LG Thing WK7 Chromecast Speaker - Centralized issue discussion

[keeya]

Who should we blame here? LG tells us to contact Google, and when we contact Google they say LG hasn't updated the Chromecast version of their product. It's an high end Smart Speaker and it should not become a paperweight. I have two of those, one still work but I made the mistake of reseting the other and now I cannot use it anymore. There are dozens of people facing the same issue. This is not normal, I've contacted EU legislatives services about similar issues in the past and sure will do again to explain this if it doesn't come to a positive resolution. Feel free to share if you have the same speaker.

IF YOU DON'T COMPLAIN, THEY WON'T FIX IT:

GOOGLE:

https://support.google.com/googlenest/

Chromecast -> Contact Us

--

LG :
https://www.lg.com/

Customer Service > Contact Us

------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATE DECEMBER 2024:

Google and LG have no intention to fix this, if you live in Europe fill a complaint to your local Consummer Center here:

https://commission.europa.eu/live-work-travel-eu/consumer-rights-and-complaints/resolve-your-consume...

Scroll down, select your country and fill a complaint.

The European law protect consumers, we don't have to bend the knee to LG and Google.

Si vous vivez en France, vous pouvez poster une plainte ici :

https://signal.conso.gouv.fr

Edit March 2025 : here are the steps to use your  speaker as a bluetooth speaker, it's a hack and lose all assistant features but so don't throw it way it still kinda functionnal....

1. After initiating pairing between the WK7 and Google Home, answer NO to the question "Does the assistant respond?"
2. The app will display the message "There may be a problem." You will have two options: "Quit setup" and "Help Center." You should choose "Quit setup."
3. Once in the Google Home menu, the speaker will still be visible. Click on it.
4. The page that appears will display the speaker's volume in %; click on the gear in the top right corner.
5. In the settings, select Audio.
6. In the list that appears, select "Paired Bluetooth Devices."
7. Then click "Enable Bluetooth Pairing."
8. From the list, select the WK7 speaker again.

9. Finally, you will be able to see in the Bluetooth menu of the smartphone that the WK7 speaker is connected via Bluetooth.

Edit2:

you might want to add a reply to this post to let Sundar Pichai (CEO of Google) how happy we are :

https://x.com/lelapinroi/status/1904120988415000817

Please be polite.

[pascal1978]

maybe we some Smart users can download the firmware and put it on GitHub somebody could change some parameters in the firmware?

[keeya]

It uses Android Things but firmware is probably encrypted, signed if we have some experts here, there is a link to the wk7 repo:

https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/update_engine/+/android-n-iot-release-lg-thinq-wk7

There are other deposits but it's not like I understand anything about it:

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=android-n-iot-release-lg-thinq-wk7

[Tjommi]

Software info on LG Thinq speaker according to LG soundbar app:
Main 5522470
DAPP A190521.4fc3f4eQ
Micom M180020801
Touch T17101301

Locale en-GB.175

One guy from Netherlands had almost the same but MiCOM M18029801 (typo??)

https://gathering.tweakers.net/forum/list_messages/2200384

I tried connecting the micro usb to my PC, but this did nothing. But that might be related to cable, tried 2 cables. Did not try resetting Thinq Speaker with cable installed yet.

[Trigone7]

"dozens of people facing the same issue": are you kidding?

You meant THOUSANDS of people! 😉

[keeya]

probably, like how many talk english, how many found this thread, how many posted, if we are 100 here and we are like 1% it's like 10000 people at least but thanks LG

[pascal1978]

"We could make a joint statement to LG. Signed by all of us, is there someone among us with legal expertise who could possibly help us draft a letter to LG? We may expect that a relatively expensive product from LG has a longer lifespan than a cheap option. We users did not choose a more expensive LG for nothing. LG was known for its durability and environmental involvement. We currently do not experience that LG is green. We feel shortchanged by LG. We also feel that LG is leaving its users out in the cold. This negative experience with LG makes us think twice about purchasing an LG product in the future. During birthdays and meetings with our loved ones, we will bring up our unpleasant experience with LG. This will not do LG any good. It is unfortunate that LG is negligent in providing long-term support for relatively expensive products. We may expect LG to provide relatively good support, both hardware and software, for their more expensive product segment. We users have nothing to do with Google. We may expect LG to keep up with Google's adjustments at all times to keep the product Google Home compatible. This product has a core function, namely a Google Home speaker. LG remains responsible. In the European Union, there is strict consumer support by government and state, known as consumer law. All products sold in the European Union must have reasonable support when the consumer may expect when a product is more expensive than similar products. We users unite and sign a petition so that we have one voice towards LG. If LG still does not take this seriously or respond, we will take further possible legal steps and make ourselves known on various social media platforms as well as local consumer programs that are broadcast on linear television in the European Union. We will also approach newspaper media. Our motive is that we have an e-waste product that can technically last for years but is no longer usable due to poor software support and can go to the trash, which is environmentally unfriendly.

We eagerly await your response.

Sincerely,

The users and customers of LG

[polytrauma]

I'm in no way an expert on this, but I do not think we have a lot of legal leverage, since the product is out of it's guarantee and EOL. It is rather the circumstance, that a small software incompatibility, which is presumably not too hard to fix, is now rendering the product useless for it's main purpose after a reset, although the hardware is perfectly fine and google assistant is still in service. It's more of a moral and environmental issue. So I think bad press is more likely to make a difference than any legal effort.

[Trigone7]

I totally agree.

In a recent example, the VERY BAD BUZZ around the new Sonos app, which was a total fail, generated a drop in the share price, public excuses from the founder, and finally in january 2025, the founder had to leave the company!

That's the power of the clients, when they massively denounce the excesses of companies.

[Minder]

Latest from LG in the UK -

Thank you for reaching out and sharing your concerns regarding the ongoing issue with your LG ThinQ WK7 speaker and its inability to connect to Google Assistant. We understand how frustrating this situation must be, and we truly appreciate your patience as we work to address this matter.

 Upon reviewing your file, we can confirm that your concern has already been escalated to our Head Office as an official complaint through our Voice of Customer (VOC) Complaints process. This process ensures that your feedback is thoroughly reviewed and addressed by the appropriate teams.

 As part of this process, your complaint will be reviewed by our Head Office and coordinated with our software specialists to identify a remedy for the issues you and other customers may be experiencing with this product.

 Please note that, as this is an internal complaints process, you will not receive further updates unless additional information is required from you. Moving forward, we kindly suggest monitoring our website for any announcements or updates regarding a resolution to this issue.

 We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused and assure you that we are committed to resolving this matter as quickly as possible. 

 Should you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

 Thank you for your understanding in this matter.

Kind Regards,

[Pingholdmike]

Today I exchanged some messages with LG over this issue.  Their latest response is as follows.  Basically, they don't give a sh@@ and are hiding behind age of product and warranty which is unacceptable..

Alright, Mike. We understand the inconvenience this has caused you. Unfortunately, the issue you are facing is due to the fact that the speaker model you own has been discontinued, and it is no longer supported by the Google Home app. LG ceased providing the latest firmware updates for this specific model in 2021, and no further updates have been made available since then.

We understand the frustration this has caused, and we take your concerns very seriously. Please rest assured that we will pass along this information to our product development team for further review. We value your feedback and are committed to continuously improving our products and services.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and we appreciate your understanding. However, if you think a repair would help with this issue, we can set up a repair for your unit. Please note that as it is already beyond the warranty period, a repair charge will apply.

Let us know how you would like to proceed.

[keeya]

So we know now with LG policy, 3 years and you can throw the whole thing to the garbage because a software update (again perfectly working to this day unless you reset / change wifi, and then you have a paperweight, plain crazy).

[Pingholdmike]

Just as an extra aside for all.  Initially I could not get the device to work as Bluetooth it did not give me audio options as per the above thread.  I've reset it 2 or 3 times and now this is working so at least I have a BT speaker again. I would recommend a few tries.  Good luck.

[Amnesya2000]

Mai più prodotti lg

[BertVZY]

I have the same problem.
After a factory reset google home tells me that I must update and from that moment the LG speaker is a paperweight.

Please we need a solucio, there are people who have it even under warranty.

[travchan]

i got my wk7 working on an iphone instead of android.  Now I can at least play sound via bluetooth on the wk7 but the google assistant doesn't work.

Here's what I did.

1) Plug in the WK7 and let it boot up. The lights were flashing slowly on the top.

2) on the iphone install google home app and go through the initial setup. I added a new home and allowed all the permissions it asked.

3) Google home app discovered the wk7 speaker and connected to it. There was a 1 min update that it seemed to install.

4) I paired the iphone to the speaker and now I can play music on it.  

Hope this helps, it just worked for me.

[Akson]

Any update on this topic?

[keeya]

At this point I doubt they will do anything to solve this, as simple as it's probably is to fix it. Now we know what we can expect from LG as a brand (and Google since they also couldn't care less). I still have one that I haven't reset and is working perfectly fine, the other well I reset it unfortunately (I read people having like 3 or 4 of those in their house...) If only we could dump the firmware or whatever, but it would require some with extended knowledge.

Ps: If you need to change your wifi (new router, new isp) to avoid loosing your WK7 (since reseting it / changing wifi networks kills it), what you can do is name your new wifi network with the same ssid name and password as your preivous one, it worked for me for the wk7 I didn't reset.

[Minder]

Received yesterday from LG UK customer services -

Thank you for reaching out to us and following up on your ongoing concern with your LG ThinQ WK7 speakers not connecting to Google Assistant. We completely understand your frustration and sincerely appreciate your patience throughout this matter.

I regret to inform you that, as of now, we still have not received any updates or progress regarding a workaround to resolve the issue with your speakers. We deeply apologise for the inconvenience this has caused, especially since you own multiple units of the product and its functionality has been significantly impacted.

After conducting a pro-active approach to coordinate with our Technical Experts, we have been informed that the root cause of this issue lies with Google’s decision to discontinue support for non-Android products moving forward. As a result, the software of your LG ThinQ WK7 speakers can no longer connect to Google Assistant, as this feature has been removed for all non-Android devices, including speakers.

Although we understand this may not fully resolve your concern, our Technical Experts have advised that your speakers can still function through the following methods:

• Connecting to the LG ThinQ App.

• Using Bluetooth connectivity.

If you would still like to explore potential alternatives to continue using Google Assistant with your speakers, we kindly recommend reaching out directly to Google Support. They may be able to provide further insights or suggest any possible troubleshooting steps to address this issue.

Once again, I want to express our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused by this situation. We understand how frustrating it can be when a product does not meet its intended purpose due to external changes. Please know that we remain available to support you in any way we can.

If you have any further questions or require additional assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Kind Regards,

[warmik]

Ktoś mi wytlumaczy dlaczego głośniki Xiaomi mogą dalej działać, a to gówno z LG już nie? Someone will explain to me why Xiaomi speakers can continue to work, and this **bleep** from LG no longer?

[pascal1978]

Maybe its good that someone want to send the following message to LG. Hopefully for all of us will it helps a little, 

We understand that LG has been caught off guard by the decisions made by Google. However, let us be clear, we consumers purchased a hardware product from LG with minimum requirements, and the sales argument was that it was a smart speaker. It has now turned into a "dumb speaker" within what can be considered a reasonable economic lifespan. It is unfortunate, but the fact remains that we consumers have no direct dealings with Google—we are dealing with LG.

LG needs to act wisely and take the role of a mediator. After all, you released a product that no longer meets expectations after a few years. These are not cheap speakers; they are high-quality, and as consumers, we expect LG to maintain trust and find a creative solution, communicating this back to the consumers.

The expectation is that LG, as a responsible party, can offer a proposal to us, such as environmentally-friendly recycling of the speakers. A recall action where LG responsibly processes the products to minimize e-waste would be appreciated. Alternatively, offering compensation in the form of a discount or partial refund would show goodwill. This is not about the factory warranty, but about the expected economic lifespan—the time consumers should reasonably expect to enjoy using the product they purchased.

As it stands now, I wouldn’t recommend LG products to anyone in my circle. Purely based on how the company seems to handle e-waste products, a high-quality speaker is now destined for the trash. We didn’t buy this product for its Bluetooth functionality—there are plenty of competing alternatives with better price-to-quality ratios for that.

We therefore expect some form of compensation from LG, if only to demonstrate LG's commitment to the environment and climate, as it frequently highlights in its marketing. We, as LG customers, feel disregarded and misled. This has severely impacted our trust in LG as a brand. Let’s work together to restore that trust. The ball is now in LG's court, and we look forward to your response.

[LG_WK7_FAULTY]

That is a fantastic worded response. However the trouble is no matter how many have been sold I would image 98% owners of these speakers have probably just assumed it has broken and either have already thrown them out, just sitting collecting dust, or sold. So therefore LG wouldn't think there is enough response to either find away to make them work or some sort of refund.

What I find infuriating is I have an older LG speaker H7, granted it's not a smart speaker but least I can still cast to it either via WIFI or bluetooth, via the Google Home App.

Unfortunately I have resided the fact we are not going to get anywhere with this and I will  purchase an alternative, but also never buying LG Audio equipment that's relying on Google to work.

[polytrauma]

I rather think most owners of a WK7 have it already set up an running and will not have any issue, until they try to reset and set it up again. Which probably mostly happens when people relocate or change their WiFi, so a majority will not notice for quite some time.

[LG_WK7_FAULTY]

For many I am sure they are still working ok. Mine (in the UK) Just dropped off working correctly despite no resets, to the Wk7 or my network...It was working all fine one day then the next day no longer working as a smart speaker.

[polytrauma]

Mine just stopped streaming TuneIn, the rest was still working fine. Then I did a reset...

[Minder]

More from LG UK Customer services -

Thank you for your email and for expressing your concerns regarding the issues with your LG WK7 Speaker, particularly the lack of resolution concerning the Google Assistant feature.

We completely understand your frustration and acknowledge your points about our responsibility regarding our products. However, it's important to note that the decision by Google to discontinue support for non-Android devices is beyond our control. As the manufacturer, our support and assistance are limited to the scope of the product itself and do not extend to features provided by third-party companies like Google.

While we genuinely wish to assist in liaising with Google regarding this matter, our discussions have concluded, and unfortunately, there are no further workarounds available at this time.

To address the inconvenience this situation has caused you, we would like to offer you a 10% LG Shop discount voucher for your next purchase as a gesture of goodwill. We hope this gesture helps to alleviate some of your dissatisfaction.

If you wish to accept this offer, please kindly reply to this email so I can provide the discount voucher code in my next response.

We appreciate your understanding and hope you continue to share your feedback as we value your input as a customer.

[Pingholdmike]

I was also offered 10% - I told them I wouldn't be buying any more LG products - discounted or not - I could not trust that they would just one day stop working when well within an expected life span.

[Minder]

Exactly that, a 10% discount is pathetic especially considering how much I spent on these speakers. I just find their whole attitude to this lousy. No more LG for me, and I'm reluctant to invest in any tech eco system if manufacturers don't support their products.

[Yopi]

If we had coverage from a respected news website (PcMag or other) publishing an article and asking LG / Google for comment, maybe they would do something about, I think Google is really to blame here too. "So the speaker works perfectly but if you reset it or change wifi it becomes a paperweight?!  How isn't it easy to fix that?"

[crialdzulu]

No más LG, en el mercado tenemos mejores alternativas 

[AuRu_M]

Bluetooth works. But google home not. There is an error with configuration always pops up.  

[Akson]

I've managed to connect my century old spare Echo Dot device to LG WK7 through bluetooth. So now I use Alexa sitting on top of the LG instead.

[keeya]

added the steps in first post to use it as a bluetooth speaker, google sux, lg sux, dont throw it away you can still use it somehow

[smania]

Hi, even with the above procedure it doesn't work for me. Google Home doesn't see my device. I've reset it several times, changed my phone, Android and iOS, nothing at all.

[keeya]

you might want to add a reply to this post to let Sundar Pichai (CEO of Google) how happy we are :

https://x.com/lelapinroi/status/1904120988415000817

Please be polite.

[Buster_NL]

GOOD NEWS!!!! Google Home has incorporated a fix for WK7, try reinstalling (and persist connecting to WiFi (took me 7 times), chromecast works again (only 'hey google' commands don't work anymore). Pretty good!

[From_Sydney]

Tried many times still no luck 😞

[R-Boss]

Same here, it is not working. Before today I had a warning icon in the lg w7 speaker in google home devices. Now it disappeared and the pairing is almost successful, the speaker always says that cannot connect to my google account and the bluetooth is not working, even activating with lg sound bar app.

[polytrauma]

Why do you think they incorporated a fix? Were there any news on that?

[Buster_NL]

Not that I have heard off. Just that I have tried 20 times before on samsung S21. Havent tried it for months but, now I have a iPhone14 (from work) and instead of installation failing if says ‘updating LG device’ (in google home) and that succeeds. I added the speaker to a speaker group after installation. Maybe iPhone is running a different version of Google Home that still supports WK7 then???

[levisn1]

I will try! Where did you get this news from? 😄 in the update changelog it says that the hotfix is for the wk7?