Lil Katz / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google has acknowledged a bug affecting voice commands for smart lights.
- The company says it is aware of the issue and will share an update soon.
- Many users say they can still control lights via the Google Home app, but not through Assistant voice commands.
Google has confirmed it’s investigating a bug preventing users from controlling their smart lights through Google Assistant voice commands. We first reported on the issue over the weekend, as user complaints have continued to pile up on Reddit and Google’s support forums in recent days. Android Authority’s Rita El Khoury also experienced the problem firsthand, noting that her Nest Audio speaker stopped responding to voice commands to turn off the lights.
In a comment posted on Reddit, the official Google Nest account addressed the problem on Saturday, July 26, saying:
We’re aware of an issue with using voice commands to control some lights. We’ll share an update as soon as possible, thanks for your patience.
It’s been two days since that response, and Google hasn’t provided a timeline for a fix. Affected users report various problems, including Google not recognizing light groups, turning off the wrong lights, or responding silently when given commands like “Hey Google, turn off the lights.”
Most users say the lights can still be controlled via the Google Home app, suggesting that the issue lies specifically with Assistant voice functionality. Some users have found workarounds, such as syncing devices again or removing and re-adding their lighting services, but results vary.
“I had this problem too. I saw someone else post a fix earlier today (Google must have done something that messed things up). You just need to reconnect the service you use for your lights. Go to Google Home app, click the + button to add a new device. Go to the works with Google section and reconnect any of the services you use for the lights. That should work… Maybe,” a user noted on Reddit. However, this may not be an easy fix for those who have multiple lights connected throughout their home.
The bug comes at a difficult time for Google’s smart home ecosystem, which has been under increased scrutiny from users citing reliability issues. Google has also promised major improvements to the platform in the fall. Until then, users will have to wait for an official fix for this particular problem related to voice commands for connected lights or rely on manual controls as a workaround.
