What Is Wrong With My Google Home Right Now? Your Smart Home Questions Answered
Oh boy there are a lot of people struggling with their Google Home devices right now. I'm here to tell you what is wrong, why it's happening, and when I think this is all going to get better.
#GoogleHome is a relatively reliable product in that its #GoogleAssistant has been very good at answering all of our questions, handling our commands, and bringing us some of the best options in home automation. The fact is, despite some of its drawbacks and some of its missing features, this is still one of the best smart home products on the planet. Maybe even the best.
However, if you've been following Automate Your Life for a while, then you know we don't mince words. We aren't going to tell you something is going well if it isn't, and right now the Google Home and Google Assistant aren't doing well.
Nothing has changed in my home and the homes of many of my subscribers. What has changed is the reliability of the Google Home products in our homes. Suddenly we have disconnections, devices waking without wake words, the loss of smart home device control, language mistakes and issues, and seemingly easy questions to answer have become harder for the Google Assistant. It all adds up to a big issue for Google right now, and there is some admission out there if you look hard enough.
I'm pointing at two things: the latest cast firmware version (many of us in the beta program are feeling this the worst), and all of the new features that are going out. What new features?
Ever heard of #GoogleDuplex? Yep, that old chestnut is rearing its head again, and this time I'm telling you it's because it has actually been deployed. We're feeling the brunt of the deployment right now. The integration of Duplex into the Assistant is causing a lot of issues.
Now it's not just Duplex (but I think the lion share is Duplex). It's also the fact that there's a new lists feature, auto-translation, punctuation, the new apps, and a multitude of international (outside of North America) feature rollout. I also think Google is working hard on fixing routines.
Admissions on community boards are out there if you know where to look. Reddit is full of frustration. My own channel is filled with comments of issues right now.
All this said, I'm going to tell you to relax. I'm going to tell you to sit back and deal with a few factory resets. The reason is simple: you're about to get more capability from your Google Home than ever before. You're about to get an unprecedented amount of capability. In months.
If you need any recommendations for home automation products, here's my Amazon Influencer Shop. It's a curated list of high-quality smart home products (and it's an affiliate link)
Thanks for watching, and please subscribe below!
Brian
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