Isn’t it superb how Google home turns your ordinary house into a smart home? Well, it’s fantastic to see this tiny gadget obey your voice commands and deliver instant results. It’s something out of a Sci-Fi novel.
Say, Hey Google, and let the Home Mini work wonders for you. It plays your favorite songs, shows news for you, checks the weather, and can even send messages or calls on your behalf, all in one command. Isn’t that great?
Google Home indeed saves us a lot of time and is a must-have gadget in the modern world. However, even this futuristic device can sometimes stop working, leaving you frustrated and looking for answers.
Reasons why Google Home is not responding to hey Google or Ok Google
Imagine that you have been screaming ‘Hey Google’ or ‘ok Google’ for the fifth time in a row, but the Google Home is still not responding to your voice commands!
If that is the case, your Home Mini must be facing some glitches. So let us discuss some of the reasons behind Google Home not responding.
Network connection issues
All the cool features of the Google Home or Google Home Mini can be enjoyed only when you have a strong internet connection. Without a proper connection, Google Home does not respond to Hey Google or ok Google.
Placement
Google Assistant performs only when it can hear you.
However, sometimes we place the Google Home in an area where there is a lot of noise. Apart from your voice saying ok, Google, if the Home Mini hears any other noise, it may not respond to you.
Switching between home and work locations
The Google Home device does not respond appropriately when asking about weather or traffic updates. Instead, the update demands the correct address to give you a precise result.
If you fail to set the home address or work locations properly, Google will provide you with inaccurate information.
It happens especially when you take the Google Home to your office and then change the location, but you forget to change the location back again when you get back home. Here, the device fails to recognize your current location amidst the confusion.
Permission issue for Google Home app
It is one of the most common reasons that affect the functioning of Google Home. Any smart device, be it Google Home or Google Home Mini, requires permission to operate.
How to fix your Google Home not responding issue
Here are some detailed solutions to fix your unresponsive Google Home or Google Home Mini Device. Try out the below-mentioned solutions and see which one of these works for you.
Fix Network connection
In some stances, Google Home may lose wi fi connection. As a result, we experience Home Mini not responding issue. Check network connections; simply taking care of disconnected wi-fi can resolve the network connection problems.
The essential thing you can do is restart your wifi router and reconnect. You should check if the cable that connects the router to the modem is plugged in nice and tight. Or, you can also reboot your router and modem one by one by unplugging the power cable from the back and plugging back the power cable in after waiting for a few seconds.
Simple Reboot Google Home Mini
Sometimes, there might be minor glitches because it fails to respond to your voice commands. In such a situation, the first thing you can do is reboot Google Home or Google Home Mini.
You can unplug the power cord from the back of your speaker and leave it for a few minutes; after that, you can plug it in.
You can also reboot using the Google Home app.
For Android
1. Go to the Google Home app
2. Click on Your device
3. Choose Settings
4. Tap on the three dots in the upper right corner
5. Press REBOOT
For iPhone
1. Go to the Google Home App
2. Click on your Device
3. Tap Settings on the top right
4. Then tap More
5. Now click on REBOOT
Place your Google Home or Google Home Mini in a noise-free area
One way to fix unresponsive Google Home is to place it where it’s relatively silent. Make sure it is not placed near noisy appliances like television, microwave, radio, or any other devices that make a lot of noise. It may interfere with your voice, making the Home Mini stop responding.
Microphone disabled
Google assistants must hear you and obey your command. But it can’t listen to you if the mic is disabled.
On the back of the speaker, there is a mic switch. There you can check if the Mic is enabled or disabled. If it is turned off, you will be able to see a yellow light.
You can also find out if the microphone is turned off by simply touching the button at the back; the Google Assistant will speak itself if it’s muted.
Set your home and work locations correctly
You can resolve Google Home not responding to traffic and weather updates by setting your home and work locations correctly. Here is how you can do it on any Android phone or iOS.
- Open Google apps
- On the top left of the app, click on the hamburger button
- Tap on More Settings
- Now scroll down and click on Personal Information
- in Google account settings, click on Home and locations
- Now enter the home address
- Click Ok
Factory reset
If you tried initial troubleshooting and still didn’t see any result, you might have to factory reset your Google Home devices.
Factory resetting helps bring Google devices to their original form. But keep in mind that it deletes all the files, so keep a backup.
Google Home
Press and hold the microphone mute button for around 15 seconds.
Google Home Mini
It has a factory data reset button. It is located below the power plug. Press the button for 15 sec. The Assistant will confirm the reset. Release the button.
Send feedback
Note that if Google Home Mini or Google Home recognizes the magic words like ‘ok Google’ or ‘hey Google’, it causes the device to respond.
An LED ring on Google Home spins or blinks if your wake word is heard. If the LED ring doesn’t appear, Google Home can’t hear your commands.
You can ask the question to Google Assistant again to make sure that it has recognized your prompt.
If your Google Assistant answers another question but not the one you’ve asked, consider asking the question differently; it may be because the Assistant didn’t understand the question correctly.
Even after all that, if your Google Home fails to respond to your voice commands, you can send a voice feedback report.
Just say ‘send feedback’; the Google Home will start voice recording the issue you face and then send it. After that, Google Home confirms that your feedback has been submitted.
Final words
Smart devices have smart ways of getting fixed. Once you have tried all the above-advanced troubleshooting methods, and your Google Home still doesn’t work, perhaps some manufacturing default needs to be taken care of. In that case, you can contact the manufacturer to seek immediate help.
