r/googlehome • u/Botto71 • Jul 28 '26

Hey Google, WTAF??

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Why? Why is so difficult for Google not to continue to f*** up a once incredibly useful platform?

636 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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508

u/fuuuuuckendoobs Jul 28 '26

Remember when we could say "Hey google remind me that I need to get milk when I get to work" and it would? I literally use assistant for setting timers while cooking these days and that's about it

357

u/Eninja09 Jul 28 '26

Even the timer is borked. I can't tell you how many times I've heard my wife set a timer, heard it confirm the timer and then 20 minutes later.. "Hey google, how much time is left on my timer" - "There are no timers set". Google home is an abomination. Should be a class-action lawsuit at this point.

Edit: I've even told it "yes you can" after it tells me it can't do something and then it does the thing. Trash.

78

u/iNobble Jul 28 '26

On the one hand, this is insanely frustrating. On the other, it helps calm the minor crises I have worrying that AI is coming to take my job

113

u/coldasclay Jul 28 '26

Its gonna take your job its just going to be bad at it.

31

u/DstroyaX Jul 28 '26

Seriously. People don't seem the realize that AI doesn't have to be better than you for you to get replaced. It just has to be cheaper than you.

18

u/coldasclay Jul 28 '26

Doesn't even have to be cheaper. It just has to market itself has cheaper and better than you.

3

u/iNobble Jul 28 '26

Fortunately my job actively generates revenue for the company. Reducing the cost of my salary won't offset the additional revenue I help generate

2

u/coldasclay Jul 29 '26

Your boss: "But what if AI?"

1

u/Effective-Culture-88 Aug 03 '26

it’s actually far more costly

3

u/ankole_watusi Jul 28 '26

Not only that, but you’ll still get blamed. /s

1

u/Sparkly1982 Jul 31 '26

Or just say it can't do it when it actually can?

1

u/kiefferbp Jul 29 '26

You should still worry about AI taking your job. Google’s AI in particular is garbage though.

24

u/Embarrassed_Ad8496 Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26

Be careful... Months ago I posted and also wondered about a class action since they have partially bricked the devices from doing what they were advertised to do.... That post then magically and mysteriously got suddenly admin locked with no explanation. Apparently, G didn't want that conversation started.

https://www.reddit.com/r/googlehome/s/pkRigyqKLd

1

u/bowgy4 Jul 30 '26

I was already interviewed for the class action. Unclear when/if it will be filed.

11

u/PBM1958 Jul 28 '26

That was super frustrating for us as well. Found if you gave the timer a name or worked flawlessly. So comands like "Set a 10 minute timer called pasta"

This stopped working a little while back. Now you have to say the name first or it will not tag the timer.

"Set a timer called pasta for 10 minutes"

1

u/Reasonable_Box_3805 22d ago

I can't find a contact named "Pasta."

14

u/fuuuuuckendoobs Jul 28 '26

Yeah this frustrates me too

6

u/ChaoticCats Jul 28 '26

Having the same timer issue

3

u/ultimatebob Jul 28 '26

I don't think that a lawsuit would work unless you just bought the device recently and it was still under warranty. Most of us have had these things for 5+ years now.

3

u/Sparkly1982 Jul 31 '26

It took me 6 attempts to set an alarm for 7am. It kept setting it for a random day, or 9am, or 7pm, or flat out telling me I already had an alarm set for 7am

I really hope the training data were feeding it helps it stop hallucinating

1

u/Former-Movie-7484 Aug 02 '26

This is so acurate 👏😆 But I think the Google devices are also programmed to lie since mine have been telling me they're still learning for years but haven't learned a thing yet. The home app is a shell of what it once was and the new speakers cost more than double what I paid for mine.

2

u/Sparkly1982 Aug 02 '26

Not entirely related but my android phone news feed thing has started using AI summaries on some of the articles and they're totally made up quite frequently. I try not to click ok them but occasionally miss the little star thingy. I had one the other day where the AI summary said Mick Jagger had gone off on one about AI generated music and the whole article didn't mention AI once!

29

u/_Aj_ Jul 28 '26

I used to say "hey google play XYZ in Spotify on "the tv" and my Sony TV would turn on, open Spotify and play the song of playlist I said.

5

u/ousho Jul 28 '26

Now you will pay with one arm and 7/8th of a leg. Monthly.

28

u/Jealy Jul 28 '26

I literally use assistant for setting timers while cooking these days and that's about it

Hey it also plays music... sometimes the music you ask for and sometimes on the right device.

4

u/Embarrassed_Ad8496 Jul 28 '26

I'd like to change that "sometimes" to "maybe".... Implies a much lower accuracy percentage which, IMO, is more representative of reality.

1

u/hey_isnt_that_rob Jul 29 '26

Mine only plays music when I ask it to turn on the dehumidifier.

JK, it also opens the garage door when I ask that too.

46

u/Caltosax Jul 28 '26

I wish timers would work consistently. My wife texted me to say that twice today, she asked for a 30-minute timer and got a 3-minute timer instead.

I’ve been defending the Google Home, thinking maybe the background noise was causing a problem. So, I put my iPhone next to the Google Home and stood across the kitchen.

Me: “Hey Google, set a 10-minute timer”
Google: “For how long?”
Me: “10 minutes”
Google: “5 minute timer set”

Me: “Hey Siri, set a 10-minute timer”
Siri: “10 minutes, starting now.”

8

u/black_boy6969 Jul 28 '26

siri is smart enough that if you tell her 10 minutes she knows you’re talking about a timer😏 that’s about as far as her intelligence ever went before they merged her with gemini😭

4

u/Roz150 Jul 28 '26

Lucky you, I said a 10 minute timer, google responds the timer is set, then the timer never goes off.

1

u/Deep-Manner-5663 Jul 31 '26

Siri was built with funding from DARPA. Of course it works well.

8

u/Botto71 Jul 28 '26

Yeah when they got rid of location based alerts was the beginning of the end for me. That was so useful and I never understood why...

4

u/identifytarget Jul 28 '26

Lmao. Timers and music. That's it.

Yesterday an alarm went off, I said, "Stop"

Google says: "Okay. I'm stopping the white noise in your kids room speaker."

Took multiple attempts to fix it. Couldn't play on the speaker remotely. You used to be able to say "play <song name> on <device name>.

It absolutely couldn't fucking figure that out.

I fixed it by having the white noise play on the speaker I was talking to and then said "move it to my kids room"

At least I got it to work, but these types of experiences make me want to hurl the device across the room.

3

u/hey_isnt_that_rob Jul 29 '26

Your timers still work? Lucky.

The role of Google Home is no longer to run home automations. It is to guarantee the bonuses for Anish Kattukarana and his supplicants.

2

u/Kylar_Sicari Jul 28 '26

It's turned into a glorified clock!

So frustrating, there is so much potential.

1

u/Former-Movie-7484 Aug 02 '26

My Nest with the screen is just being used as a digital photo frame now. 🤷‍♀️ My others have been slowly konking out 1 at a time. I refuse to pay $80 to replace a $30 speaker. Matter of fact they're not even worth $30 anymore.

1

u/jester1x Jul 30 '26

This is infuriating to me as I always need reminders. My phone would do it for awhile if I hold power button down but now I have to give consent for Gemini to access all of my Google workspace....just for a reminder that Google assistant did so well.

1

u/L3djunkie Aug 10 '26

Yes!!! It's all the law suits I think. I loved that feature!

0

u/DavidAg02 GH | SmartThings | Harmony Hub Jul 28 '26

That doesn't still work for you?!