Speaker groups still not working

[Kambo]

Hi there. I know I'm not the only one who is fed up with Google's complete disinterest and contempt for its customers when it comes to speaker groups not working. I've given up on contacting support because contacting them every few weeks and then spending half the day reinstalling all devices is a bit tedious and doesn't work.

Several others and I have been complaining about these issues for well over a year but Google isn't interested in doing anything. Right now I thought I'd have another go to find a fix, this time for Nest displays not working with speaker groups. It came as no surprise that the issue is unresolved and the relevant thread has been closed. 

I feel conned. I've invested in a speaker system that doesn't work. The behemoth Google doesn't care so we're all out of pocket. What can we do? My suggestion is a class action lawsuit to make them fix the problems. Anyone know a law firm that will take them on? It will be great PR for them.

And if anyone from Google joins the conversation, I suggest you kick this up to management. You initially lost a legal battle with Sonos and the changes you were forced to make messed up Google Home/Nest speakers for anyone with more than one speaker. Now that the decision appears to have been reversed, why don't you revert back to what was previously not broken? I'm so disappointed by this. Alternatively, how about contacting me and refunding me for the eight Google devices I have, which no longer work as they should?

Perhaps someone can advise when/if the corporation is going to do the right thing and fix these well known issues?

[Lappydawg]

Hello Kambo

Admittedly, I have not experienced these issues. I have 2 displays  and 10 speakers under a media grouping called " sound". My default display is where I begin my music, and I scroll and enable sound. All my speakers work in this manner and it has been over 16 months since I connected my last speaker to the group.  I would love to know more so that I may be able to help. Or maybe I'm just fortunate and are in the minority. I dislike the thought of Google support not helping paying customers. Maybe let me know how you are setting up so that we can compare.

[Kambo]

Hi @Lappydawg . Apologies for the delay - been away for most of the weekend. Thanks for the response. After posting, I removed all devices from my home group and 'force stopped' the Home app. I then added all devices (nest hub speakers, minis, hubs and chromecast) back to the home (although I had to factory reset one of them). I now have speaker groups that work with voice control apart from two Nest Hubs which will not work under voice control. They appear to be independent, even though they are part of the same group. For example, if I say 'Play on all speakers', music will play on all but those two - however I can add them if I use the app or the Nest Hub displays each time. Obviously this isn't supposed to be how they work. Additionally, I fear that even the connectivity I currently have will disappear soon, based on previous experience. Any suggestions?

Overall  my experience is similar to that of @Patthe and it wouldn't surprise me if the issue that @Pedrowalk is experiencing is also related. As stated - the Nest speaker system became very unstable after Google's firmware update after they lost the legal battle. They'd be better off just rolling back to keep everyone happy. Thanks, again.

[Lappydawg]

I haven't had the issue, but I looked at the most recent " bad update", and realized that I am on the previous firmware.  I am not sure if this is the reason that I don't  have issues.  I have a friend that has 16 speakers and hubs combined. I will reach out to him to see if he has any suggestions.

[Kambo]

Thanks @Lappydawg. I

Interested to see what they come back with. And for info, it's all gone belly up again. Stability lasted for on 72 hours. So disappointed with Google. Back to square one. 😐

[Lappydawg · Accepted solution]

The only commonality that my friend and I share is the method we used for our groups.  Most people select all the speakers, name the group, and save it.  My friend and I did it differently. We selected a hub as our primary, and then name a group based upon that hub or single speaker. We then selected the name of that group that we just formed and added the additional speakers to it. I recently purchased a Google home Max and added it in this way. It was seamless, and my group is still intact. Again, I am not sure that this will work for everyone. It seems to have worked in both cases with me and my friend. I'll be interested to hear how this works for you.

[Kambo]

Thanks @Lappydawg. Appreciate you looking into this. I can give this a go, but I'm a little confused. The bit about selecting a hub as a primary. How do you do that? Is this part of the set up procedure?

[Lappydawg]

Sorry. I only meant that this is the device I initially set up a speaker group on. Then I add all the other devices to the group from the name of the speaker group that I selected. This is just the first device you use, and does not really matter which one you choose. It's just the one where you initially set up the speaker group. When going to the settings for that device you will see under audio I believe that it will be the default device.

[Kambo]

Thanks @Lappydawg. I'll take a look - hopefully tomorrow morning. 😀

[Kambo]

Hi @Lappydawg. Apologies for my slow response. Alas, I couldn't see a default device on m Home app so couldn't progress anything. I did reset a couple of devices and it's nearly working - but still not as good as yours. A 'Community Specialist' @cheliogeovanni has joined the discussion. I'll ask them if they can fix it. Thanks hugely for your help and support - really appreciate it!

[Pedrowalk]

Issue still persists...says audio output is bluetooth speaker but continues on the nest device... Ive taken to sending the same feed back daily on the issue.... Maybe they'll get the message 

[Pedrowalk]

My nest hub 2nd still refuses to output audio to my Bluetooth speaker system... Was working fine for 2 years, since tge last firmware it refuses to work. Will show the Bluetooth is connected, shows it as default audio output but still plays from the device. Have tried restart, reseting everything i can.

I have checked the Bluetooth speaker system and works fine with other devices just not my nest hub.. 

[Patthe]

I have constant issue with my speaker groups. Have 4 speaker, something the group disapear, then appear and worm. Very not reliable. 

[Kambo]

Agree @Patthe It's a bit of a joke. A Community Specialist @cheliogeovanni has joined the discussion. Let's if they can help. I'll respond to them below.

[cheliogeovanni]

Hello @Kambo,

The reason I am writing to you is because I just wanted to do a follow-up about your speaker groups not working and just wanted to make sure that the instructions and steps given did work and all is fine. Please let me know if you still need assistance.

Also, I would like to thank everyone who help out on the community, Lappydawg, Pedrowalk, Patthe. I thank you all for your input and help.

Regards,

Helio

[Patthe]

I basicly say that I do have the same problem and it still don't work right....

There seem to be an issue with speaker groups making the group disappear.

See attach video I took. Start at the beginning with 4 speakers, then I go back. Only 2 speaker. If I clear device, I can see the 4 device.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/xwiRdL7Gcvobb4396

[Kambo]

Yup! @Patthe I have the same. It's really frustrating isn't it? Hopefully @cheliogeovanni can come up with something, but this problem has been manifesting itself for well over a year now and Google doesn't appear to be showing much interest. 

[Kambo]

Hi @cheliogeovanni . Afraid I still have the problem. Sometimes speaker groups work, but they generally don't. One big issue I have at the moment is that my two Nest Displays, which are in speaker groups, behave as if they aren't - eg 'all speakers' will see all speakers activate aside from those displays. This applies to other speaker groups which include either of the displays. Have to admit, Google's performance and support for speaker groups is terrible. Perhaps you can help? Thanks.

[Kambo]

Hi @cheliogeovanni Have you been able to make any progress with this or escalate it? Thanks.