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rogerteo
Contributor II
May 15, 2019

Google assistant: I can't do that here but you can ask me to play it on one of your other devices Sonos

  • May 15, 2019
  • 53 replies
  • 35270 views
Hi there just set up google assistant on my sonos 5.1 and two other sonos ones.

Setup was smooth, but after installation, it gives the following reply whenever I ask Hey google to play music/ spotify etc.

My google music services is the same spotify account as my sonos default. same for the sonos device setting.

I can skip track, pause, stop music once I've launched spotify from my phone etc.

Hope someone can help 🙂
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    53 replies

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    dcrobinson
    Contributor I
    July 2, 2019
    I get exactly the same problem, but it usually works if I ask the same question again immediately. It's very frustrating, particular since Google seems much better than Alexa at answering questions.
    paulrw
    Prodigy II
    July 3, 2019
    Google assistant keeps a log of everything you ask it in "my activity"
    In GA press on your photo, then 3dots to RH corner, then my activity.
    You should be able to read what GA thought you said.
    norwayfan
    Lyricist I
    July 3, 2019
    I have the same problem. Every time i ask google to play a song og start a spotify playlist, it tells me that it cannot be done on this device. But if I tell it to «play» google starts playing one of my playlists (seems random which one)

    i have tried with just english as a primary language, with both english and Norwegian. And with only norwegian.

    Any tips?
    dcrobinson
    Contributor I
    July 3, 2019
    It wasn't a problem with understanding the question, I don't think.

    I believe I've fixed it, though it might be a coincidence. When I delved deeply enough with the Google Assistant App on my phone I realised that the rear surrounds (Play:1s) paired with my Beam used to have the same names (before they were designated as surrounds) as two new Play Ones which replaced them in other rooms. However, Google Assistant was showing the two phantom speakers. I went through and manually removed all the speakers/rooms from Google Assistant, unpaired/renamed the Play:1s, and then re-added Google Assistant through the Sonos app, and now everything seems to be OK.
      Ken_Griffiths
      Ken_Griffiths
      July 3, 2019
      It might be worth double checking the language settings in the Google Assistant App “Profile icon (top right)/Assistant Tab/Languages”. See screenshot.

      Also worth checking your Sonos Account profile at https://www.sonos.com/myaccount/profile/ (Note: check country setting, part-way down the profile page) the flag icon on the left side of the page is not relevant.

      Check that the Sonos devices have been detected and are installed in your Google Home App under the Home Tab ...and if using a Sonos One or Beam device voice-assistant, make sure that the Google voice service is installed in the room settings.

      Hope that helps.
      christifferthomp
      Lyricist I
      July 4, 2019
      I had exactly the same problem. It was because when I linked Sonos with Google Home, I had competing room names. My Sonos was originally called Dining Room and when I linked it with Google I already had a room called Dining Room. Try unlinking the two, then deleting / renaming either your Sonos room or your Google room name, then relink them.
        Doug Ames
        Headliner I
        July 4, 2019
        I have never tried to group my Sonos One to Google Home speakers, and I don't have any phantom speakers. The transcript from Google Assistant shows that it hears the exact same thing every time I say it - but sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
        jng234
        Contributor I
        July 5, 2019
        I’m having the exact same issue: got an email from Sonos saying google assistant now available in Australia so I disabled Alexa and installed Google but it won’t recognise any request associated with playing music even though my Spotify is linked as default service and plays fine on my google mini. Have checked all languages are the same so that’s not the fix. Amazing and frustrating that this bug exists ...
        Tapiocapioca
        Lyricist II
        July 9, 2019
        I am quite sure the problem is not connected with the main language or similar issue.
        I had the same problem with Alexa, the problem was Alexa wasn't allowed to use the hardware. To fix it I went to the skill of sonos and I allowed again the skill to control the speaker. Like the android authorization.
        The problem is google assistant have not one procedure to authorize it to use the speaker.
        I don't know what I can do to authorize the assistant to use it.
        I hope someone have one solution, I hate Alexa 😞
        jng234
        Contributor I
        July 13, 2019
        Thanks Tapiocapioca - i will try this too. what do you mean when you say you “went to the skill of Sonos”? Is there an alternative way to interpret/explain what you mean? Any extra detail would be much appreciated. Many thanks
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