Low volume on nest mini only with Spotify

[myhippocket]

For the last few days I’ve notice a significant decrease in the volume that Spotify plays at on my Google Home mini.  The same thing is happening on all 3 of my mini speakers throughout the house.  It happens when casting from my iPhone to the speaker.  It happens when I say "Hey Google, play Spotify".  The Google Assistant Volume is still the same.  As is the volume from other audio like streaming radio stations etc.  So, if I turn up the volume when Spotify is playing enough that I can actually hear the song, the Google Assistant volume/alarms etc are get very loud.  I’ve tried unplugging the speakers and plugging them back in.   This happened with no changes in settings, hardware, wifi devices etc.  Nothing changed, just the Spotify volume.  I'm not sure if this is a Spotify issue, or a Google Home issue.  Any idea what might be causing this?  Thanks!

[Dan_A]

Hi myhippocket,

That certainly hasn't been easy for you ― let's check this out. For us to isolate, let me ask a few more questions. aside from your Google Home Mini, what other Nest speakers are affected by it? Are the other 3 also Nest Mini's or Google Home Mini's? Is the behavior the same when playing music using only the Spotify app? It would help a lot if you could do sequential reboot first:

1. Unplug the power cord of your router followed by your Nest speakers.
2. Plug them back in after 3 minutes tops.
3. Restarting your phone might also help.

Once done, let's unlink and relink the Spotify account from the Google Home app and to refresh the app, uninstall and reinstall the Spotify app. 

1. Make sure your mobile device or tablet is connected to the same Wi-Fi network or linked to the same account as your speaker or display.
2. Open the Google Home app.
3. At the top right, tap your account.
4. Verify that the Google Account shown is the one linked to your Nest speaker or display. To switch accounts, tap another account or Add another account.
5. Go back to the home screen, and at the top left, tap Add > Music.
6. To choose your default service, tap the music service you'd like to use. Assistant will use this service when you say “Hey Google, play music.”
7. To link functionality:
   1. For YouTube, your accounts are automatically linked when you link your Google Account to your speaker or display.
   2. For Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, and others, you'll need to link your accounts.
      • To connect your account, tap a music service > Link account > sign in or sign up for the service and follow the in-app steps.
      • To unlink an account, tap Unlink > Unlink account.

Lastly, while we're at it, let's try other music services to see if the issue persists.

Note: For all services, speakers and displays currently support a single account per streaming service.

Check out this link for more information: Listen to music on your speakers and displays

Best,

Dan 

[myhippocket]

Hi there,

I've tried everything you suggested and still the same issue.  I have 3 Google home/Nest minis  The same issue happens on all of them.  Every other audio stream works fine.  TuneIn Radio, Deezer etc.  This only happens when using Google Cast with Spotify.  And it never happened before.  The volume plays as it should when I stream Spotify via Bluetooth to my Google speaker.  But if I used Google Cast with through my iPhone, or by saying "Hey Google...play xyz" the volume suddenly drops and I can barely hear it.  I can turn it up, but then everything else on the speakers is way too loud.  When I try the same things with Deezer, the volume is fine.  

Is there a way to have the "Hey Google" command automatically use Bluetooth instead of Google Cast?

[Dan_A]

Hi myhippocket,

I wanted to confirm again, since I might have missed something. The main concern is about casting using Spotify to any of your Nest Mini’s via the casting icon, right? All other music platforms work except for Spotify? Could you try YouTube?

How about if you give a command to play music from Spotify. Once it’s playing, open the Google Home app on your phone and go to “Media”. Let’s see if you can change the volume that way. Also, try casting to a different device other than your Nest speakers.

If the issue persists, let’s unlink your Spotify account from Google Home, re-install the Spotify app and factory reset one of your Nest Mini for us to isolate further. To do the factory reset, click here. Doing so should revert it back to its original state and setting it back again is needed.

Kind regards,

Dan

[myhippocket]

I wanted to confirm again, since I might have missed something. The main concern is about casting using Spotify to any of your Nest Mini’s via the casting icon, right? All other music platforms work except for Spotify? Could you try YouTube?

>>>>>Correct – when I open Spotify and select any device that ahs the Google Cast tag below it, the volume is too low.  Every other app works fine.  I don’t have You Tube music so I can’t test that one.

How about if you give a command to play music from Spotify. Once it’s playing, open the Google Home app on your phone and go to “Media”. Let’s see if you can change the volume that way. Also, try casting to a different device other than your Nest speakers.

>>>>>Same problem – If I say “Ok Google, play Spotify”, the Google Home voice responds at normal volume saying it is playing Spotify.  But then the music being played on Spotify is so quiet I can barely hear it.

If the issue persists, let’s unlink your Spotify account from Google Home, re-install the Spotify app and factory reset one of your Nest Mini for us to isolate further. To do the factory reset, click here. Doing so should revert it back to its original state and setting it back again is needed.

>>>>>I factory reset one of my speakers.  I unlinked and uninstalled, then reinstalled Spotify app.  The issue is still the same.

[Dan_A]

Hey there,

Thank you for the information. Since it's happening only with Spotify, it would be best to reach out to Spotify for additional help. Inform them on what troubleshooting steps were done and let them know that it's only isolated with Spotify. I'll keep the thread open for a few days and wait for your reply to know what to do next once you have news from Spotify.

Looking forward to your response.

Thanks,

Dan

[Princesss]

Hi there,

We just want to check if you have seen our response posted above. Let us know if you have additional questions, otherwise we'll be locking the thread.
 

Best,

Princess

[myhippocket]

I did contact Spotify.  I actually had done it prior to contacting Google initially.  They suggested a couple things to try that made no difference and then told me it's a Google Home problem.  I tried those things again - still no difference.  So I'm no further ahead with figuring this out than I was when I started. 

[Dan_A]

Hi myhippocket,

Thank you so much for your patience and cooperation. Would it be okay if we try a different phone? Doing so might give us a different view of things since other music platforms are working as expected, except for Spotify. And again, for confirmation, your Spotify app on your iPhone was working before until this happened, correct?

Cheers,

Dan

[Dan_A]

Hey there,

Buzzing in — do you still need our help? Don't hesitate to reach back if you do.
 

Thanks,

Dan

[Azarco]

Hello myhippocket,

We haven't heard from you in a while so we'll be locking this thread if there is no update within the day. If you have any new issues, updates or just a discussion topic, feel free to start a new thread in the Community.

Regards,

Alex

[myhippocket]

I have tried this on several different devices with the same result.  This is a NEW issue.  It was fine before on multiple devices.  It is only happening when Google Cast is involved.  It's fine when I use Spotify with Bluetooth and bypass Google Cast.  Which is more work but something I can live with if necessary.  The bigger problem is when I say "Hey Google...play xyz", it always uses Google Cast and the volume suddenly drops and I can barely hear it.  Then when I say something like "Hey Google, set a 15-minute timer", the speaker is way too loud.

Is there a way to have the "Hey Google" command automatically use Bluetooth with Spotify instead of Google Cast??

[Azarco]

Hey there,

You can connect any Bluetooth speaker to your Google Nest devices and use it as your default speaker. Here's how: 

1. Turn on the Bluetooth device and make sure it’s in pairing mode. Customers may need to press the pairing button on the Bluetooth device, if the device has a dedicated pairing button.
2. Open the Google Home app.
3. Select the speaker or display.
4. At the top-right, tap settings > Audio > Default music speaker.
5. Tap Pair Bluetooth speaker. The speaker or display scans for Bluetooth devices.
6. Tap the device once it appears on the screen. The Bluetooth device pairs with the speaker or display.
7. Tap Done.

Let us know if that works for you.

Best,

Alex

[myhippocket]

I was able to get the Bluetooth speaker to act as default.  Unfortunately, the same issue happens with Spotify when using it through Google Home.  Volume is very low compared to all other sources.  Which is interesting because when I connect to the same speaker via Bluetooth outside of Google Home and use Spotify, the volume is fine.  Maybe it's a Google Home issue and not a Google Cast issue?

[Azarco]

Hi myhippocket,

We appreciate the details. Could you provide us the cast firmware version of your Nest Mini? Also, we'd be happy to take a look into this for you. Please fill out this form with all the needed information and let me know once you’re done.

Thanks,

Alex

[myhippocket]

The Cast firmware is 1.56.324896.  It's the same on all three of my speakers.  As is the problem. 

I didn't fill in the form because my problem is still the same as when I started this thread a month ago.

[Azarco]

Hello there,

Thanks for the information. I understand filling out the form might be out of your way however, it will us dig deeper on what's happening with your devices by escalating this to our team. Let us know if you had the chance to fill it out.

Best,
Alex

[Azarco]

Hi myhippocket,

We received your form — thanks for filling it out. Our team will reach out to you via email to further assist you. Also, please be advised that this thread will be locked after 24 hours.

Kind regards,

Alex