Running routines by voice in Google homein

[phildebougi]

Hello, I have set up several routines in the Google Home app on my Android smartphone. Until recently, they worked perfectly when I used the voice commands through my Google Home speakers; for example, saying 'OK Google, it's bedtime.'
For the past three days, these routines no longer trigger by voice. They only work if I manually tap the routine's title on my smartphone screen.
I also noticed that individual actions do work via voice command within the Gemini app on Android when I say the specific command for that action. However, Gemini does not execute the full routines.
Could you please help me find a way to get my routines working by voice again through my Google Home speakers? Thanks in advance!"

[TedTheDev]

You'll likely have to wait for them to fix it in an update or change your activation phrases. I've got the same (or at least similar) issue where it tries to interpret the activation phrase instead of running the automation routine. Some of the routines flake out midway sometimes for me too.

[GabrielaG]

Hi @phildebougi,

Thanks for reaching out. I'm sorry to hear that your Routines stopped working via voice commands three days ago and only respond to manual taps on your smartphone. I'm happy to help.

I appreciate your response @TedTheDev.

Could you please provide a few more details so we can narrow down the issue?

• Which specific Google Home Speaker do you have? (Please check this guide on Google smart speakers and displays for reference).
• Have you tried any troubleshooting steps so far?
• Have you attempted to edit the Routines?
• Have you tried deleting and recreating the Routines in the Google Home app?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Gabriela

[TedTheDev]

I've got two Google Nest Hubs and one active Google Nest Mini. I've not tried the troubleshooting or recreating the routines as they don't seem to apply or be effective based on the current feedback. Also removing and recreating the routines would be quite tedious given the lack of advancement in this area in the app. The routines seem to still be using the same UI so recreating them seems unlikely to fix them. Just based on 30+ years of experience in tech. AI is supposed to make things easier and less tedious, so far your implementation of it for home automation is the exact opposite. Again, let us roll back to the old version that actually functioned from this version that does not.

[phildebougi]

Hi Gabriela,

• I am using 3 Google Home mini and 1 Google Home ; they have executed the routines by vocal command without problem since 2 years and stopped 2 weeks ago. However they still execute vocally  the standard commands like « OK Google what time is it ? » or « OK Google lower the volume »…
• About trying troubleshooting steps, can you explain which kind of troubleshooting  I could try ?
• Editing the Routine : the commands displayed  in Google Home are app still the same (see  attachment)
• I have created new routines ; they are executed as the others when I touch them in the Google Home app window but not by vocal command

According to me the problem has occured when the Google Home application has been updtated and the Routines have been renamed into Automatisations.

Have you a proposal about solving my problem ; Thank you

[GabrielaG]

Hi @phildebougi,

Thanks for getting back to me. I appreciate you working with me to resolve this. I am happy to share more information.

Since your automations work off specific triggers you’ve set, having a lot of devices connected can sometimes make those commands a bit too complex. This might be the reason your automations aren't turning on or off when they should.

Please refer to the following article for troubleshooting instructions: Manage smart home automations in Google Home.

Feel free to keep posting if you have more questions.

Regards,

Gabriela

[phildebougi]

The home routines are still not executed  when the specific command is pronounced in a Google Home speaker; however the same routine is executed  when the specific command is pronounced in my smartphone Gemini application

[phildebougi]

Hi GabrielaG, although I have tried all the procedures you have given to solve the problem ( Routines cannot be vocally started) I am still unable to vocaly activate my devices . Could you be so kind as to provide the procedure to returrn to the previous issue of Gogle Home. Thank you.

[phildebougi]

I have read a post from a Home user in https://www.reddit.com/r/googlehome/comments/  saying that he has solved the problem by copying an existing automatisation in a new automatisation. He says that he did that using his browser!! . Can you explain how to copy an existing automatisation in a new automatisation? Thank you.

[GabrielaG]

Hi @phildebougi,

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate the effort you've put into performing the troubleshooting steps with me, and I'm happy to continue assisting you.

At this moment, we don't have a direct 'copy' feature for automations, but we do have a great alternative to help you save time. The 'Help me create' feature in the Google Home app allows you to simply describe your desired automation, and it will build it for you automatically. You can then tweak it to your liking before saving. Additionally, please know that Google is constantly adding support for more devices to our advanced script editor.

To learn more about this new feature, please review this article: Create automations in Google Home with Help me create.

Feel free to keep posting if you have more questions.

Regards,

Gabriela

[phildebougi]

An other question: what do you mean when you say "tweak it to your liking" ?

[phildebougi]

Thank you Gabriela for your support, I shall review the information given by the article related to Help me create. Probably because I am using the french issue of Google Home the 'Help me create' is not available yet. Anyway I have understood that I shall have to wait until the integration of Gemini in Google Home is available to the french users of Google Home. Have a good day