The infamous speaker group problem

[CraigG58]

I have 3 Google Nest Minis and 1 Google Home Mini all on the same network that function fine individually. For media, I'm using my YouTube Music account as the default in the Home app.

All are assigned to a single speaker group within the app. When I attempt to play music via a voice command to any them, it accepts it and repeats both the music selection and confirms it will be playing on that speaker group name.

After that it immediately says "Sorry, something went wrong…", a problem so many others also seem to be experiencing.

Note that I can tap "Play music" under the group name in the Home app, and all speakers begin playing as expected. However, naturally I need the ability to use voice commands so I can select the music I want to hear.

I've tried re-boots and factory resets of all these devices multiple times, resetting and re-booting my router, and uninstalling/re-installing the Home app along with rebooting my Pixel 5. After jumping through all of these PITA hoops, none of it has had any effect on the issue whatsoever.

At this point I'm coming up empty on web searches as far as other things I can try. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

[CraigG58]

No one else here is experiencing this issue? Reading about it on other sites, it surely seems wide-spread.

[GothamNY]

Hi @CraigG58 not sure if your router is a modem too, but if not try rebooting that. You can also try clearing your Home app's cache and you might wish to try clearing the cache for Google play services if you're using an Android device. If using an iDevice you'll need to follow steps for clearing and removing background data as suggested by the OEM.

Widespread complaints about the issue elsewhere don't necessarily mean it's a device-related problem that's being ignored. Sometimes updates fail, or files during an update don't get replaced as they should, or there are conflicts with other apps on your device etc, etc. I have multiple groups and have had the issue from time to time as well but I usually find it's something on my end that is fixed by reversing steps or looking for conflicts or toggles or whatever.

[CraigG58]

Thanks for the reply! As I mentioned in my OP…

- The device I’m running the Home app on is a Pixel 5, with YouTube Music as the media source. You’d think if any smart phone and music service would be compatible with Home it would be these, since they are both Google products.

- Just tried your suggestion of clearing cache for those two apps and in addition completely uninstalling the Home app, rebooting the phone, then reinstalling. Still no joy.

- I’ve already re-booted my router along with all 3 Nests and the Mini which are in the speaker group multiple times, and also factory resets on all of these devices.

- Note that I can tap "Play music" under the group name in the Home app, and all speakers begin playing as expected. The error only occurs while using voice commands like:
“Hey Google; Play Classic Rock on group All”

Considering the last point above, it surely seems like a bug or maybe some sort of configuration issue that I’m not aware of and therefore haven’t tried.

> I have multiple groups and have had the issue from time to time as well but I usually find it's something on my end that is fixed by reversing steps or looking for conflicts or toggles or whatever.

That’s a pretty general statement. If you’ve personally experienced this problem before, what were the exact steps you took to fix it?

[GothamNY]

Yup, it's a broad statement for a reason: Posters don't generally detail equipment, location, or setups being used, they just report this or that isn't working so one size doesn't necessarily fit all. I did note that you said YTM is your default music app, so it sounds to me the system is having issues with voice commands to YTM via the cloud at the moment. That's a guess, I don't work for Google and none of us here are told those intimate details of their operations.

For me, steps taken are based on knowledge of what I've done. If it's an issue with my network switching on the phone or one of the devices for some reason certain devices migrate to the guest or extender network. I get power outages frequently in a rural area so sudden hiccups confuse the network and 2 speakers work and one doesn't. Sometimes my YouTube Music is out of sync with Home so the cloud can't complete the command. Sometimes the source is having an issue (Tune-in, iHeart Radio) or they've had a server update that's broken something. Sometimes it's preview software for Home and uninstalling the update works. Sometimes it's beta software for some seemingly unrelated app that has broken something or the Android beta. And yup, sometimes the cloud server has a hiccup and it's a wait and see, so I chalk it up to not being a monumental problem but a minor, inconsequential inconvenience, that will eventually work itself out, and it usually does.

If the suggestions haven't worked I'd encourage you to leave feedback in the Home app by clicking your profile pic and choosing the feedback option. You can also say feedback to the speaker and verbally leave feedback if typing is bothersome. What happens when you ask for music not in a group? Does it play or does it also fail?

[CraigG58]

I think I detailed my configuration pretty well along with the steps I’ve taken so far, but certainly do appreciate your suggestions.

To answer your question, when I ask for specific music on the individual Nest devices, everything works just fine.

I’d definitely be willing to sign up for a beta program of Home on Google Play, but there’s none available (at least not at the time of this writing). My current version is 2.44.1.8, which according to GP is the latest.

I also thought about bandwidth, but my internet connection speed is 400 Mbps down (more than fast enough to handle streaming music). That’s less than half the max speed the router will handle (1000 Mbps), and of course my LAN WiFi speed is much faster (1900 Mbps).

If it’s something to do with the YTM servers, it’s been going on for three days now, so that seems unlikely. One thing I just thought of that I didn’t try was switching to another media service, and I’ll report back if that improves anything.

I’ve already left feedback via the Home app detailing the issue before starting this thread, but haven’t heard anything back so I assume they don’t respond to those messages. If switching my media service doesn’t do the trick, seems about the only possibility left is to contact Google directly either via phone or their on-line customer support chat page.

Thanks once again for taking the time!

[GothamNY]

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@CraigG58 wrote:

I think I detailed my configuration pretty well along with the steps I’ve taken so far, but certainly do appreciate your suggestions.

You detailed your setup for using grouped speakers and music service; my meaning of setup is inclusive of device, firmware, app version etc. so as to help identify commonalities with others reporting the problem. Some of that you've just provided.

To answer your question, when I ask for specific music on the individual Nest devices, everything works just fine.

So we've eliminated it being a music problem and speaker problem, so as I mentioned earlier it appears to be a hiccup with the cloud and however the speaker grouping is processed, all under the hood stuff that your feedback report will gather.

I’d definitely be willing to sign up for a beta program of Home on Google Play, but there’s none available (at least not at the time of this writing). My current version is 2.44.1.8, which according to GP is the latest.

Preview options for devices is under each device's settings under "device information."

I also thought about bandwidth, but my internet connection speed is 400 Mbps down (more than fast enough to handle streaming music). That’s less than half the max speed the router will handle (1000 Mbps), and of course my LAN WiFi speed is much faster (1900 Mbps).

I think this is a cloud based issue that Google will untangle. I'd say be patient and all will be well -- as mentioned earlier in the grand scheme of things this is an inconvenience.

If it’s something to do with the YTM servers, it’s been going on for three days now, so that seems unlikely. One thing I just thought of that I didn’t try was switching to another media service, and I’ll report back if that improves anything.

Try Tune-in or iHeart, also try a podcast or news service.

I’ve already left feedback via the Home app detailing the issue before starting this thread, but haven’t heard anything back so I assume they don’t respond to those messages. If switching my media service doesn’t do the trick, seems about the only possibility left is to contact Google directly either via phone or their on-line customer support chat page.

Generally you won't get a response from feedback unless they want information.

Thanks once again for taking the time!

Anytime. I know being told to be patient doesnt solve the problem, but I've seen it before and it always gets sorted out. It's a key feature so Google will get it up and running as quickly as they can -- you know the saying "a watched pot never boils."

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[frances]

Hi All,

First, thank you GothamNY for troubleshooting on this thread! 

Hi CraigG53, thanks for reaching out. We appreciate you taking the time to try a variety of troubleshooting steps and for your helpful responses.

I have made a case for you so that you can receive more help from the support team. This will be sent to the email address associated with your community profile. Your Case ID is: 3-4675000032140.

[frances]

Hi All,

We haven't heard any updates from you. I'll go ahead and lock this thread. If you're still experiencing problems, feel free to contact the support team and refer to Case ID listed above, or start a new thread and we'll be happy to help.