Playing BBC Radio on Home Hub

[Block]

I have always been able to play BBC radio stations on my Home Hub by asking 'play radio 4', but today it just responds 'i can't do that on here'. What has changed?

[katparke]

I just keep asking it in the hope it'll work. No doubt it'll stop again some time. Seems a very odd fault. Glad I helped you! 😁

[Hannahm]

Since yesterday my google nest mini won’t play bbc radio channels. When asked ‘hey google, play bbc radio 2’ or ‘hey google play bbc radio 2 on tune in’ it responds ‘I can’t do that right now’.

It will however play other radio stations such as Heart radio and Jack FM. 
I have switched it off & back on again. 
it used to play bbc radio, I listen to it every morning. Any ideas?

[Davey101]

Same here. Not found a solution yet.

[IRMG]

Casting from bbc sounds app on phone works

[MikeWiggins]

Which is really irritating when you have 5 people with phones all connected to your kitchen google smart speaker so it won't let your phone cast to it without disconnecting someone else who then gets irritated with you. 

[TjW]

I have the exact same issue. My main use of the four nest speakers I have is to play 6Music, but for days now the response is "Sorry I can't do that yet". It's worked fine for 3 years! It doesn't work on a single speaker or the group. My solution is to cast the station from the BBC Sounds app, but I shouldn't have to 😞

[PaulDw]

Me too! 🤷🏻‍♂️

[FioHill]

Mine was working yesterday, and today it's not. A few weeks back it stopped playing XFM unless I told it to specifically play on global player 

[IRMG]

@Juni @Muddi 

Please can you look at this?

I have same problem my google home wont play BBC radio 5 on tunein

This is really really really really really really really really frustrating how Google home products are so unreliable. 

[Pete11]

I have the same problem. I switched from Sonos to Google nest because Sonos was unreliable. Now it seems Google nest is going the same why. I would have expected Google to fix it quickly. I don't understand why they can't. 

[IRMG]

Upto recently whenever I played BBC radio stations it said "streaming BBC from the BBC"

Today it

"streaming BBC from tunein"

I never had any problems with streaming radio through BBC but then today theres problems streaming it through tunein. Serious questions need to be asked here why google made this change given all the problems explained ad nauseam in this forum about google nest radio and tunein

[Tormid]

Me as well. No solutions? Is the problem Google!?

[IRMG]

It seems like a google and tunein issue. It worked ok when they didnt play from tunein. 

Theres a workaround of playing bbc on bbc sounds app on your phone and casting from that

[Michaellsimkins]

ME TOO. What's happened folks ? Using Google nest to access BBC Radio was such a simple and lovely thing, and now suddenly its hardly worth having the devices in the first place... Any ideas...?

[Katek8]

Gald it's not just me! Back from holiday and asked Google nest to play radio 2 and replies I can't do that here but you can ask me to play it on one of your other devices, and shows a list if web pages about bbc sounds. Turned off and on but no joy. It plays commercial radio but not bbc. Weirdly will play on 2 of my kidsGoogle homes but 3rd getting same message as Google nest. Very frustrating as found no advice when searching, just this conversation.

[IRMG]

You can play bbc radio on bbc sounds phone app and cast to your device from that

[Katek8]

I know but I don't want to cast, I just want my Google to work properly again. Clearly I've got lazy asking it to play stuff but I like it.

[niceonept]

Yes of course you can but Google is designed to work from voice commands. 

[Greg0230]

Seems to be a new problem. Why is Google not getting back to anyone on this? We’ve not bee able to play any BBC channels for a week but randomly yesterday I got Radio 4. Today it’s gone again wtf is going on?

[Greg0230]

No answer but I was given a ‘badge’ by google for commenting!!! No answer, just a badge!

[RichardJJ]

I have the same problem but this has been going on for over a week - my google nest mini won’t play any bbc radio channels. When asked ‘hey google, play bbc radio 2’ or ‘hey google play bbc radio 2 on tune in’ it responds ‘I can’t do that right now’.

Does anyone have any ideas?

[1-6six]

Me too! Exactly the same. Wonder why they can’t tell us what is wrong and fix it. 

[MalcF]

Same issue as of this morning 8th April. None of my "Smart" devices will play BBC channels. The response I get is "I can't do that yet". My phone, a pixel 6 will play it ( I have sounds installed on it though) so casting to other devices like others have done.  

[Katek8]

Too lazy to cast so I'm now listening to Virgin radio and have rediscovered Graham Norton on Saturday morning.

[Gasman]

Well, according to this thread https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Speakers-and-Displays/BBC-sounds/m-p/143432#:~:text=So%2C%20t... it has been going on a while, but I have been able to play Radio 2 well after this thread was created.
A link in that thread https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/help/questions/listening-on-a-smart-speaker/google-device seems to indicate that it shoud still work, or the BBC have been to lazy to update that page.

I am going to use the Contact Us button on that page to see if I can find out what on earth is going on. I suggest others do the same. That might then give someon a kick up the backside to sort it, or explain why it does not work anymore?

[Katek8]

I've contacted the BBC and complained as you you suggested. Thank you for confirming its not my fault!

[niceonept]

I've had the problem intermittently for a couple of weeks and was most recently resolved by doing a hard reset on all five of my Google speakers. Now it is back again. Sure, I could cast from my phone but it is not always at hand and convenient to do so. Google is supposed to work by voice command. It has for years. This is going backwards!

[Gasman]

See the image in this thread https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Speakers-and-Displays/Google-has-stopped-being-able-to-play-B...

The BBC acknowledge there is a problem. Shame they could update the page that linked in that other thread I posted above.

[TraumaDoc]

Hopefully this is a bug rather than a deliberate change to make things less functional. 

90% of the use of our smart speakers is streaming BBC stations, particularly my mum in law, who doesn't have a smart phone to cast from, at doesn't want one. 

[David_K]

Looks like this is a known issue the BBC are aware of and investigating.

Why can't I listen to live BBC radio on my Google speaker? | BBC Sounds

[Dougal]

@David_K Hi David, you should be able to detect the general opinion that Google would be wrong to leave this entirely to the BBC to fix. 
It would limit the brand damage significantly to have some indication that Google recognised the upset this is causing, and was working together with the BBC to find and implement a fix asap. 
Much of the frustration arises because the issues have been ongoing for about a week, without any indication of action from Google - merely “awareness”.
Is Google able to replicate the problem? Or otherwise understand what is going wrong? 
The BBC posted on Wednesday that it was “under investigation” at their end. 
If Google thinks it is a BBC problem, it is in Google’s interest to help the BBC with their investigation. 
it REALLY isn’t going to look good in the media that this has taken so long to fix. 

When different users on the same device can get different results (working and not working), that is a big signpost to the problem being related to the individual account detail - though it might be the Google or the BBC account information that is relevant. 
My own experience of inappropriate error messaging on my Hub Max suggests that all is not well on the Google side… 

Hey Google, ask BBC sounds to play BBC Radio 4 

— Hmm. Looks like that contact isn’t set up for video messaging… (and it goes on!)

That message simply shouldn’t EVER be being triggered by that request! 

This is important to many, many users - and many times more than the number that have found their way here to express their exasperation. 
The time to fix and the lack of meaningful response is really not inspiring confidence in Google’s regard for their platform. 
At minimum, it is an example of bad corporate PR. 
Communicate meaningfully and demonstrate action! 

[IRMG]

Completely agree

The responses here "oh well bbc.... etc" are a really really bad look for google. 

Id like a functioning product with my google home devices - the reality is it just doesnt function half the time. Its really really unreliable. Tell me why I shouldnt dump my google home devices and buy Alexa instead because at this stage I am losing patience with google nest products unreliability

[mjones]

How about you submit a review to Trust pilot or somesuch and warn others off, rather than just your own boycott. This will potentially hurt Google more and perhaps lead to them pulling their oft ankle hugging socks up.

[Travisteeee]

By the by this is happening in Australia. My elderly mother listens to arguably the countries most popular talk back channel 2GB 873 broadcast from Sydney. They are “aware of a problem with google” but it’s been days now and I’m still getting the error message. It’s very frustrating. 

[Clrhenry]

Me too. The same.  Complaint to google. Please fix this 

[Katek8]

Also complain to bbc sounds as seems to be their problem (there's a link above to a BBC statement page).

[Gasman]

TBH, I do not think we can blame Google for this one. 🙂

[Jamescrom]

I'm having the same problem,  so I've decided to go back to good old ALEXA, and All bbc radio stations are working Fine.

[derekbradley]

To add another level of strangeness to this, Google seems incapable of streaming BBC radio for me either through voice commands or routines set up on my phone. But, will stream when instructed to by my wife. 

I suspect the problem might be related to my BBC sounds account. Which is linked to my Google account, my wife does not have a BBC account.

[Chiptech]

As a workaround, user bbc sounds app on your phone and cast to your speaker