Strange popping sound in my nest mini

[limuremu]

Hello, I’ve just got my best mini about a month ago, and it’s been great so far. That being said, in the past week I’ve been hearing this sort or popping or cracking sound, similar to what you would hear if you had dust on a vinyl record and tried to play it. I haven’t heard it happen when the assistant is responding to me, but they don’t happen on a schedule or anything, more randomly. I’ve unplugged it and plugged it back in, rebooted it through the Home app, and tried plugging it into a different outlet. I’m pretty sure it’s not my wifi, and I’d like to avoid a factory reset if possible but I’m running out of options. Any help?

[Juni · Accepted solution]

Hi folks,

Our team is already aware of this and currently investigating this issue. Since this is the same discussion, we'll move this conversation to the main thread and we'll continue to update it as soon as we have some news to share.

Please note that once done this thread will be locked.

Regards,

Juni

[Yorkshireguy]

I get it using YouTube music . TuneIn ,radio player , global player . So Don't think it matters 

[Metoo132323]

@Doubi Why are you posting in an "abandoned" thread? The OP in this thread marked the response by Google mods as answered/solved. You all need to stop beating the dead horse in this thread and create your own and stop being lazy. @Yorkshireguy 

[marcolopes]

There is a NEW thread already: https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Speakers-and-Displays/Google-Nest-Mini-charcoal-Gen-2-frequen...

[Metoo132323]

I created a new thread where everyone should now post to instead of using this "Answered/solved" thread as nothing more as a place to vent: https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Speakers-and-Displays/Google-Nest-Mini-charcoal-Gen-2-frequen...

[marcolopes]

Google Nest Mini "Charcoal"???

They all do, it's not COLOR dependent!

[Metoo132323]

No, they don't. My first generation white doesn't!

[marcolopes]

OMG! The point is not the color... is the GENERATION!

Gen1 = No problems (so far)

Gen2 = POPPING problem

Gen2 has several COLORS... (Charcoal, Chalk, Sky, and Coral) They all pop!

[skeptical8008]

Bumping this thread as I've had this issue for the past year on all my nest mini devices in my home. It's rough when you're using white noise to fall asleep to and a sudden "pop" wakes you up.

[marcolopes]

Yes... with sleep music the problem is really bad, because the POPPING VOLUME is not related to the DEVICE VOLUME (it pops loud!)

[SirBigD]

purchased 28th dec 2023 uk. My issues:

- sometimes cannot connect to wifi

- will disconnect to wifi of no sound for 2mins

- always a cracking noise

[Vegiac]

I’ve had my two nests for several years. I play white noise on them nearly every night. They only just started making the popping noise in the last couple of nights. I was messing with the volume on one of them through the app and it did it quite a lot at that time. Otherwise, it’s random, as others have reported.  I can no longer use these for white noise. I’ve been wanting to go all in on the Apple ecosystem, and these are some of the last things I have that are outside of it. This is the nudge I need to go for it. 

[knowing_fm]

I found the problem - the reason this is happening is due to ultrasound sensing being turned on. To turn this off, click on your speaker in the Google Home app, then click the Settings icon in the top right, then Recognition and sharing, then turn off the option called Ultrasound Sensing. 

[JelleGo]

That is not the real cause. Popping will come back.

[knowing_fm]

I have found it to be the cause - I had this problem quite a long time ago (2 years maybe) and found it doesn't pop when ultrasound sensing is off. Sorry about that!

[JelleGo]

No problem. Every help is welcome. 
It works for a couple of hours but then the popping came back. 

[WhyWhy99]

For the love of God could you people read the thread and just shut up. How do I get out of this hell thread. 

[DirkGG]

Have a beer and enjoy new years, dude... No need to get all worked up. Mute the thread by clicking the three little dots on the first post and select mute. 

[SirBigD]

Unfortunately this option not available on the big nest 

[knowing_fm]

Ah okay, sorry about that. Unfortunately I can't offer a solution to this. 

[tsengf]

I have the minis and have been experiencing the popping issue for some time. I've also been running with the Ultrasound sensing feature disabled. This makes the pops less prounounced, but they are still present. I've become accustomed to the audio imperfections and have pay less and less attention to the audio quality over this period of use. About a week ago, I decided to enable the Ultrasound sensing feature. Surprising I have not heard any pops. I've been monitoring the mini for about a week. Here are the technical details.

System firmware version: 384934 (this appears different from the last firmware I posted in this thread). I'm in the Public preview program.

[marcolopes]

I too have the new 384934 firmware! But my STEREO PAIR still pops!

I don't know when this was updated... but 8 hours ago it still popped!

Then again, Google Home (device / configuration) has a PROBLEM with STEREO PAIRS, because it keeps identifying the PAIR with the LEFT DEVICE name, and THAT device still has the PREVIOUS firmware!!!

I will reconfigure the pair to see if BOTH devices stay up to date, and report back...

[tsengf]

Yep, disable the pair and confirm if the speaker with the updated firmware still pops. Also note that I'm in the Public preview program. I'm not sure if that also triggered something.

[marcolopes]

Well, the LEFT device was indeed with the previous firmware...

Both devices (left & right) were NOT on the preview program! So... firmware 384934 is NOT "preview"!

Now i have both devices isolated, but the device that was the LEFT channel is NOT updating to the latest version! Even with the "preview program" activated...

[marcolopes]

Well, i have RESET the device that was the LEFT speaker, to no avail... it's reconfigured, and still in the PREVIOUS firmware...

pfffffffffffff...

Another strange thing is... i cannot configure the "OK Google" sensitivity on the 2 devices that were linked to forma a STEREO PAIR! (this happened to me in the past, but only for a few minutes after a RESET and reconfiguration)

My 3rd device has the latest firmware and i can configure the sensitivity!

[tsengf]

Let it do its thing. We have no control over when Google pushes the updates. If you can unpair, test the speaker with the updated firmware to confirm pops.

[marcolopes]

But this is a serious BUG... why was the update only applied to one device? A STEREO pair should have both devices updated!

Anyway, resetting a device should UPDATE it to the latest firmware... (i remember when i first configured the device, that there was a message on Google Home saying the device was being updated). This was not the case with the device i just reset...

[tsengf]

They push software "over the air" in waves to reduce risk.

[marcolopes]

Even if you reset the device??? That's nonsense... If you reset the device, it should update it to the latest version...

I opened a new thread here: https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Speakers-and-Displays/Google-Nest-Mini-firmware-384934/m-p/57...

[tsengf]

I do not know what the update policy is. It's conceivable there may also be multiple firmware components on the mini's. Maybe not all of the components are affected by a reset.

[knowing_fm]

I am also in the public preview program, and I have found ultrasound sensing to be the issue. This happened to me a couple of years ago, and popping hasn't returned after turning off ultrasound sensing since then. Just FYI

[tsengf]

Please note what I wrote:

"I've also been running with the Ultrasound sensing feature disabled. This makes the pops less prounounced, but they are still present."

[Chromolume]

just keep listening because it won't be fixed. You will eventually hear them again. I thought when I did something similar the pops disappeared but they're just really inconsistent/unpredictable, so chances are you're just not noticing them.

[tsengf]

I have the mini streaming music two feet from me. Have been monitoring for a week. Will report back if the pops come back.

FYI, I had previously filed a ticket to Google support and provided a video of the popping.

[marcolopes]

UPDATE to say that firmware 384934 does NOT solve this issue!

Still pops... a LOT!

[tsengf]

Huh, sorry to hear that. I'm not sure what else is different for me. Just listened to an internet stream for an hour and a half and have not heard the pops.

[tsengf]

I stand corrected. I was listening to internet radio for 2 hours today. Finally heard one pop.

I also tried Spotify (not my usual source of streaming) and hear a pop once every 3-4 songs.

As a comparison, the frequency of pops for me 2-3 months ago were significantly higher (one pop every 5 minutes). Something has changed.

[marcolopes]

Thanks!

We both are on the same page here!

I listen to Spotify on my Google Nest Minis most of the day (and when going to sleep, etc, so, LOW volume, and usual MANY random HIGH volume POPS)

In the last 2 days i heard LOW volume pops and not so constant as before... YET... the problem remains...

I would like (read I WANT) Google to come PUBLIC with an official explanation on WHAT was done, HOW they are trying to fix the problem, and what is the ORIGIN of the problem, so we can all rest assure that is FIXABLE and it's not due to a HARDWARE BUG!

[Andres76]

It's 2024, and we keep on "popping" with Google.
Any "real" update on this???

[dorescu]

They are nearly... smart. They, Google. :)) I think, after years of experience with google products, they are far far far away to be nearly of something good. They lack to everything. They have the most poor support on the planet, probably they hire the weakest people on the planet. My new GNM 2gen and my google tv keep disconnecting, and disconnecting and disconnecting and so on, on bluetooth. I know is cheap. Only 50 bucks, but they don`t do what they have to do. To not disconect, and no freaking pooping sound, or popping (i don`t know). But se service is lame after all. Thats google. They cannot do nothing. Aaa, I think they try with Google Chrome? To bad for chat gpt. :))

[marcolopes]

 This is getting better and better!

Google updated the firmware on the RIGHT channel device of my Nest Mini stereo pair, and NOT the LEFT channel! https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Speakers-and-Displays/Google-Nest-Mini-firmware-384934/m-p/57...

When NOT paired, it seems that the devices with new firmware 384934 (that is NOT listed in the official Google Nest devices Firmware) have less popping issues... but then again, i now have a firmware MIX on my Stereo Pair!

Thanks a lot google!

NOTE: I reached support which helped... NOTHING!