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?

[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!

[Petitmarie]

This has just started happening for me in the last week. Popping sounds whenever I'm listening to anything at all. Most annoying when playing sleep sounds during the night. I just moved house, it didn't do it before that. Very strange! 

[marcolopes]

Do you have a different router?

Or do you have a different wifi network architecture, like wifi extenders, that you didn't before?

Or both? 

[Albertoalb]

Hello,

Did someone find any solution yet? I had this problem for almost one year, but I stopped use the Google nest mini speakers. Now I turned on with YouTube Music and the popping noise is still here.

Thank you,

Alberto

[pluri]

No solution, they are doing nothing to solve the issue.

Hopefully you did not paid a subscription to listen to music affected by random popping noises ...

[Annsopel]

I also get the pop, noticed it while streaming music from Spotify or TuneIn radio. 

[MTeliska]

Here you go this way it'll never be fixed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgbDQQQP6C0

[Behthr]

11Jan2024: Not only issue is still present, there is a new problem that has lately been introduced to nest mini and nest speakers. GREAT!

Recently nest mini and nest speakers they both during music casting drop connection for few seconds and even sometimes stop playing the music all together.

Shame on you with your services to costumers.

[tsengf]

Interesting that you mention this. Last week when I posted, I was trying to perform extensive listening and noticed that my audio stream also had a few second gaps of silence. This occurred 3 or 4 times during a 2 hour session. I thought it was  an issue with my internet service. I have to be honest that since the occurance last week, I have not encountered the situation again.

[tsengf]

It doesn't help that Google just laid off workers that include those from the Nest division.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/11/24034124/google-layoffs-engineering-assistant-hardware

[marcolopes]

Another hit in the ecosystem...

[Cjwho]

Mine nest mini started doing this today which is quite annoying when you try to get your kid to sleep. Ultrasonic is disabled. It still cracks

[marcolopes]

Didn't noticed it before? What's the firmware of the affected devices? 

[IronNox]

I have the same issue on my Google Home Nest Mini. I also have the older 1st Gen Google Home Mini which does not have this issue. Seems it only effects later models. 

[marcolopes]

Yes... Generation 1 devices are not affected.

[IronNox]

I  have the same issue on my Google Home Nest Mini. I also have the older 1st Gen Google Home Mini which does not have this issue. Seems it only effects later models

[ldecarufel]

Just bought a new Nest Audio speaker and I'm also getting crackling and popping when streaming from Spotify.

Here's a recording I did, we can clearly hear the problem: Nest Audio Crakling.m4a

I wonder if we all got defective units... the reviews are all good and don't mention this issue at all.

[marcolopes]

The Nest Audio is also affected as far as I know. 

Yours is more of a crackling than a popping...

You can search the posts for links that I provided with the Nest Mini popping sound.

[Originaltroi]

I handed it over to my legal insurrance. Google support won't butch and tells me my nest is out of waranty. In the Netherlands, apart from the producers waranty, we have a waranty by law, were is defined that as a consumer you would expect a product to work for a certain time. With this product (no moving parts) the life expectancy is 5 years. 

[marcolopes]

In Europe we have 3 years, so, I don't depend on what warranty google says it has...

In the meantime, I will wait a bit more for a fix, it not, I have plenty of time to return my Nest Minis...

[pluri]

Maybe I'm wrong but isn't the EU warranty period of 2 years ?

[Originaltroi]

By Dutch law there is no time period defined. This will be judged per case and product. On a product with moving parts you might expect more "wear down" than with a Google nest. The only "moving parts" are the volume buttons. So if used according to the producers guidelines, it's quit impossible to break it yourself (apart from dropping or overcharging with a wrong power supply off course :-)). So my customers live expectation is more then 5 years and then it's up to the producer to proof otherwise. 

[marcolopes]

By european law, it cannot be less than 3.

[marcolopes]

No! Updated to 3 Years on 2022! (among other legal improvements to protect the consumer even further)

Some brands, like LIDL, already gave 3 years since i can remember, on every product they sell... so, sooner or later the EU had to catch up to this. 2 years was far too low given that many products used to fail just over the 2 years period...

[pluri]

I searched a bit around but is seems that only in certain counties (Spain, Portugal, Sweden) the duration is of 3 years, the general rules seems still to be 2 years only: https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees-returns/index_en.htm ... or at least the website is not updated.

Do you have a different link ?

[marcolopes]

Yes!!! You are totally right!

I was not aware of it! And I thought I was well informed about EU customer warranty! 

In my country we opted to give 3 years. Most countries sticked with 2 years, and there is even a case where the time is based on lifetime expectancy of the product (even though, minimum will always be 2 years, AFAIK)

So, yes, you're right.

NOTE that the warranty time is just one of the items, the right to ask for a refund instead of a repair, is also important. In that way the manufacturer cannot fool the customers with "dummy" or unsuccessful repairs (and the customer can lose faith in the product itself)

[Dap99]

Any solution?

[Sav961]

Throw it.

[Lauras89]

Buy a different smart speaker. 

Google don't seem to give a crap about fixing theirs so I gave up! 

[evgeniy-b]

Looking for any tips on how to fix this. I hear random crackling on all my recently bought Nest Audio devices. Sometimes it happens when I switch Spotify tracks. Sometimes it happens out of nowhere. At least it doesn't happen when there is no music playing.

[IronNox]

Only solution is to take back for a refund. This is a known issue on all these devices and Google hasn't released a fix yet. 

[evgeniy-b]

It is not a solution.

TBH, even with this defect, I'd like to stay with Google Assistant because I'm fed up with Alexa's stupidity

[IronNox]

There is no solution. There is no timescale from Google on a fix. There had been no updates from Google. This issue has been on going for a few years. 

[Metoo132323]

There will not be a solution and even if there is a small chance there will, it won't be in this thread. The OP marked their question as "Answered".

Time to move-on or let the kiddies whine in this thread instead of starting their own. 

[Metoo132323]

Of course it is a solution. How could it not be?  These Assistants are now almost obsolete until the AI comes to be the norm. Actually, I prefer Alexa. 

Anyway, Google loves those who share your mindset. Everyone should return their Mini's for a refund. This way, there will be a lot of them in Google's inventory. It's not good for the environment so that will help lean on Google if the masses (and media) start caring. 

[tsengf]

Not clear what the path forward with AI is. It is plausible that the assistant devices continue to do no processing locally and act as a gateway to relay information to and from the Cloud where inference is taking place.