Media Alarms are stopping??

[vs271]

Last night, after I set up my daily media alarm for this morning, I got a google message saying that Media Alarms will stop on February 1st and that it will be replaced by a regular "alarm sound"??!!   This better not be.   I will NOT be happy about this one bit.  I do not want to be woken up with an alarm beep or tone.  I want to wake up in the morning with sound of music of my choice or radio station.  Is anyone else getting this message?   Like I said, if this is the case, I will be switching to *gasp* Alexa!  

[Kadven · Accepted solution]

Hi @vs271 

Unfortunately it seems they are making a number of changes to how google assistant works.

See this link:

https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/13971691

As you can see the second bullet point is concerning media alarms.

As it says it is possible to simulate the old media alarms using personal routines.

[vs271]

Well that seems to be confirmation.  It is supposed to stop tomorrow,  It's complete baloney to stop this feature. That writeup states that media alarms aren't used much so that's is why they are stopping that function?   I find that very hard to believe.   Based on that explanation, I would have to set it up as a daily routine to get a radio alarm?  So depending on the night I have to go into the app and adjust the time every night.  That is a nuisance when i can easily do a simple voice command.   I thought that was the purpose of a smart speaker. 

[Kadven]

HI @vs271 

Yes, you are quite right. A routine works fine if for instance if you normally have a media alarm set for the same time every morning say at a particular time time when working Monday to Friday and say a different time at weekends but if you want to vary the start time a lot then the routine solution will not work.

As to why these particular changes are being made I have no idea.

[crogs]

Also true. My schedule is variable as is my wake time. And I don't use them every night. So one would have to adjust the routine constantly instead of just saying, hey Google, wake me up to 94 WIP at 4:30am. And be done with it.

That said, it has also been very unreliable the past two years. Somewhere it was mentioned that they were being underutilized, and that's the reason for taking it away. We'll if something doesn't work consistently, of course it is going to be underutilized. People get tired of it not working. It was so simple when it worked well. 

[SteeledPick]

Agree, I go to bed at different times and wake up at different times daily.  I got rid of my amazon show for a nest. Looks like I'll be getting a Show again and drop the Nest devices

[crogs]

Except it doesn't simulate alarms. It announces what's playing which is annoying as F when you're sleeping. It also can't be snoozed.

I just donated my nest to goodwill and my Alexa Show arrives tomorrow. The only thing I use google for now is my chromecast audios. Shocking, another great thing that was canceled by Google. Have no clue how to build an ecosystem when features and product that are valuable to it get canceled. It's become a worthless joke.

If Amazon's whole home audio didn't suck,I wouldn't use Google at all. 

[Kadven]

Hi @crogs 

Bit confused by the comment about it making an announcement. I just use a routine with a single action of 'Play xyz radio' for instance and give the routine an action time that I want that routine to start, it then just starts playing that radio station at that time, no announcement involved. To stop it playing I just say hey google stop playing. Not sure if snooze works or not, never needed or tried it.

No question though that using a routine is nowhere near as flexible though, since using a routine for a one off time, or if you want to vary the start time then that just does not work, so removing the media alarm feature is definitely a retrograde step.

[crogs]

I was going off of what others said on Reddit. There is nothing routine about my wake up schedule be it the day or time I wake up when I want to listen to a certain station. And I shouldn't be forced into doing something I have zero use for. I haven't once used a routine yet. No need.

My Show 8 is now on my night stand. And Alexa even asked me if I wanted to make that station my default alarm sound. Go figure. A more intelligent question than Google has ever asked me. 

So I'm good. I now have zero Google nest devices in use. Chromecast audios are it for me. I've even started replacing my tivo stream 4k's and ccgtv's with Apple tv since it's the one Apple device that doesn't require ecosystem buy in. It's simply a better device than anything that runs Google TV. And I'll leave the ccgtv on a couple setups strictly for casting. But if Apple embraces the open source casting, I might not even need them. 

My phone has a mic and the Google home app for lights and thermostat. Heck, might not even need it if I have the Alexa app. 

So the more Google takes away things I use/like, the less need I have of their devices. Sadly Alexa Inputs and whole home audio are a far cry from Google home and chromecast audios, so those I'll probably never leave. 

[mloubou]

That's what I have been doing until yesterday, when it informed me that media alarms were no longer available.  That is one of the main reasons that I use my google assistant.  Is there a reason that I should not switch to Alexa now?

[IanMcG]

Terrible response.

Please tell me why I shouldn't dump my Google home for an Alexa

[iMaharagama]

Over all this is totally nonsense. I am going too start using Alexa & Spotify and avoid any Google service if it possible

[Fil70]

I cannot understand why Google are doing this and saying that this feature is under utilised. In my case it is one the main benefits of my Google home speaker that I use frequently. Setting a routine is ok but more complex than just saying “hey Google set a radio alarm” and following the prompts. 
A media alarm runs for an hour then stops but with a routine there is no way in the set up to automatically stop the routine after a given period.

i just hope Google cancels this absurd change to Google home  or I will have to use Alexa.

[IanMcG]

I tried the routine

It's terrible. The radio comes on but I can't switch it off. Absolute junk work around

[Dread-Pirate]

I fully agree, customers should not need workarounds to use products they purchased.  My Google Home speakers had this feature at the time of purchase, and taking it away is poor business practice.  Is Alphabet not able to support their own products?  I think a lawsuit is probably motivating Google to cut this feature, but they've demonstrated extremely unsatisfactory communication on this all around.

[IanMcG]

They are a TERRIBLE alternative. Really really really awful. 

[gallway]

Why do this it's so handy next phone ain't gonna be a pixel nice move nobeds

[Msvda]

Why are is Google changing this? Voice commands are very useful. 

[KVKdragon]

I'm extremely irritated by this. I listen to radio stations as an alarm sound so my mind won't adapt to the repetitive sound of regular alarm sounds. Why in the world are they getting rid of this feature? Who cares if barely anyone uses it? 😡

[Rhys-3]

I agree this is total baloney. I'm low key angry about this. I don't find my google home useful for that many things. Taking away one of the few utilities it does have is so frustrating.

[Rhys-3]

Waking up to music is a functionality that existed in clock radios, and clock cd players in the 80's and 90's. People have always wanted to wake up to something other than a beeping noise. So frustrating. I would not recommend a Google home to others, now. Straw that broke the camels back. 

[Chunnu]

Glad I found this thread - like others, I also received the notification that Media Alarms will stop as of 02/01/2024 and instead be toned alarms. This is absolutely horrible and I hope Google reconsiders keeping the Media Alarms. Waking to the sound of an annoying tone vs soothing sounds or inspirational music is definitely not my preference for starting my day coming out of deep rest. Moreover, Google may want to consider the health implications this can have on individuals ... should they look into the research related to best sleep/wake practices. If not, it may be time to make the switch to other smart home devices. Sorry, Google! 

[Ac8919]

With the world of other options out there (thinking of you, Alexa, Apple) it seems incredibly stupid for Google to be withholding a feature that many of us Value.  It’s inconvenient and somewhat costly but far from impossible to change assistants and if mine is going on strike with something I use regularly (but not in a manner I can schedule) I may have to fire that assistant.  It  also seems actionably fraudulent to have sold a system that offers certain features and then withhold one of those features after customers have already purchased

[VaskoObscura]

Media Alarms are the #1 most used feature on my Google home and pretty much the only reason I bought the home max. It's great to be able to set an alarm and wake up to the radio or music or whatever. It's so convenient. Honesty when this media alarm goes I might just sell my home max and buy a different smart speaker. I don't understand why Google is downsizing features? Especially something so simple as setting an alarm linked to a radio station. Even cheap alarm clocks have that feature. 

[CoW]

The media alarms are the only way I can get up in the morning.... With Google taking away so many features, such as the games and Pikachu voice, there's no way I'm buying any more Google devices. I don't care if they're cheaper, because next thing you know, the pixel phones are going to lose their functionality along with all other products. Honestly if they keep downsizing the features, I'm just going to switch to Apple and Alexa. Google, please keep the media alarms and other features, or it's going to cost you a ton. 

[davemad]

What annoys me even more is that the Google Support website says: 

• Setting or using media alarms, music alarms, or radio alarms on Google Assistant enabled devices. You can create a custom Routine that has similar behaviour or use a standard alarm.

but doesn't provide any examples of such custom Routines.  I've tried several ways, none of which work.

Do they just mean a timed routine that runs at the same time every day?? If so, I agree with many others on this that it defeats the whole purpose of a smart speaker.

Google: nobody wants to wake up to your Home Nest Alarm sound. 

At the very least, give us some more alarm sound options!!!!!!!

[Scooot]

The worst business decisions ever. They have just ruined millions of peoples mornings

[Jason-Not-Young]

This doesn't work for me. Easily one of my most used features for years. Now I'll have to buy a programmable alarm clock. FML  Leaves me doubting my loyalty to the brand a bit... No cap.

[davemad]

it all depends on what Google considers to be a media alarm. 

Usually I say "set a radio/music alarm at 6:50am", for example. Then it asks me what I want to play, I tell it XYX radio station, and it's all set. You can be sure this is a "media alarm".

However, you can also say "Play XYZ Radio station at 6.50am". If that isn't considered to be a media alarm, then it's easy enough to incorporate that into a routine, ultimately with the same effect, albeit a little less flexible since the radio station / music source has to be defined in the routine.

Just thinking out loud. 
Maybe not time to consign the GH devices to the trash yet....

[davemad]

Although media alarms still seem to work, I was stunned to find my Google Nest responding to "Play XYZ Radio Station at 6.50am" (which previously worked fine) as "I'm sorry, I looked for >>XYZ Radio Station at 6.50am<< and couldn't find it, or it isn't available."

Doh!

Someone at Google is taking the P***

[iMaharagama]

This is yet another exasperating downsizing move by Google. In their announcement about the downsizing, they've also discontinued the stopwatch feature. Just a few weeks ago, they stopped allowing timers to be set on smart plugs. So, there goes the convenience of turning off the lights after 5 minutes when I'm heading to sleep and need the stairway lit. My conclusion? They're likely phasing out the entire product line in favor of subscription-based services reliant on large language models.

[vs271]

Feb 1st has passed and we are still able to set media alarms.  Could it be Google came to their senses and realized this was a stupid idea?  Let's hope so.

[Tara3]

I just got the notification today, saying it will end in February. No date given. I've been using it for months and this is the first I heard of it. So i assume it's still happening but the date's been pushed back to some unknown time this month 

[Daxter19]

Totally sucks to lose this feature. I love using it for naps, which are random. Not somthing you can program a routine for. I really hate the alarm sound  and wish i could at least change it. I mean we could chamge our ring tone 20 years ago, why is it so hard to make our alarms adjustable to whatever sound we want? Someone is sleeping at the wheel.

[Venturesome40]

I also got the message. Waking up to music sas been a staple for me for years now. Its now February 15, and I still have it. I hate to get rid of all my googles around the house, but if Alexa is able to do this, I might switch. I have had my google speakers since they came out. SUX!

[ZiziMars14]

This sucks sooooo much!!! This is probably one of the features I've been using since I bought my first nest. Routines and all other work around are not what I need.. Just unbelievably annoying. I don't get it why you wouldn't leave something that works as is 😫 being underutilized, geez 😳🙄

[Roachy]

Just had the msg that google assistant can not set media alarms. Considering this is on a lenovo smart clock, it completely defeats the purpose.  What a joke, I may as well go back to an old radio alarm clock as google is pretty much not fit for purpose now.

[IanMcG]

Google just told me I can't set media alarms anymore.

Absolutely terrible decision. I'm done with Google home devices at this stage. Getting rid to buy Alexa. 

[Eliasishome]

It made me sooo triggered

[Jonyoung95]

Well that is what my google hime just told me I have had it since 2018 so looks like I am getting to get rid of it for something else that was about the only thing that I used it for and my work varies to much to keep going into the app everyday to do that. Anyone no if Alexis is still doing music alarms if so that is where I am goi g