Google Home speakers have a big problem – and it’s finally getting sorted
Google needs to get the basics right
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Googlehas finally acknowledged an issue with itssmart speakersthat has apparently been plaguing some customers for over a year – and a fix could be on the way soon.
Some users have found that theirGoogle Homespeakers are incapable of maintaining a Bluetooth connection without dropping out – hardly ideal if you’re using your speaker to listen to music from yoursmartphone.
Affected users say that, when they connect to their Google Home speaker via Bluetooth, the speaker disconnects after only a few minutes of playing music; for some, this takes two to three minutes to occur, while others have been able to listen to music uninterrupted for a long as 15 minutes before a dropout forces them to reconnect to their speaker.
It’s not clear whether the issue affects all Google speakers, including the newerGoogle Nest Hub MaxandGoogle Nest Mini.
Too little, too late?
Despite users reporting the problem for over a year, Google has only just admitted to its Home speakers having a Bluetooth issue at all.
A community Specialist on theGoogle Nest Help forums said that “the team is aware of the issue and working on finding a solution” on February 20 – but so far, there’s been no update for those affected.
We reached out for comment from Google, and while their spokesperson couldn’t offer a fix at this stage, they said that the team is “working on this around the clock to get it fixed as quickly as possible.”
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Most Google Home users don’t use their speakers and smart displays as Bluetooth speakers, instead askingGoogle Assistantto play songs directly, or sending tracks to the speaker from streaming platforms likeSpotifyandTidalusing Chromecast.
That doesn’t mean that this issue shouldn’t be taken seriously, however, as offering decent Bluetooth connectivity seems like a small ask from a company as prolific as Google.
After all, Google Home and newer Google Nest speakers don’t exactly come cheap, and if the company wants to stave off competition fromAmazon Echospeakers, it needs to get the basics right – even if Google Assistant, which comes built-into Google Home speakers, is arguably the smartest voice assistant on the planet.
After all, far cheaper speakers are able to maintain stable Bluetooth connections. Whether Google was banking on its customers only using Chromecast or Google Assistant to play music is unclear – what’s certain, is that the brand has some work to do if it wants its products to remain amongst thebest smart speakersin the world.
ViaAndroid Police
Olivia was previously TechRadar’s Senior Editor - Home Entertainment, covering everything from headphones to TVs. Based in London, she’s a popular music graduate who worked in the music industry before finding her calling in journalism. She’s previously been interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live on the subject of multi-room audio, chaired panel discussions on diversity in music festival lineups, and her bylines include T3, Stereoboard, What to Watch, Top Ten Reviews, Creative Bloq, and Croco Magazine. Olivia now has a career in PR.
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