Nest Audio, mini, and hub (ii) needs restart every day

[DonalSeosamh]

About a month ago I ran into the issue where when I cast music to a group the audio plays but at the last volume level the devices were set, the day/night before. I can turn the volume down but I can't increase it past that set level. Rebooting individual devices did not solve the problem, all devices need to be rebooted in order for any to behave normally.

I wondered if it was a "grouping" error, so I removed all devices from every group they were assigned, and rebooted them, yet this issue remains; every device needs a restart before any device will behave normally with the volume control. 

Has anyone come across this and have solutions?

The devices include one Nest mini, two Nest audios, and one Nest Hub Gen 2.

[Azarco]

Hey DonalSeosamh,

My apologies for the delayed response. That certainly hasn’t been easy for you, let’s check what’s going on.

A few questions: is it also happening when you play music to them using voice commands? Are you casting from a different app (Spotify, YouTube)? Also, are you trying to control the volume using voice commands or through the Google Home app? 

This might be related to the update about speaker groups wherein customers will no longer be able to control the volume of all the speakers in a speaker group at the same time. This includes from the Google Home app, on display devices, and using Assistant voice commands (ex. “Change [group name] volume to 50%”). Customers will need to control the volume for each speaker in the group individually.

Thanks,

Alex

[DonalSeosamh]

Hi Alex,

It happens when I use voice commands and when I cast via a device, and it also affects Bluetooth playback. For the first two I use YouTube Music and for the latter, any sound that comes from the connected device (PC).

So, my speculation is that it might refer to what you said about the update but  it must be wider than that since it affects bluetooth playback also (of one device).

Thanks for your response 🙂

[Azarco]

Hey DonalSeosamh,

Thanks for the update.

Speaker groups containing non-Google speakers or Cast-based devices may not work properly in speaker groups if they don’t receive a software update. Customers may notice that those devices don’t play audio in a speaker group.

Best,

Alex

[DonalSeosamh]

Hi Alex, 

All speakers in the group are Google, I meant to refer to the bluetooth capabilities of the Nest Audio devices, for examples.

Kind Regards,

[Azarco]

Hey DonalSeosamh,

To confirm, aside from the speaker group,  you have a device connected to your Nest Audio devices using Bluetooth? If so, are you also having issues controlling its volume?

Thanks,

Alex 

[DonalSeosamh]

Hello Alex,

Yes, when a speaker is connected to another device via bluetooth, the volume output remains limited when the Nest device is used as the output. 

When the external device is not connected to the Nest device, the issue remains when playing via the app, via YouTube Music etc. It doesn't seem to matter which device playback is on, whether individual or together as group. 

Hence, they all seem to need rebooted each morning / at first day's use.

Best,

Seosamh

[DonalSeosamh]

Oh yes!
I have remembered that playback for volume increases (via tapping the device etc) or notifications and alarms are unaffected.

[Azarco]

Hey DonalSeosamh,

That's right! Also, you can control the volume through voice or touch. Check this article for more information. Let me know if you can't control them while connected to a Bluetooth speaker.

Best,

Alex

[DonalSeosamh]

Okay right, 

So, the notification sounds for increasing the volume by tapping on it works as expected, but the volume output of media, whether connected via bluetooth or via casting or voice, does not work as expected--it remains very low.

[Azarco]

Hey there,

Could you try saying "OK Google, clear all paired devices", then try rebooting your Nest speakers and display. Once done, pair them again. If you'll get the same result, try resetting your devices.

Let me know how it goes.

Thanks,

Alex

[Azarco]

Hey there,

Checking back in if you still need help with this? Feel free to respond to this thread if you have additional questions or concerns and I'd be glad to answer it for you.

Best,

Alex

[Azarco]

Hey DonalSeosamh,

Just checking in to make sure that you saw my response. I'll be locking this thread if we won't hear back from you again in 24 hrs. Should that happen, feel free to create a new one if you have more questions or have other concerns in the future.

Kind regards,

Alex

[DonalSeosamh]

Hello,

Sorry, I must have missed the response emails. I've previously reset the devices and added them to the house again to no avail, but I had not tried the voice command you suggested. I'll try that and I'll know if it works tomorrow morning.

Seosamh

[Azarco]

Hey DonalSeosamh,

Thanks for getting back to us. 

Alright! Keep us posted if the suggested command helps.

Best,

Alex

[DonalSeosamh]

Hello,

The command was not recognised, so that didn't succeed. I retried the 'reset devices' process but I'm still encountering the same issue.

Lately, I have noticed that one day every so often there is no issue the next day but the day after, the issue resumes and continues as before. Probably irrelevant information but kind of odd nonetheless.

Best,

Seosamh

[DonalSeosamh]

So, I think the issue is triggered when an automatic family bell is used.

[Azarco]

Hey DonalSeosamh,

Thanks for updating us.

To confirm, your devices were affected when you set a Family bell? Are you getting the same result if it is not set?

Keep us posted!

Thanks,

Alex

[DonalSeosamh]

Hi,

So, I was awake early than normal and noticed that the volume was still the same and modifiable. As some of the devices are in different parts, one 'family bell' had been set to play on multiple devices at the same time. It actually never dawned on me that the bell only played on one device, so this is another issue. However, after the bell, the volume issues started. 

So, I tried it again but set one device to ring; this worked as normal, with no volume issues. I deleted that bell and created a new one and set multiple devices to ring, the volume issues started again.

So, I think the family bell is either the root cause or at least in the right direction of solving the issues.  

[Azarco]

Hi DonalSeosamh,

Thanks for letting us know about your observation. 

Could you try turning off the Family Bell announcement on your Google Home app? Also, could you try creating a group with only 2 speakers or hubs to see if you'll get the same result.

Thanks,

Alex

[DonalSeosamh]

The issue is resolved with no family activated. There is no issue when one device is set to ring the bell. The issue starts when the bell activates if multiple devices (hub or not) are set to ring.

Hope this helps 🙂

[Azarco]

Hey DonalSeosamh,

Thanks for testing that out. We'd like to dig deeper on what's happening with your device. Could you please provide us these details:

• Cast firmware version of your devices.
• Google Home app version.
• Also, kindly fill out the form.

Best,

Alex

[Azarco]

Hey DonalSeosamh,

Checking back in — have you had the chance to fill out the form? 

Thanks,

Alex

[Azarco]

Hey DonalSeosamh,

We haven't heard from you in a while, if you have a chance, kindly fill out the form so that we can assist you further. I'll be locking this thread if we won't hear back from you again in 24 hrs. Should that happen, feel free to create a new one if you have more questions or have other concerns in the future.

Kind regards,

Alex

[DonalSeosamh]

Sorry,

I've been focusing on defending my thesis tomorrow, wish me luck.

The cast firmware version for all devices are: 1.56.299498. The home app is version: 2.52.1.6.

I'll fill the form now.

Seosamh

[DonalSeosamh]

The form did not work, I'm sorry if it expired.

[Azarco]

Hey DonalSeosamh,

Thanks for letting us know and we apologize for the inconvenience. I'll be checking this with our team and I'll get back to you once we have an update. 

Good luck with your thesis.

Best,

Alex

[Azarco]

Hey DonalSeosamh,

Filling out the form should be resolved now. Could you please try it again and let us know once you're done?

Thanks,

Alex

[DonalSeosamh]

Oops, still having an issue with it...

[Azarco]

Hi DonalSeosamh,

Thanks for letting us know. Could you please try opening the form using another phone or a different browser?

Best,

Alex

[Azarco]

Hey DonalSeosamh,

We haven't heard from you in a while — how's it going with the form? Do you still need help with this?

Thanks,

Alex

[Azarco]

Hey DonalSeosamh,

Checking back in — have you had the chance to fill out the form? If not, try filling it out again using this link.

Kind regards,

Alex

[Azarco]

Hey DonalSeosamh,

Just one quick final check in here since activity has slowed down. We'll be locking the thread in the next 24 hours, but if you still need assistance, feel free to start a new thread in the community and we’ll be happy to help.

Best,

Alex