Why has playing radio changed?!?

[LeeCotton]

Something has changed when requesting to play radio stations.  I used to be able to say "Play BBC Radio 3", and it would play BBC Radio 3.  Now, it says "I think you want to play radio, is that correct?".  If I say "yes", it then goes ahead and plays it, but why is it now asking for this extra step?

Also, if I say "Play BBC Radio 3 on all speakers" (All speakers is a speaker group), it fails to do this and just plays on the speaker I was communicating with.

I'm not sure why this had changed, but it's pretty annoying.  Please fix this google!

[nelsen7777]

I had the same problem starting about 3 days ago. I thought this was because I was in the Google Home Preview program. I opted out of the program (which took a couple of days). Still not working. I have open Tunein on my phone and cast to my Home device. Horrible. 

[Dan_A]

Hi folks,

This is not the experience we wanted you to have, let us help you. A few things: which Nest speakers are we working with? When did your issue begin? Were there any recent changes made? Have you tried playing other music platforms like YouTube Music or Spotify or even other radio stations? How was it?

It would help a lot if you could do a sequential reboot first: 

1. Unplug the power cord of your router followed by your Nest speakers.
2. Plug them back in after 3 minutes tops.
3. Restarting your phone might also help.
4. Recreate the issue by giving command to play music on the Google Assistant on your phone. Either through the Google Assistant app or the Google Home app depending on the phone you use.

Tell us how it goes.

Best,

Dan

[LeeCotton]

Hello Dan, thanks for replying.  For me, this is happening on all my devices (original Google Home, Google Home Mini, and Nest Mini).  I've tried rebooting them, but it's still happening.  It started about a week ago I think.  Controlling them via my phone (i.e. casting), works fine.  It's just the voice activation that seems to be broken.

Lee

[Dan_A]

Hi LeeCotton,

To isolate further, try playing music using other music platforms like YouTube Music or Spotify. Also, try other radio stations and tell me the response.

Here's how to link music services to your Google Home:

1. Make sure your mobile device or tablet is connected to the same Wi-Fi network or linked to the same account as your speaker or display.
2. Open the Google Home app.
3. At the top right, tap your account.
4. Verify that the Google Account shown is the one linked to your speaker or display. To switch accounts, tap the triangle next to the Google Account, then tap another account or Add another account.
5. Go back to the home screen, and at the top left, tap Add > Music.
6. To choose your default service, tap the music service you'd like to use. Assistant will use this service when you say “Hey Google, play music.”
7. To link functionality:
   1. For YouTube, your account is automatically linked when you link your Google Account to your speaker or display.
   2. For Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, and others, you'll need to link your accounts.
      • To connect your account, tap a music service > Link account > sign in or sign up for the service and follow the in-app steps.
      • To unlink an account, tap Unlink > Unlink account.

Note: For all services, speakers and displays currently support a single account per streaming service.

• Listen to music on your speakers and displays.

Regards,

Dan

[LeeCotton]

OK, it looks like the problem has fixed itself today.  It's playing radio stations without asking me "I think you want to play radio" each time.  It's also playing it on speaker groups as well, so I guess Google fixed the issue.

It would be good if there was a central place where problems like this could be seen!  I'm never sure who to report these things to when Google make their "enhancements".

Lee

[LovelyM]

Hello everyone,

@Dan_A, thanks for the steps.

@LeeCotton, I'm glad to know that playing radio stations on your Google Nest and Home devices is already up and running. We'd appreciate it if you could report issues like this by sharing feedback on your devices or the Google Home app.

@nelsen7777, I want to check if this issue has already been fixed on your end. Let me know so I can further help.

Many thanks,

Lovely

[nelsen7777]

Good reporting. Everything is working fine now.

[LovelyM]

Hey folks, 

I appreciate the update, @nelsen7777. 

We're glad to know this issue is sorted out now. If you have other concerns or questions, let me know; otherwise, I'll be locking this thread after 24 hours. 

Cheers, 
Lovely