev got round to it eventually 😉 x

[kappadappa]

Still waiting for a fix for the Nest Hub (2nd Gen)

[WhyWhy99]

Hey GOOGLE, is the mic still off? Just bury your heads in the sand?

[MoritzRoessler]

Suddenly Google Home simply stopped including the Nest Hub when I play music on a Speaker Group. 
I tried everything to get it back working. Recreated all speaker groups. Nothing works. This is really frustrating. Please fix this, I'm not the only one having this issue and apparently its been months.

This is supposed to be automatable, I don't want to add the Nest Hub manually every time I want to listen to Music.

This product really changed my perspective on Google. It just worsens every day and it seems Google doesn't invest a single dollar into this product.

Definitely not going to buy next gen hardware in the future if you don't fix the old one.

[luciaaa]

Hi, @MoritzRoessler ,

Thanks for reaching out to the community.  I'm sorry to hear your speaker group isn't including the Nest Hub anymore. I’m happy to help you find a solution.

To better assist you, I have a few questions about your device:
 

• What model of speakers do you have?
• When did the issue start?
• Have you ever used the speaker group feature successfully before?
• Do you receive any error messages?

In the meantime, I recommend checking out this article for some troubleshooting steps: Create and manage speaker groups.

Keep me posted.

Best regards,

Ana.

[MoritzRoessler]

Hi, thanks for helping out.

 - I have 3x Nest Audio, 4x Nest Mini 2nd Gen, 1x Nest Hub
 - The issue started when I posted above post
 - Yes, it worked as expected before
 - When I use the script editor to "work around it" by executing two actions:
    1. "Play Music"
   2. "Play the music on Home"

   It says "Ok, playing on Home... ... ... oops, this didn't work"

When I activate the speaker group using the google home app, the Nest Hub get's included. 

I tried everything in any combination. It seems the Speaker Group which "OkGoogle" knows about always excludes the Nest Hub. The non-cached speaker group in google home is always up to date. 

Idk if the speaker groups get cached on device and replicated across speakers, but there is a mismatch between using speaker groups with OkGoogle and using them through Google Home 

[RussdaFuss]

"but there is a mismatch between using speaker groups with OkGoogle and using them through Google Home "

Yes, I can confirm that. It's the same for me. I can no longer play music on a speaker group using a voice command, but I can select the speaker group in the Google Home app. But even then, no music is played on a Nest Hub, even though the device is part of the group.

Since yesterday evening, I've had a new error that I've never heard of before. It's now become a regular routine to delete the speaker group and create a new one.

Since yesterday, no device can be added to the existing speaker group, no device can be deleted from the group, and the entire speaker group cannot be deleted in the Google Home app.

As I've said several times before, it's getting worse every day. The whole system is a bad joke!

[Filler]

I am really fed up with Google. I have several speakers and displays and the speaker group option no longer works. I can set up the devices in a group but when I cast to the group several of the speakers don't play. I also have 2 LG WK7 speakers which I can link to Google but can't add to a speaker group.

The group option used to work very well but now it's a nightmare. I have tried factory resetting everything, re-booting the modem/mesh system etc to no avail. Has Google really given up on it's customers??

[Uncle-Googs]

So... I mentioned one Problem Pair in a previous post since everything was "fixed".  After some troubleshooting - imagine that - the name of the pair was mismatched in the app depending on where I looked.  I must have messed up on that one.  Separated.  Renamed to L and R.  Re-Paired with STEREO Name... It is behaving now. 

Kellan - I suggest someone look at the name process around Pairs.  Unless I just happen do all this effort at the exact time your mentioned "fix" is coming out... it has to be related.

[scragin]

You need to add the discontinued Google Max speaker to your list. I've had the issue for years. See my other post.

[greggegregg999]

I have two Chromecasts, connected to two different TVs. I had to reset one Chromecast. I used to have a speaker group that contained both Chromecasts. Now when I try to recreate the speaker group, the recently reset Chromecast does not show up to add. I can see it in the Home app, I can play music to it alone, but I cannot see it to add to a speaker group. 

Can anyone help?

[illashiza12]

It seems like you may need to ensure both Chromecasts are on the same Wi-Fi network and have the latest firmware updates. Check the Home app's device settings and try restarting both Chromecasts if needed.

[Mishap]

I beg to disagree, all is random and resetting or rebooting just gives you something to do...

The infrastructure is just flakey, thanks to the "armies of coders"and no real programmers.

[alaplaca76]

I am having the same issue, I had a speaker group created using a Google Nest Mini, Google Nest Audio, JBL Authentics 200, and a Chromecast HD. Yesterday the chromecast was removed from my speaker group, and when I try to recreate a speaker group the Chromecast is not listed. I have rebooted all of my network equipment, and performed a factory reset on all speakers on the account but still have the problem

[GreggeGregg]

For some weird reason, after I spent hours on this the other day...it all worked fine today. I was able to go back in and recreate speaker group. Way to go Google for seamless consistent reliable customer experience!

[scragin]

I hope this helps diagnose the issues. Every time  my Google Max speakers lose their connection (which is a inevitable and ongoing), I have  to reset to factory, re-link them to Google Home, rename them Left, and Right and then pair them as Stereo. Then they work for a while. But I did notice is when I went into Spotify and changed the speakers there, it shows up as Left instead of Stereo (still plays on both speakers). When I go into the Google Home app, it shows Stereo playing. 

How can this issue have been going on for years with no fix?

[marcolopes]

Stereo pairs have a few issues.

The main one is the naming! 

The pair is seen on the network by the LEFT device name!

You must rename the pair after pairing!!

And guess what? When you rename the pair, you are really renaming the LEFT device!! You can check this after you unpaired the stereo pair, as the LEFT device has the stereo pair name.

[RussdaFuss]

Yes, I have had similar experiences with my stereo pair of Google Home Mini speakers. I wonder if any Google developer has ever tried this crap themselves. What kind of quality control is that?

[scragin]

Thanks for the tip. I'll rename when they permanently disconnect. But so far, they have been able to reconnect by themselves after a disconnection. It still sucks that sometimes they are disconnected, but most of the time, they stay connected, which definitely wasn't the case in the past, so somthing has changed... or has it?

[Dastud]

I hope this is a sign of improvement. I have a tile that runs a routine to play Godsmack on garage speakers, which are 6 2nd gen minis set as 3 stereo pairs, 2 audiocast subs and a 2nd gen hub. I pressed the tile and EVERYTHING PLAYED!! Hub included. Been a minute since that has happened. 

[Dastud]

....and tonight it's playing 2 of the 8 speakers. Back to normal.

[RussdaFuss]

Friends, a miraculous self-healing is not to be expected! We are dependent on a bug fix from Google. The fate of our devices lies in the hands of a large corporation.

[Sherwin]

Hi, I am trying to use speaker groups to display my Spotify on my Chromecast but have audio playing on my nest audio. However, when using the speaker groups to have the music to play, it only plays on the nest audio but not the Chromecast. Any ways to fix?

[mrxree]

Pixel Tablet + 5 other third-party devices with Chromecast built-in (three streamers + 2 speakers with integrated streaming).  Many issues initiating streaming from apps on Pixel Tablet.  This all worked perfectly for several months, but for the last couple it has been a daily nightmare.

[rickjforbes]

Okay guys, let me give you a brilliant example of how pathetic Google are.

I have been compiling data (screenshots and screen recording, images, movies) about my issues with Google. I use this to illustrate the problems and to show agents that I undertake these steps. I have a server at home so I don't need storage, but I keep the data in Google photos and I am paying. I have currently hit my storage limit due to these files and Google have been crediting me with 14 days extra storage to accommodate it. (which was the right thing to do) However..every 14 days I would get a notification that it was expiring and every time I had to write to them again to re-explain myself (rather than them just taking care of it) and now..this time the team have told me that their "tool no longer allows them to do it and they recommend I upgrade my storage plan"

I have exchanged 10 emails now with some dimwit who I keep explaining to that his tools are not my problem and there is no **bleep** way I am paying Google to store files they need to fix their problems, and I don't even seem to be able to land this simple point. They just think it's acceptable to be this way.

The last set of solutions the agent had was (and I am not joking) was to turn off all the speakers I am having a  issue with and (get this) report back on whether I am still having the issues. These guys are either the world's best trolls or the world's worst service department..and I think they would be proud of either moniker.

I could not make this up. I've never seen any service as inefficient, ineffective and with such a poor understanding of their products and how customer service works.

[StefanHannie]

My Chromecast with Google TV can't join a speaker group. 

I've had a speaker group setup with the Chromecast with Google TV and a Chromecast Audio that was working for several months, but just a few days ago the speaker group dropped the Chromecast with Google TV and I'm not able to add it back.

The Chromecast with Google TV no longer shows up as an option as an available speaker when creating groups. All I see is the Chromecast Audio when trying to create a speaker group.

I'm able to cast to both the Chromecast with Google TV and Chromecast Audio separately without issue.

[SWTS5]

I have the same issue. 

My Chromecast with Google TV used to be in a speaker group, now it's not. And I can't add it to a new one

[smithjohns409]

If your Chromecast with Google TV isn't appearing as an option to join a speaker group, try these steps:

1. Restart all devices involved (Chromecast with Google TV, Chromecast Audio, router).
2. Ensure all devices are on the same Wi-Fi network and have stable connections.
3. Check for firmware updates on your Chromecast devices.
4. Reset the Google Home app or clear its cache.
5. Remove and recreate the speaker group setup.
6. Verify compatibility and settings in the Google Home app.
7. Contact Google Support if issues persist for further assistance.

[SCFrance78]

No, that is not correct. That does not work for Chromecast with Google TV. 

[Z_Twe12e]

I also have this issue. I even tried factory resetting my Chromecast, but that didn't work. 

[SCFrance78]

I've got the same issue. I can add my Google Nest Mini and Google Nest Hub devices to a speaker group, but I cannot add my Chromecast with Google TV (neither 4K nor HD). The instructions on this page are inaccurate and misleading : https://support.google.com/chromecast/answer/7174267?hl=en#zippy=%2Ccontrol-speaker-groups-in-the-go... ... I assert that one CANNOT add a Chromecast device to a speaker group in Google Home, it does not allow it. Very frustrating.

[StefanHannie]

Can we get an acknowledgement from the devs that this is a bug? Is this a new bug or a known one? And do any tickets exist we can follow along with?

[Sphillips]

I have the same issue. I called support and they told me it's a bug with the Google home app after a recent update.

[StefanHannie]

Nice. Thanks.

[CHAZZER]

Then they should do a roll back to a stable update

[SCFrance78]

I absolutely agree. We should get acknowledgement that this is a bug, and an ETA for a fix.

Google provides a set of instructions for setup of a speaker group that includes Chromecast with Google TV - these instructions are visibly unverified and inaccurate.

I am a Google customer who has largely bought into the "Google verse" for the connected home.

In my home, there are: 2 Nest Hubs, 3 Chromecast with Google TV, 2 Nest Cam, 1 Nest Doorbell, 3 Nest Mini, 1 Nest Protect, 3 Pixel telephones, 2 Pixel Buds Pro, 3 Fitbit bracelets ...

Google Assistant is everywhere in my home, and for any connected appliance, if it doesn't say "Works with Google Home" on the label, I don't buy it. 

So, you get the idea. I'm pretty well invested into the Google universe of products, what you would call a loyal customer. Do I expect all of these Google devices to work together seamlessly? Of course I do. Do I expect to be able to easily connect all of my Nest Hubs and Chromecast with Google TV together in a speaker group to be able to stream Youtube Music and Spotify throughout my Google Home ? Of course I do ! 

Please Google ... Fix ... this ... issue !   

[rickjforbes]

Hi @StefanHannie, @SCFrance78 and @Z_Twe12e 

Hopefully this is useful to you. I have had multiple agents achkinowledge it as a bug and also that there is no ETA for fix that they will share/commit to. Infer what you like about Google from this information, but don';t let anyone tell you it isn't a bug

all the best

Rich

[Lardo]

This was in MARCH???? And we're still here in July waiting for this to be fixed! It's their OWN ecosystem of devices, it should be broken for a matter of days... not months!!! 

This whole issue just gets on my **bleep**... I've always been a supporter of Google and their devices, but this has really got me wondering if Alexa is the platform I should move to! Frustrating to the MAXXX!

[Jaygjenning]

They sold me all of these devices on the premise that it already works, Not that "we'll  make it work sometime, if we can." 

[rickjforbes]

Agreed.

See my summary of experience here

https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Speakers-and-Displays/Another-Dead-Thread-False-Promises-No-r...