Thanks for the reply.
Before replying to the specifics of your message, I want to understand that I've owned and used the Assistant for 3-4 years. So I'm WAY PAST troubleshooting 101.
Now for responses:
I have 4 Google mini devices and the problem is the same with ALL devices so it's not any handshaking or electrical failure.
I had NOT made any changes to my commands or routines when things turned to sh*t. Any changes were clearly made at your end.
Reboots and other 101 level diagnostic procedures will not and have not fixed the problems. All 4 of my devices respond identically to commands.
Before discussing specific issues, I admit that my use of the Google Assistant service is extensive and a bit complicated. Here are the components:
4 Mini speakers - office, entry way, bedroom and basement.
25 Smart Life devices
A Harmony hub that controls entertainment equipment AND an IR543 X-10 device that operates a programmable wall dimmer (switch)
Here are just TWO examples of sudden, recent command failure (ignoring the wake phrase)
"Turn off Nucleus" (a Smart Life controlled plug) has, forever, reliably resulted in the response "Sure, turning off Nucleus" and Google has done exactly that. However, within perhaps the last month or two, the same command, from the same voice, at the same volume, at the same speed, in proximity to any of the four speakers gets the following response - "to turn off your speaker, unplug it ............". Repeating the command two three or four more times usually gets the job done. (How Google gets "speaker" out of "Nucleus" escapes me.) Sometimes speaking the command with pauses like "Hey...Google,...turn..off.. Nucleus" (words spaced about 1 second apart) works.
Another command that consistently fails is the single word "Return". "Return" is the name of a routine that turns off three Smart Life wall dimmers (switches). That command, too, has always worked perfectly until whatever changes were made at your end. Now it complains about not understanding or some other nonsense. Again, repeating the command multiple times might work, but "Hey...Google....return" (again 1 second spacing) usually succeeds.
Now for a couple of other issues:
Google has become slow on the uptake. Lately, commands spoken at normal speed often do not execute and have to be repeated or I have to pause briefly between the wake phrase and the command.
Google made changes in the Android app that are at best confusing and at worst incomprehensible. Here's an example.
My setup has commands that include Harmony hub "activities" to send IR commands to my JVC projector - a (discrete) power on, a (discrete) power off, 16:9, 3D, 2D, etc. All those were included in many complex home theater routines which took me a very long time to program. All was working well UNTIL recent Google changes caused all hell to break loose. Because many things stopped working properly, I decided to review, modify or recreate some of my routines and THAT is where the confusion comes in.
One of my routines is named "Open the theater". One of the first commands in that routine is a Harmony activity named "JVC on". When I initially created the routine, I simply inserted the "JVC on" activity from Harmony scenes. When recreating that routine and attempting to insert the "JVC on" command, there were two choices: "ON or OFF" and the same for "JVC Off: I still haven't figured out how to TURN ON OFF or TURN OFF ON. My intention was for the Google routine to simply EXECUTE the Harmony activity but that was not an option. PLEASE MAKE IT ONE! It would reduce confusion. I don't know what would happen if I uncheck the ON/OFF box. I've never tried. Perhaps you can explain.
I hope this is the info you wanted,
FYI I'm recreating my entire automation system using amazon Alexa. Perhaps it will behave better.
