Google Assistant responding "I didn't understand" after every command

  • 24 May 2023
  • 7 replies
  • 473 views

Userlevel 5
Badge +8

Today Google Assistant on my Sonos speakers started adding “Sorry, I didn’t understand” in response to many commands, even though the GA activity log shows that it heard the command correctly and in many cases did actually execute it correctly. The same commands continue to work fine on every other Google Home and Google Assistant speaker - only commands via Sonos produce this problem.

Sonos, this dispute with Google is getting pretty tiresome. I hear you’ve been making podcast comments about not wanting to invest in updates for Google Assistant. Funny how every other old non-Sonos speaker with Google Assistant doesn’t seem to be having the same problems. Isn’t it about time you just came out and admitted that you’re going to drop support for Google Assistant because you got into a legal spat? Don’t worry about upsetting your customers, we’re already angry.


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7 replies

More details:

The issue is that when a Google Assistant routine includes the action “make an announcement on the device that started the routine”, it now produces the response “Sorry, I didn’t understand”, only if the device that started the routine is a Sonos speaker running Google Assistant. Other non-Sonos devices are not affected.

If the action is changed to make the announcement on the Sonos speaker specifically, or on “all devices in the home”, the announcement is made correctly without the error message.

All my options are greyed out and it says:

“When a routine starts with a voice command or alarm dismissal, you will hear audio from the device used to start the routine”

Userlevel 3
Badge +5

I have the same problem, on both my installed languages (Danish and English). I have 5 Sonos One Gen2.

Regarding your problem, I have tried the following:

Creating my routines from scratch. No change.

Removing Google Assistant and reinstalling it. No change.

Factory resetting all my Sonos speakers, and setting up my Sonos system from scratch. No change.

It works flawlessly on a Google Nest Audio I borrowed.

So I have no solution for this problem, but I share your problem for what it’s worth.

 

A few weeks ago, I couldn’t start music (the Google Server outage for about 2½ weeks). Sonos speakers said it was playing playlist “Whatever”, but no music would play.

Now I have the above problem, and another one that just popped up yesterday:

All my Sonos speakers are now answering me, when I ask something or give a command, not just the one closest to me.

If I ask “Hey Google, what time is it?” between 1-3 speakers (the ones closest to me) all speak the time. Normally only the closest one would react. I can’t enter a room and say “turn on the lights”, as it’ll turn on lights in every other room with a Sonos that can hear me. I have to say the room name now.

It’s also begun to misinterpret my spoken commands, forcing me to repeat myself 2-3 times.

Another problem that popped up recently is that I can’t just say “Stop” or “Stop Music” now to stop music from playing. If I do so, it’ll tell me that “Nothing is playing right now”. If I say “Stop all music”, it’ll stop.

I’ve had it with Sonos. Just sold my 5 speakers to a friend (who’ll only use it for music via the app), and bought myself 5 Google Nest Audio. I need voice control for my Hue lights and a few other smart devices.

As you wrote, I feel that Sonos and Google are drifting apart. My bet is that soon Sonos will drop Google Assistant and force people to migrate to Sonos Voice, which won’t fulfill half my needs.

I love my Sonos when they work(ed), but this is unacceptable. If I pay premium price for a premium product, I expect premium service and support. Glitches and outages are fine, but I’ve begun to think to myself “what’s gonna break next?”, and that’s not something I’m wiling to bother with.

It was a good run, and I really feel sad about dropping Sonos, but their support is abysmal. I’m not talking about customer support (have had no experience with that), but product support. Too many things break too often, and to me Google Assistant support seems more like an afterthougth than a feature. And it is continously degrading into something that’ll end up being useless to my personal needs.

 

 

 

 


 



Google Assistant on my Roam is having similar behavior, it replies with “Sorry, I didn’t understand” in stead of playing the news in my Good Morning routine, and removing/ re adding the service didn’t make any difference.  quite frustrating and infuriating. Did you sort it out somehow?   

 

Userlevel 3
Badge +5

I have the same problem, on both my installed languages (Danish and English). I have 5 Sonos One Gen2.

Regarding your problem, I have tried the following:

Creating my routines from scratch. No change.

Removing Google Assistant and reinstalling it. No change.

Factory resetting all my Sonos speakers, and setting up my Sonos system from scratch. No change.

It works flawlessly on a Google Nest Audio I borrowed.

So I have no solution for this problem, but I share your problem for what it’s worth.

 

A few weeks ago, I couldn’t start music (the Google Server outage for about 2½ weeks). Sonos speakers said it was playing playlist “Whatever”, but no music would play.

Now I have the above problem, and another one that just popped up yesterday:

All my Sonos speakers are now answering me, when I ask something or give a command, not just the one closest to me.

If I ask “Hey Google, what time is it?” between 1-3 speakers (the ones closest to me) all speak the time. Normally only the closest one would react. I can’t enter a room and say “turn on the lights”, as it’ll turn on lights in every other room with a Sonos that can hear me. I have to say the room name now.

It’s also begun to misinterpret my spoken commands, forcing me to repeat myself 2-3 times.

Another problem that popped up recently is that I can’t just say “Stop” or “Stop Music” now to stop music from playing. If I do so, it’ll tell me that “Nothing is playing right now”. If I say “Stop all music”, it’ll stop.

I’ve had it with Sonos. Just sold my 5 speakers to a friend (who’ll only use it for music via the app), and bought myself 5 Google Nest Audio. I need voice control for my Hue lights and a few other smart devices.

As you wrote, I feel that Sonos and Google are drifting apart. My bet is that soon Sonos will drop Google Assistant and force people to migrate to Sonos Voice, which won’t fulfill half my needs.

I love my Sonos when they work(ed), but this is unacceptable. If I pay premium price for a premium product, I expect premium service and support. Glitches and outages are fine, but I’ve begun to think to myself “what’s gonna break next?”, and that’s not something I’m wiling to bother with.

It was a good run, and I really feel sad about dropping Sonos, but their support is abysmal. I’m not talking about customer support (have had no experience with that), but product support. Too many things break too often, and to me Google Assistant support seems more like an afterthougth than a feature. And it is continously degrading into something that’ll end up being useless to my personal needs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have the same problem, on both my installed languages (Danish and English). I have 5 Sonos One Gen2.

Regarding your problem, I have tried the following:

Creating my routines from scratch. No change.

Removing Google Assistant and reinstalling it. No change.

Factory resetting all my Sonos speakers, and setting up my Sonos system from scratch. No change.

It works flawlessly on a Google Nest Audio I borrowed.

So I have no solution for this problem, but I share your problem for what it’s worth.

 

A few weeks ago, I couldn’t start music (the Google Server outage for about 2½ weeks). Sonos speakers said it was playing playlist “Whatever”, but no music would play.

Now I have the above problem, and another one that just popped up yesterday:

All my Sonos speakers are now answering me, when I ask something or give a command, not just the one closest to me.

If I ask “Hey Google, what time is it?” between 1-3 speakers (the ones closest to me) all speak the time. Normally only the closest one would react. I can’t enter a room and say “turn on the lights”, as it’ll turn on lights in every other room with a Sonos that can hear me. I have to say the room name now.

It’s also begun to misinterpret my spoken commands, forcing me to repeat myself 2-3 times.

Another problem that popped up recently is that I can’t just say “Stop” or “Stop Music” now to stop music from playing. If I do so, it’ll tell me that “Nothing is playing right now”. If I say “Stop all music”, it’ll stop.

I’ve had it with Sonos. Just sold my 5 speakers to a friend (who’ll only use it for music via the app), and bought myself 5 Google Nest Audio. I need voice control for my Hue lights and a few other smart devices.

As you wrote, I feel that Sonos and Google are drifting apart. My bet is that soon Sonos will drop Google Assistant and force people to migrate to Sonos Voice, which won’t fulfill half my needs.

I love my Sonos when they work(ed), but this is unacceptable. If I pay premium price for a premium product, I expect premium service and support. Glitches and outages are fine, but I’ve begun to think to myself “what’s gonna break next?”, and that’s not something I’m wiling to bother with.

It was a good run, and I really feel sad about dropping Sonos, but their support is abysmal. I’m not talking about customer support (have had no experience with that), but product support. Too many things break too often, and to me Google Assistant support seems more like an afterthougth than a feature. And it is continously degrading into something that’ll end up being useless to my personal needs.

 

 

 

 

 

Amen 🙏🙌

gracias por su aporte

tengo ganas de comprar un era 300 pero no tare el asistente google . esto no lo van a tener en un futuro

I have the same problem, on both my installed languages (Danish and English). I have 5 Sonos One Gen2.

Regarding your problem, I have tried the following:

Creating my routines from scratch. No change.

Removing Google Assistant and reinstalling it. No change.

Factory resetting all my Sonos speakers, and setting up my Sonos system from scratch. No change.

It works flawlessly on a Google Nest Audio I borrowed.

So I have no solution for this problem, but I share your problem for what it’s worth.

 

A few weeks ago, I couldn’t start music (the Google Server outage for about 2½ weeks). Sonos speakers said it was playing playlist “Whatever”, but no music would play.

Now I have the above problem, and another one that just popped up yesterday:

All my Sonos speakers are now answering me, when I ask something or give a command, not just the one closest to me.

If I ask “Hey Google, what time is it?” between 1-3 speakers (the ones closest to me) all speak the time. Normally only the closest one would react. I can’t enter a room and say “turn on the lights”, as it’ll turn on lights in every other room with a Sonos that can hear me. I have to say the room name now.

It’s also begun to misinterpret my spoken commands, forcing me to repeat myself 2-3 times.

Another problem that popped up recently is that I can’t just say “Stop” or “Stop Music” now to stop music from playing. If I do so, it’ll tell me that “Nothing is playing right now”. If I say “Stop all music”, it’ll stop.

I’ve had it with Sonos. Just sold my 5 speakers to a friend (who’ll only use it for music via the app), and bought myself 5 Google Nest Audio. I need voice control for my Hue lights and a few other smart devices.

As you wrote, I feel that Sonos and Google are drifting apart. My bet is that soon Sonos will drop Google Assistant and force people to migrate to Sonos Voice, which won’t fulfill half my needs.

I love my Sonos when they work(ed), but this is unacceptable. If I pay premium price for a premium product, I expect premium service and support. Glitches and outages are fine, but I’ve begun to think to myself “what’s gonna break next?”, and that’s not something I’m wiling to bother with.

It was a good run, and I really feel sad about dropping Sonos, but their support is abysmal. I’m not talking about customer support (have had no experience with that), but product support. Too many things break too often, and to me Google Assistant support seems more like an afterthougth than a feature. And it is continously degrading into something that’ll end up being useless to my personal needs.

 

 

 

 

 

Userlevel 5
Badge +8

More details:

The issue is that when a Google Assistant routine includes the action “make an announcement on the device that started the routine”, it now produces the response “Sorry, I didn’t understand”, only if the device that started the routine is a Sonos speaker running Google Assistant. Other non-Sonos devices are not affected.

If the action is changed to make the announcement on the Sonos speaker specifically, or on “all devices in the home”, the announcement is made correctly without the error message.