Google Home FAQ

Mantis Toboggan

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

I have a Google Hub since they were released and find it decent although the microphone is pretty poor and getting worse if anything, really have to speak loudly and repeat yourself sometimes which is very annoying.

Anyway I got a Google Mini during the week and microphone seems a lot better but even though it's set up the same as my Google Hub it won't play song requests and advises that YouTube premium is required.

I don't have this issue with the Hub, I don't have a Youtube premium subscription but any request made plays through Youtube Music and it works well. Anyone know why the two devices are behaving differently, had a quick look online but nothing concrete thus far.
Thanks

Sounds like dust blocking the microphone, get a vacuum cleaner to it!

Dr_Colossus

Gulliver wrote: »

I could be wrong, but I read somewhere it's a feature/perk that Google devices with a screen can play requests from YouTube/YouTube Music. Audio-only ones can't.

Thanks, that seems to apply. Serious flaw the mini/home so, would rather pay a higher initial price than have all these monthly subscriptions.

FastFullBack wrote: »

Are you able to select exact songs on the hub?

For me I don't have any music subscriptions but I've somehow tricked my hub into allowing me to select specific songs on Spotify.
When I try it on the mini, I get told I need Spotify premium.

Yes, I have YouTube Music set as the default player and the hub will play specific song requests no problem. When I try the same on the mini it says I need YouTube Premium for song requests and instead plays random tracks from the same singer/band or songs it thinks are related if a singer/band wasn't specified.

wexfordman2

For anyone with google gsuite accounts, you should be aware that you will have extremely limited functionality with Google home devices. Calendar functions are it supported, and within the last 24hrs they have removed the reminder function for those of us with gsuite accounts.

christy c

I have a two Google home minis and a couple of smart plugs set up. The smart plugs were Sonoff cheap ones I got online, and I regularly got errors. For example, the one I have connected to the lamp is called "lights" and would get an error something like "Sorry, there was an error for the lights".

Thought this might have been because the smart plugs we're cheap, but got a TP link smart plug and get the same thing.

Any idea why this might be? Distance to router not an issue as one of them is in the same room.

The high horse brigade

christy c wrote: »

I have a two Google home minis and a couple of smart plugs set up. The smart plugs were Sonoff cheap ones I got online, and I regularly got errors. For example, the one I have connected to the lamp is called "lights" and would get an error something like "Sorry, there was an error for the lights".

Thought this might have been because the smart plugs we're cheap, but got a TP link smart plug and get the same thing.

Any idea why this might be? Distance to router not an issue as one of them is in the same room.

Change the name to sitting room socket or something like that. Having it setup and called simply lights will cause issues and mixups to Google Assistant. I find things work much better with more decisive naming.

ferrigan101

christy c wrote: »

I have a two Google home minis and a couple of smart plugs set up. The smart plugs were Sonoff cheap ones I got online, and I regularly got errors. For example, the one I have connected to the lamp is called "lights" and would get an error something like "Sorry, there was an error for the lights".

Thought this might have been because the smart plugs we're cheap, but got a TP link smart plug and get the same thing.

Any idea why this might be? Distance to router not an issue as one of them is in the same room.

As THHB says, call them "plugs"or something. When you say lights GH will look for smart lighting in the room rather than the smart plugs.

christy c

Thanks guys, I'll give that a go

setanta1984

christy c wrote: »

I have a two Google home minis and a couple of smart plugs set up. The smart plugs were Sonoff cheap ones I got online, and I regularly got errors. For example, the one I have connected to the lamp is called "lights" and would get an error something like "Sorry, there was an error for the lights".

Thought this might have been because the smart plugs we're cheap, but got a TP link smart plug and get the same thing.

Any idea why this might be? Distance to router not an issue as one of them is in the same room.

I am getting this a LOT with my TP Link smart plugs over the last month or so. The main one I use is called "Fan" so I don't think it should be clashing with anything as suggested in the posts above.
Often I'll get "Sorry, there was an error for the fan" but repeating the request immediately works as expected. Sometimes I have to open the TP Link Kasa app to switch the plug on manually and then the voice command seems to work again.

christy c

setanta1984 wrote: »

I am getting this a LOT with my TP Link smart plugs over the last month or so. The main one I use is called "Fan" so I don't think it should be clashing with anything as suggested in the posts above.
Often I'll get "Sorry, there was an error for the fan" but repeating the request immediately works as expected. Sometimes I have to open the TP Link Kasa app to switch the plug on manually and then the voice command seems to work again.

Yes, I'm in the same boat still with the Sonoff and TP link even after renaming.

jogdish

OK G play newstalk radio - weird tone "this station does not stream audio over the internet please contact TuneIn etc etc

Same goes for RTE radio 1, really sick of this.

ilovesmybrick

jogdish wrote: »

OK G play newstalk radio - weird tone "this station does not stream audio over the internet please contact TuneIn etc etc

Same goes for RTE radio 1, really sick of this.

Apparently it's a global issue with Tunein, had the same problem this morning.

jogdish

ilovesmybrick wrote: »

Apparently it's a global issue with Tunein, had the same problem this morning.

Thanks!


Insert rant about taking audio direct from a URL :mad:

digitaldr

EGriff

I'm thinking of getting a Google hub to replace the radio in the kitchen. I have a home and a mini already in different rooms.

What I want to know is can you use the screen on the hub to select music or a radio station without using voice?

namloc1980

EGriff wrote: »

I'm thinking of getting a Google hub to replace the radio in the kitchen. I have a home and a mini already in different rooms.

What I want to know is can you use the screen on the hub to select music or a radio station without using voice?

In short no. Voice control only with some very limited screen control for Google Play Music. For the radio (TuneIn) only voice control will work.

CantGetNoSleep

EGriff wrote: »

I'm thinking of getting a Google hub to replace the radio in the kitchen. I have a home and a mini already in different rooms.

What I want to know is can you use the screen on the hub to select music or a radio station without using voice?

Where is the best place to buy a Home Hub in this day and age?

BrookieD

CantGetNoSleep wrote: »

Where is the best place to buy a Home Hub in this day and age?

Keep an eye on Adverts.ie - pop up there regular enough for 75>100 €

Sheep Shagger

CantGetNoSleep wrote: »

Where is the best place to buy a Home Hub in this day and age?

Down to £89 and they will post via parcel motel if you want to buy brand new.

https://www.johnlewis.com/google-home-hub-hands-free-smart-speaker-with-7-inch-screen/charcoal/p3823748

Dublin.airport Dixons has them too.

McMurphy

Have Google home in the kitchen that's got YouTube music selected as it's default music provider (use to be Spotify)

Works grand for me, but when the wife or any of the kids ask it to play a specific song, it tells them that it can only play specific songs from Spotify.


I should add that we have Google minis in the kids bedrooms, they work fine playing whatever song is requested from them too, ditto the one in the workshop.

Anyone any ideas why the one in the kitchen will only play ball with my voice?

mx5ire

Is anyone else noticing that Google Home "Hey Google" requests are not being heard / recognised the first time that you say it ? I am noticing this on a Home Mini, and on my piece of junk Lenovo smart display. After you repeat the "Hey Google" its seems to be fine.

Steve F

mx5ire wrote: »

Is anyone else noticing that Google Home "Hey Google" requests are not being heard / recognised the first time that you say it ? I am noticing this on a Home Mini, and on my piece of junk Lenovo smart display. After you repeat the "Hey Google" its seems to be fine.

I'm noticing this on my car on Android Auto...not sure if this compares but I just thought I would throw that into the discussion

digitaldr

Ok google seems to work a bit better.

McMurphy

What have they done to "hey Google flip a coin" they seem to have replaced it with some robot sounding junk.

AngelaRI

mx5ire wrote: »

Is anyone else noticing that Google Home "Hey Google" requests are not being heard / recognised the first time that you say it ? I am noticing this on a Home Mini, and on my piece of junk Lenovo smart display. After you repeat the "Hey Google" its seems to be fine.

Yes! It will light up showing that it has recognized the prompt, sometimes even flash the lights like it's processing the command, then nothing. Sometimes I have to ask 2, 3, 4 times to get it to respond: 2 different Minis and my Google Home Hub (on the hub I can see the command appear at the top - sometimes it will show up, stay a few seconds, then disappear, sometimes won't show up at all (I'd blame spotty wifi only my wifi speaker RIGHT NEXT TO IT (and like 30cm further from the hotspot) is playing just fine... Been like this a few weeks, I've been sending constant feedback and calling poor lady Google rude and deaf out of frustration...

jones

I have to say as a big "google guy" i think the home's efficiency has gone backwards lately. Everything seems very half a$$ed and buggy and simple requests now go unanswered.

I know about the dust in the mic issue (which in itself seems like a design flaw) but just in general my home mini's (I've three of them) do not seem as good as when i first bought them a few years ago.

jogdish

jones wrote: »

I have to say as a big "google guy" i think the home's efficiency has gone backwards lately. Everything seems very half a$$ed and buggy and simple requests now go unanswered.

I know about the dust in the mic issue (which in itself seems like a design flaw) but just in general my home mini's (I've three of them) do not seem as good as when i first bought them a few years ago.

+1, also weird random features that don't existin certain regions. My home mini can get a radio alarm yet the Home hub cannot.



Also BBC sounds not being available is a downer for me. Currently my four devices are all gloried radios (albeit excellent quality, minus having to listen to ads and unable to stream directly from rte source)

jones

The region thing is a nightmare - i recently bought an LG C9 (cracking tv) but part of the decision process was that it had goggle assistant on board and my house is basically all google/nest/Philips hue...cue setting the tv up and i realise there is some issue with LG and the assistant so it doesn't work in Ireland yet. I've yet to find out exactly why but some licencing reason that only effects here apparently. Very odd.

postsnthing

jones wrote: »

The region thing is a nightmare - i recently bought an LG C9 (cracking tv) but part of the decision process was that it had goggle assistant on board and my house is basically all google/nest/Philips hue...cue setting the tv up and i realise there is some issue with LG and the assistant so it doesn't work in Ireland yet. I've yet to find out exactly why but some licencing reason that only effects here apparently. Very odd.

Yeah this is crazy change your address to a UK one and it works but that is obviously not practical for your Google account. I think I also got it to work with UK settings on the tv

opus

mx5ire wrote: »

Is anyone else noticing that Google Home "Hey Google" requests are not being heard / recognised the first time that you say it ? I am noticing this on a Home Mini, and on my piece of junk Lenovo smart display. After you repeat the "Hey Google" its seems to be fine.

Yup it's been happening a while, it's funny how I occasionally have to stop myself getting annoyed with it & shouting! Obviously I'm starting to humaise it

jones

postsnthing wrote: »

jones wrote: »

The region thing is a nightmare - i recently bought an LG C9 (cracking tv) but part of the decision process was that it had goggle assistant on board and my house is basically all google/nest/Philips hue...cue setting the tv up and i realise there is some issue with LG and the assistant so it doesn't work in Ireland yet. I've yet to find out exactly why but some licencing reason that only effects here apparently. Very odd.

Yeah this is crazy change your address to a UK one and it works but that is obviously not practical for your Google account. I think I also got it to work with UK settings on the tv

Wow I changed the country but not the content region worked straight away once I changed both to UK Wtf. Thanks for the heads up