TL;DR
- Google Home and Nest users are reporting a significant decline in reliability, with devices frequently misunderstanding commands or failing to respond at all.
- Core features like controlling lights, routines, and speaker groups seem to be breaking down.
- While the exact cause of the downgraded experience is unclear, users suspect upcoming Gemini updates are to blame.
Update: July 23, 2025 (9:58 PM ET): The Chief Product Officer for Google Home and Nest, Anish Kattukaran, has acknowledged the issues users have been facing on Google Home. In a post on X, the executive apologized for the ongoing problems and said that the team is working on a long-term solution.
“I want to acknowledge the recent feedback about Google Assistant reliability on our home devices. I sincerely apologize for what you’re experiencing and feeling,” said Kattukaran.
“We hear you loud and clear and are committed to getting this right and making sure we have a long-term solution that provides better reliability and capability. We have been actively working on major improvements for some time and will have more to share in the fall,” he added.
Original article: July 22, 2025 (2:04 AM ET): Google’s smart speakers and hubs appear to be steadily declining in performance. A recent Reddit thread has highlighted just how these devices, especially older Nest hubs and speakers, have become more unreliable over the years, and it’s not the first time users have voiced these concerns.
“Now, I can barely get it to understand any command, or do anything that I could before. Nothing works, and all I get is – Sorry, something went wrong, try again later,” wrote a frustrated user.
Users are reporting problems ranging from misheard commands and delayed responses to devices performing the wrong actions or entirely ignoring instructions. Everyday tasks like turning lights on or off, playing music in specific rooms, or running morning routines simply don’t work like they used to.
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What’s concerning is that these aren’t just a few isolated complaints. It seems to be a pattern affecting users who have invested heavily in Google’s smart home hardware. Features that once worked without a hitch, like controlling speakers in multiple rooms or triggering routines based on voice recognition, have become erratic or completely non-functional for many.
One user described how they can no longer play white noise in their child’s room. Instead, the sound plays in whatever room they happen to be standing in. Another user shared a strange issue where asking for the weather gives different results depending on who is speaking in their home.
“I ask for the weather, and it responds correctly every time. My wife asks for the weather, and it literally picks wherever it wants. Yesterday it was Eddyville, Kentucky. Today it picked Shawnee, Oklahoma. We don’t even live in that state,” reported another user.
Some users have also reported bizarre malfunctions. One person said that whenever they ask their Google device to turn off a fan, it turns off all the lights instead. Another user described how a simple request to turn off bedroom lights leads to shutting off every light in and around their home.
While the exact cause of these issues is unclear, the common theme is that Google’s smart home devices, especially older models, seem to be getting worse over time. Some users suspect that updates related to Google’s upcoming Gemini integration are to blame. Others think it could be a deliberate move to phase out older hardware in favor of new devices.
Whatever the reason, one thing is clear. Many Google Home users are no longer getting the smart experience they signed up for, and they are not happy about it.
