Upcoming Speaker Group changes

[GoogleNestTeam]

Hey everyone, 

Due to a recent legal ruling we’re making some changes to how you set up your devices and the Speaker Group functionality will work moving forward. If you’re using the Speaker Group feature to control the volume in the Google Home app, by voice with the Google Assistant, or directly on your Nest Hub display, you’ll notice a few changes: 

• To adjust volume on your speaker groups, you will need to adjust each speaker individually instead of using the group volume controller. You’ll also no longer be able to change your Speaker Group volume using your phone’s physical volume button. 
• Most Speaker Groups should continue functioning as expected unless you have a speaker group containing other brands of Cast-based devices, like JBL or Lenovo, they need to be on 1.52.272222 or higher Cast firmware version. Check out this article on how to find your device’s firmware version or contact your device maker. 
• A small set of users will need to use the ‘Device Utility app’ (DUA) to complete product installation and updates. You may receive a prompt to download and run DUA, and it will ensure that your device is connected to Wi-Fi and receives the most updated software version. 

We will continue to support our users and work to minimize any additional changes.

Thanks, 

Google Nest team

[3r1k]

You SUCK!!! 

Is this the best solution you could come up with. Screw the customers..

You lost in court we bought a product, this should be on you

[JTrainn]

@3r1k 
Lmao listen to this kid cry. "Boo hoo you suck" Righto. When... Did ANYONE ask for your opinion.
And listen to the rest of you cry as well.
"I WAS THINKING OF BUYING A VOLVO POLESTAR BECAUSE IT RUNS ON GOOGLE"... oh no, what car could you POSSIBLY buy now. Oh no. While people die in third world countries, yall sit here and cry because "MY TECH HURR DURR.

Get over yourselves.

[rihanpathan35]

Please sir my account gmail couldn't verify

[tommykat1]

Looks like we're back up-and-running. I can control individual speaker volumes again in the updated app, as of the last day or two. Master volume is controlled by the phone volume control.

It appears Google was able to work around the patent violation issue. We now have % volume level controls instead of sliders. So far, the app seems to work fine.

Casting by mirroring your device is done by entering the Home App and asking the assistant to "Cast my phone."

I am using Android on a Samsung Galaxy phone. iOS and Pixel users, please weigh in.

Thanks, Google, finally, after four months of frustration!

 

[Komodo812]

That's great news @tommykat1!! Thank you for the update!!! 😮‍💨😍

[best74]

@JTrainn Thats kinda crappy comment... I think it's absolutely okay to complain, when you bought a device for a specific purpose, and that purpose gets changed substantially...

This has nothing to do with 3rd world countries or other problems in the world, but the fact, that many have bought deep into an ecosystem, that is really piss poor managed...

And google decided NOT to pay the fees to keep using Sonos patents

[VancityS4]

@tommykat1 , are you able to control speakers with phone volume control for all apps??  Spotify has always worked, but other music/podcast apps were crippled.  I still cannot control a group of speakers from the Home app, nor adjust volume from my phone for anything other than Spotify.

[tommykat1]

@VancityS4, I use the "Cast my phone" feature. I subscribe to Amazon Prime music and it's not available as a choice from the Google Home subscription menu, nor is Amazon Audible. Thus, I've downloaded both the Amazon Music and Amazon Audible apps to my phone.

In the Home app, I ask the Assistant to "Cast my phone," and my speaker groups appear. Then, from my phone's Home Screen, I choose any sound app I wish: Amazon Music, Amazon Audible or Samsung Music. The latter is my collection of MP3s on my phone, and not in the cloud.

Each speaker in a group has an individual volume control (see prior screenshot) and the master volume is controlled by the phone's volume up/down buttons.

Remember  I have a Samsung Galaxy (Android) and the "Cast my phone" feature may not be available on iOS devices.

[tommykat1]

@VancityS4, here are more screen shots.

 

 

[Neuxufbfidjrbru]

Boy I continue to regret buying Google Home products more and more everyday.

[tommykat1]

@Neuxufbfidjrbru, why? With the latest Google Home app update, it appears our issues have been resolved.

[STEPHany]

I just cut my losses and went with Alexa. I got echo dots to aux on to my homemax speakers and a echo flex for my sub it sounds as good as Google Home app that never worked well anyway..Google totally dropped the ball and screwed their customers big time.. I'll be migrating everything else over time away from Google. Google sucks! 

[Ripper365]

@tommykat1 your specific issue may have been fixed, but mine (and many others) has not. I cannot control speaker group volume via the latest Google Home app or via voice commands. Voice commands will only work for the currently-listening speaker, and any attempt to adjust another speaker or a speaker group just results in "sorry, I can't do that". It sucks that Google cares more about their bottom line than loyal customers, but they have shown their hand at this point. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I won't be fooled twice. Google can suck one.

[VTron21]

I can set the volume of a speaker group by voice if I specify the group name in place of a specific speaker.   I.e. "hey Google turn down speaker group volume" instead of hey Google turn down living room speaker volume". While casting to a group from my phone I can set the volume of the group with the phone when the cast window is open.  The cast window does give me the option to set the volume of a specific speaker in the group or the whole group.

The home app how ever still gives me the group details and no volume control ability.  So maybe there is an update to the home app that hasn't rolled out to everyone or it's still in a beta phase. My cast devices are set to get update previews, but my phone is not.

There is an Alexa in an open room at my office. And it's ability to not play a song by a specific artist is uncanny.  Like it's become a joke as we all look at when it plays some random song.  So I wish you all the best of luck leaving Google for that.

[JT61]

Not cool, Google. FUNCTIONALITY is why I opted for Nest items. You need to fix this ASAP.  You're waaaay bigger than Sonos. Buy them or out muscle them.

[Ranee]

The reason why most of this isn't working right is because Google is improving there apps so that hackers will stop using theses products to steal from people I love it

[Questix06]

Worst thing is, Google new **bleep** well that they had a big chance you f loosing but took the time of all those lawsuits to sell us as many as possible. As a result these speakers are worth **** second hand and most of us have too many of them in their ecosystem to switch. And than a very VERY unpersonal message like “Hey guys, we screwed ya over, here is how it works now have a nice day” TERRIBLE I hope some starts a class action lawsuit because I have 10 of these speakers in this space and it litteraly works like **bleep**. Thanks Google. 

[AnsDeblauwe]

I was a very loyal Google customer till the bad handling of the sonos patent infringement debacle.  
My group speakers are not working as before.  Synchronization of sound is off and the sound is cracking multiple times in a song.  

Not possible to adjust volume from all speakers at once.
Horrible experience and the speakers and hubs got absolutely useless as audio devices.  
When wil l there be a real solution?

[iabbity]

How is it possible that this is STILL getting worse? I am so disappointed about how speaker functionality keeps deteriorating. I wish I could go back in time and never have bought into the Google ecosystem.

[SkepticallyQuee]

@GoogleNestTeam, when are you going to make this right? I've spent more money than I care to admit on a house FULL of Home Maxes, paired Nest Audios, and Nest Minis. (This, in addition to the fact I've owned every Nexus and Pixel device brought to market.)

I just tried to set up a new room and discovered the change, and I'm livid. I understand this was a court decision, but you're a g****mn software company. 

Figure. It. Out.

You're just begging for an effing class-action lawsuit.

[mtrudel337]

Ridicoulous

WIll soon sell all my google home device and look for another provider

[tommykat1]

I have a new issue, and wondering if anyone else is aware of it. I use a combination of Chromecast audio dongles and Google Nest speakers. When I set individual volumes, the Nest speakers revert to prior settings overnight, I presume at the usual software update in the wee hours. The Chromecast dongles aren't affected.

For example, a few weeks ago I set all my bathroom and hallway Nest speakers to 45%. No daily issues. Four days ago, I set them all to 60%. On succeeding days, they have reverted back to 45%. Again, the Chromecast dongles are not affected. 

Anybody else have this issue?

[VTron21]

@tommykat1  there is a setting for the speakers that set a max volume after a certain hour.  I believe it is digital wellbeing.  You probably have it enabled and set for 50%.  I can't check where exactly it is in settings because I'm not at home.

[tommykat1]

@VTron21, couldn't find the setting there. Thanks for trying.

[Komodo812]

Hey @tommykat1, try looking for it again. Once you click the gear up top on the right, it's under general and it says, "notifications and digital well-being" 

[tommykat1]

@Komodo812  yes, I've been in there, but there is no "maximum safe volume setting" other than a choice to "automatically turn down when speaking to the assistant." I flipped the switch to "off" and am testing it on one device.

[Komodo812]

Ohh okay @tommykat1! Good luck!

[VTron21]

@tommykat1 you are correct, that was the wrong settings area. You want the night mode setting.  You can set time range that the speaker will only go to the specified volume during that time.  If it's set high than that it will turn out down.

[c0sm0naught]

28.06.2022

The US Customs Service ruled today that Google has violated the importation ban imposed by the International Trade Commission (ITC) by continuing to infringe on Sonos patents.

“US Customs Service confirmed that Google was flouting the importation ban and continuing to import infringing products in violation of that ban. This finding marks yet another example of Google continuing to misuse our intellectual property and acting in wholesale disregard of the law..."

“To avoid further importation exclusions, Google must either further degrade its customer experience, or pursue a fair licensing agreement with Sonos,” a Sonos representative told me.

source: 

https://www.thurrott.com/music-videos/sonos/269432/google-is-violating-the-sonos-itc-import-ban

_______________________________________________

Lets hope that Google doesnt make our problems worse by further degrading their own "smart" speakers

[JohnR]

I researched for months between Google Home (chromecast), Sonos, DTS Play-Fi, Alexa and others. Google was the clear winner with respect to the number of manufacturers supporting chromecast so that I wouldn't get stuck with vendor lock with unsupported hardware/software. Less than a year later... I'm stuck with non-functioning speaker groups because Google lost a patent suit with Sonos? FML. How is this possible? I can say "hey google/alexa/whatever, set the temperature to 74 degrees" and the thermostat (regardless of manufacturer) will change the temperature... but if I say "hey google/alexa/whatever, turn the volume down on all speakers" then I cant because of a patent suit with a specific company that I don't even have in my house? How, is google's home automation not abstracted in such a way to avoid silly problems like this? paying royalties to license the "proprietary software" probably isn't feasible because it would cause the google products that we enjoy to be marked up to a price point that no longer makes them cost-competitive and it really isn't worth it to pay royalties for a technology that is not unique or novel in any way considering today's technology landscape. for example, I don't see whoever made  "The Clapper" (clap-on/clap-off) suing z-wave or zigbee device manufacturers for "stealing" the idea of automating lights via audible commands. it will probably be years before Integra makes a firmware update specifically for chromecast on DRX models  and there is no way to update chromecast independently from integrated manufacturers... guess that means I'm switching to Sonos for all my home audio/video automation!?!

[jbrucks]

I figure it out a workaround that takes 2 minutes and works perfectly every time!

[jbrucks]

 

[jbrucks]

 

[jbrucks]

 

[jbrucks]

So a caveman could do it!

[SwampFox75]

Kinda not the point but whatevs

[jbrucks]

Perhaps I'm confused. I thought this thread was about invoking a command to play music on a group of nest speakers. Originally by voice or on phone you could change the volume of the entire group.

After the patent battle Google removed that feature. Specifically control of a speaker group. The advice of Google was adjust the volume of each speaker independently.

What I suggested was a workaround using the routines feature. You could create individual routines for each granular volume you wanted. For example you could say out loud hot word set speaker group to 10%. So if you created 10 routines each one linked to the volume level that you wanted in increments of 10. You can then control the volume of the speaker group. This works from your phone or from any of the speakers that can hear your hot word then routine command.

I know this was quite wordy but I did not understand how I missed the point. If you could clarify it appreciate it stay frosty!

[jbrucks]

@JohnR  check out my workaround and confirm if it works for you.

[SwampFox75]

@jbrucks goggle has continued to violate patents and found guilty of it quite often. They should provide the work around but instead we have to find the solution.

Say you go to this Deli to get this great sandwich but they now no longer offer it. Now all the other customers tell you the work around is to go across the street to the other Deli to order the sandwich... It's almost the same but they use swiss and not American.

[jbrucks]

@SkepticallyQuee  please try my workaround and let me know if it works for you.

[jbrucks]

@SwampFox75 

I don't know about you, but if I'm hungry enough I don't mind walking across the street to get a similar sandwich.

I'm just trying to be helpful here. I hope that this workaround does work for others. Yes the flavor is slightly different but still it fills you up.

[VTron21]

@JohnR Yes, your work around does work.  But I think may feel that it shouldn't be something that is required.

Really this whole thing makes me not want to ever buy a product with Sonos.  The ability to control more than one speaker at a time should not be something that is patentable.  And I don't see Sonos going after Amazon or Apple for having a similar feature.

As Google speakers stand now you can turn up\down the volume on a group while it is playing.  But setting a specific volume does not work at all.

[mtrudel337]

What amaze me the most (negatively) is that Google having violated  Sonos copyright on how to properly control volume on a speaker group came to the solution to remove ONLY THE VOICE COMMAND controlling it.

Did SONOS invent voice command “Hey Google set volume …. Bla bla “

I don’t think SONOS is in the voice command business.

Since Google App is still able to control the volume, I don’t see how this conforms to the ruling of the copyright violation.!!!

To me, Google STILL violates the SONOS copyright by allowing the app to still control the volume of a speaker group, don’t they ?

Dont take it negatively.
I am on Google side here  since I use their product and now have to live without their reduced service.

It is their solution to remove the voice command that I find stupid

[JohnR]

@jbrucks thx for the work around. hopefully others will find it useful. unfortunately the problem is much more broad. for example, my Integtra DRX receiver controls my entire living room speaker system (fronts, floor standing rears , center and subs). because of this patent issue, my receiver will no longer function in a speaker group at all. it will function on its own within Google home or stream as a standalone system but I can not have music or audio of any kind playing throughout my house like before. the amount that I paid for Google products pales in comparison to my home theater system... so switching to sonos may be the only viable option since this problem is not likely to be resolved any time soon. Google products are very good for their price but nothing is worth constant headaches to achieve basic functionality. 

[CuirBear]

@JohnR I made the decision a couple months ago to abandon Google as a speaker system, and go with Sonos. I tried AirMusic for a while, and it does work, but there was effort in getting it started each morning.

For Sonos, I first bought one bookshelf speaker from IKEA for $149CDN, just to see how it sounded. It was great! Amazing sound, and cheapest Sonos speaker option.

I now have 5 IKEA bookshelf speakers, 2 Sonos Roam, and one Sonos Port (which connects to my receiver and supports my wired speakers in the house).

The Sonos system just works, and works well. No lag. Multiroom grouping options. Very satisfied with the result.

I still have two Nest home devices for Google functionality, and a pair of minis in the Tiki Bar that play music separately from Sonos.

[Isahsmart]

• I like to thank all the google community 

[Komodo812]

**bleep** Google and their **bleep**. I've spent thousands of dollars on ALL of their products and now they're back to their trashy volume control glitch. I can't control speakers from other speakers. It used to work and now it's out again. Assholes. 

[jbrucks]

@Komodo812 

Did you try my work around? I am still able to control group speakers.

[Komodo812]

@jbrucks, yep! It actually used to work for about 3 months and now it stopped working again... 😡 

[Toldyouso]

I thought I was going crazy, everything works, all my routines where I´ve put a lot of time in and one day to another Google show you a big fat middle finger. I've had issues for months. Last week in worked, now literally everything went to **bleep** again. @GoogleNestTeam  Please, please can you fix this ? I mean there must be a work around for routines right ? It's not fair I have 10 Nest Audio´s, 2 Google Mini, and 2 Nest Hubs. Such a big company, with a huge programmers team please please please fix this because it's makes me turn gray. It's terrible!!!!