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Google Assistant limited commands?

  • 29 December 2020
  • 3 replies
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D
Userlevel 1

Looking for feedback on everyone else’s experience with the responsiveness of their Google Assistant on Sonos devices. I got the Sonos One with Google assistant so I can use it with my other Google nest devices, but the GA on the Sonos, is terrible. Home routines can only be started on my actual Google devices and has terrible responsiveness to commands connecting to other devices such as Google chrome, glitchy Spotify commands, will activate YouTube when asking it to resume play on the TV after successfully “pausing” the TV. The GA on the Sonos is really more frustrating than it is useful. I’ve also discovered that you can’t start home routines on the GA Sonos device either. Should have gotten the Sonos without the Google assistant had I known how terrible it would be. 

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Best answer by JamesDan 2 January 2021, 20:05

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3 replies

Rowena B.
Userlevel 5
Badge +16

Hi @Deezza, 

Welcome to the Sonos Community and thanks for reaching out to us with your concern. Let me help you with this

There are many commands that you can use with your Google Assistant. You can play music, ask for the weather, or control smart home devices. You may check out the list of commands in this article Control Sonos with the Google Assistant.

If you're getting no audible response from Google Assistant when issuing a command, let me suggest the following steps for you to check.

  • Check if your Sonos system is up to date.
  • Sign out from your Google accounts on your device controller and browsers.
  • Giving specific commands, like "OK Google, play The Beatles in the kitchen" will direct your Google Assistant to play through the kitchen speaker.
  • If the microphone is enabled, but Google Assistant still does not hear your room name or command correctly, check to see what Google Assistant heard: myactivity.google.com and check the corresponding activity if you will see an “unknown voice command” in the activity.
  • Try removing Google Assistant from Sonos and setting it up again. This will re-establish the connection with Google Assistant servers.
  • Hardwire one of your speakers to your router and check if Google Assistant will work.

Let us know how it works for you. You may also check out this article to get help with Google Assistant's daily routines.

If you have any other questions or run into any issues, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Help others find useful content by clicking the like button and selecting the best answer to your question.
JamesDan
Userlevel 4
Badge +6

I totally agree. Google Assistant on Sonos sucks, but Sonos don’t want to acknowledge it.

Complaints have been going on since its release and even though certain features were added such as Voice Match and the option to set a Sonos device as the default speaker, basic GA features on Sonos devices still don’t work, including:

• Shuffling music using voice commands

• Separate volumes for alarms and timers set using your voice

• Unresponsiveness after saying “Ok Google” as you mentioned above

• No “Lower volume when listening” feature, which lowers the volume on other speakers in the same room while giving voice commands

• Only being able to play radio stations on TuneIn which have ads(!) before you get to listen to the actual radio station when using voice commands instead of using dedicated services (BBC Sounds, Global Player in the UK) like speakers with a fully fledged GA

• No Apple Music support, as Sonos presumably haven’t updated their API for Google Assistant yet

 

A $20 Google Home Mini sounds like utter crap compared to a $200 Sonos One but just works compared to the more expensive speaker, which is utterly ridiculous.

D
Userlevel 1

Totally agree, the response from Sonos on this thread completely disregards the lack of GA functions and simply just stated to reinstall and update the software. Definitely not impressed. I am happy with the speaker sound itself, but also glad I still have the 20 dollar Google Nest mini for the rest of the functions. I’m appreciating that little thing even more now! 

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