@madebygoogle Is there any known issue/workaround with this: Default speaker SoundTouch 30 connected via bluetooth and when say "Ok google play music" sound is cut and cannot be played at all. Sometimes Really intermittent. @Google pic.twitter.com/7xOUi7dufY
— Daniel Serna (@acidaniel) July 4, 2018
New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….
Original story (published on July 12, 2018) follows:
Another Google smart speaker issue comes to light. Google Home and Home Mini devices are acting up while playing music through speakers connected via Bluetooth (despite them being in suitable range).
Going by reports, music not only stutters when played on Bluetooth speakers through Google Home/Home Mini but gets choppy and even refuses to play in some cases.
One of the complainants also shared a video clip of the issue wherein music just doesn’t play.
The problem with Bluetooth playback appears to be troubling a lot of of users for it’s being reported across different platforms. From Google Home help forum (1,2,3,4,5,6) to Twitter (1,2,3,4,5) those troubled have been reporting different use-cases.
Take a look at what some of the complainants say:
Why does Bluetooth from Google Home Mini to an external speaker suck so bad? Constantly choppy sound, like a lose wire from olden days.
I encountered stutter when broadcasting music from GHM to my BT speaker. It’s like buffering every second. When connecting via BT to the phone or through AUX with any other source, my Marshall Acton plays music without any problems. The problem occurs only when the music is broadcast from the GH Mini.
I paired my Philips 2.1 Bluetooth speakers with #GoogleHomeMini. There’s a lot of crackling noise while playing songs.
The bluetooth connection between my JBL Charge 3 and Google home Mini is horrible and they’re about 40cm apart. It should not be a problem with interference because my phone and iPad have no problems when playing music on the speaker, on normal ranges (currently its bluetooth is off).
The connection is there but it stutters a lot, as if the 2 are to far apart from eachother. I cannot really listen to music and the sound quality of the mini itself is horrible. Rebooting the mini seems to work most of the time but I dont want to do that each time i want to listen to music.
Google is aware
Don’t worry Google is looking into the matter.
Some time back, one of the Top contributors on the compnay’s official help forum shared with the complainants what they got to hear from Google.
I did get a message back from the Google team and I wanted to let you know.
They are aware of all your posts and the experiences you are having with the noise during Bluetooth playback. They are looking in to this and working on it.
And lately, Google also acknowledged the issue while reverting back to some of the users on Twitter, saying
Thanks for the link. We're aware of this issue and actively looking into it. We're looking to get more details — what's the model of your Bluetooth speaker? When did the issue begin? Also, what's the firmware version of your Google Home? https://t.co/yOkOUYdcAp
— Made By Google (@madebygoogle) July 10, 2018
You're welcome, Daniel. We've received reports from other users about this and our team is looking into it.
— Made By Google (@madebygoogle) July 10, 2018
Hi again, just checking back in. Our team is still looking into this — hang tight, we'll keep you posted.
— Made By Google (@madebygoogle) July 10, 2018
Another bug
Not only that, but the company also acknowledged a Home Mini related issue, wherein the complainant said:
@madebygoogle We have two Google Home Minis. When I broadcast from one to the other, it always says there's a "temporary issue" and then translates the recorded message (usually badly) rather than playing it. I rebooted the unit and the router. Still not working. Ideas? Thanks.
— SG (@SGP1971) July 10, 2018
Google reverted back saying:
Our team is aware of this and working on a fix — we'll keep you posted once we have an update.
— Made By Google (@madebygoogle) July 10, 2018
While it’s appeasing that the company is looking into Google Home/Home Mini Bluetooth speakers playback glitch and other issues, there’s no information as to how long will it take to fix these problems. We hope they do it sooner than later.
Update 1 (June 11, 2021)
It’s been a few years since Google officially acknowledged the Bluetooth issues with its smart speakers but it seems that the search giant is yet to come up with a proper fix for it.
In a recent response — via the official Made By Google Twitter handle — to a complaint from a user regarding Bluetooth issues with the Google Home, the company claimed that they’re still working on a fix and there’s no ETA.
While we have no news to share about when Google Home disconnecting from Bluetooth devices will be fixed, rest assured our team is diligently working on a fix. (Source)
PiunikaWeb is a unique initiative that focuses on investigative journalism. This means we do a lot of hard work to come up with news stories that are either ‘exclusive’ or ‘breaking’ in nature. Perhaps that’s the reason our work has been picked by the likes of Forbes, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and more. Do take a tour of our website to get a feel of our work. And if you like what we do, stay connected with us on Twitter (@PiunikaWeb) and other social media channels to receive timely updates on stories we publish.