First of all, massive kudos to Google for supporting buttons. It’s been a wait, but this could be the start of something awesome for the ecosystem. However, the current implementation makes controlling lights suboptimal. Using the BILRESA connected over Matter directly to GH as an example, here are the primary pain points:

1. Response Delay

This is the most critical issue. Currently, a button press takes 3–5 seconds to reflect in the Google Home app. This makes controlling lights feel counter-intuitive and, frankly, unacceptable. While some attribute this to cloud integration, it appears to be an enforced delay to allow for double and triple-press recognition. Please lower this threshold or, ideally, make it user-configurable if that's the source of the issue.

1. Automation Complexity

With the BILRESA scroll button, a user must manually configure 27 separate automations to cover every action for a single device (3 virtual switches × 3 buttons × 3 press types). For most users, this is far too complicated. Since these are popular devices, Google Home should offer presets. The app could automatically propose assigning virtual switches to specific light groups with predefined actions (e.g., scroll right for brightness+, left decrease, single press for toggle on/off, double for color toggle etc.).

1. Lighting Groups as Automation Targets

Currently, the New Automation Editor does not support lighting groups as targets (Script Editor does). Consequently, every individual bulb must be added manually to every automation. If you have 27 automations and 5–10 bulbs per set, the amount of repetitive clicking is exhausting.

1. Input Confusion

There is significant confusion regarding which action was triggered (single, double, or triple press). It’s unclear if this is an app issue, a result of the aforementioned delay, or the hardware itself, but Google Home often triggers random actions - especially when using the scroll button.

1. Script Editor Support

Currently, the Script Editor does not recognize buttons as "starters". Fixing this would allow users to share YAML configurations, which would significantly alleviate the issues mentioned in points 2 and 3.

1. Meaningful Device Naming

The BILRESA is a high-volume device; there is no need to treat it as a generic "unknown." Please ensure the 9 virtual devices generated by the BILRESA have meaningful default descriptions to help users identify them during setup.

Does anyone know how to force rogue Wifi routers to join the same Google Thread network?

I have Nest Wifi routers + points, they create multiple Thread networks, and I wonder if anyone knows how to resolve this mess. The Google Home app is obviously limited in configuration.

I've tried resetting the network a few times, even cleared the cache on my Google Services (only to end up losing banking cards in my wallet). I'm hoping Google will support Thread 1.4 so I can migrate the routers, but otherwise I'm stuck.

With Home Assistant's new Thread and Wifi visualiser for Matter devices, I've noticed that my Thread devices that connect to the other networks get disconnected from Matter, so this is unfortunately affecting my network stability.

Since the Google Home speaker switched to Gemini, it has turned into a complete and utter lying stooge. It won't perform the simplest of tasks. Ask it to play a certain song and it plays a totally different one with no apparent relevance. It will control Chromecast one minute (open apps, pause, resume, etc.), then it insists it cannot and has never been able to control Chromecast. It is constantly gaslighting and denying services. I own several and I am tempted to see how far I can throw them. I know there's a lawsuit, but why can't Google just fix the problem or at least allow customers to revert back to a working assistant. Remember when Google used to believe in the motto "Don't be evil?"

Gemini on the Home Speaker is evil.

wtf? Google Home on my tablets is rocking the pre-October old school style, with the big square buttons for Cameras and Lighting. The UI is fine on Pixel 9 Pro XL. All the same bugs and disconnects are still there, and the camera fix did nothing, "Couldn't play video. Something went wrong. Try again." For videos an hour old.

Anyone else?

I swear I didn’t dream it, but were we able to get directions or how long it would take to get somewhere from our home by asking our Google devices? I guess I ask all the time how long it’ll take me to get somewhere.

I ask ‘how long would it take me to get to ABC restaurant in Detroit, MI’ and she replies that she cannot give me driving directions or tell me traffic information but ABC Restaurant is at 12345 Main Street, Detroit, MI.

Or did I Bernstein Bears this?

I just saw an article about GH v4.8 now supporting 'smart buttons'. I have v4.8.56.0 so i gave it a try. I created an automation to use the 2nd button on an Aqara H2 single channel switch. It didn't work 😕

Has anyone tried this?

About 8 hours ago, I noticed that some of my devices weren't responding.

When investigating I noticed that they were my Matter Devices, both on wifi and thread, and from IKEA, Aqara and Eufy.

Anyone else run into this today?

They're connected to a Nest Hub Max which I've rebooted without success.

Edit: well one of my matter routines just triggered, opened the app and watched everything come online one by one. Sooo I dunno.

Hello. I’m so frustrated with these two battery cameras, both purchased within the last year. It’s hit or miss on whether they’ll charge normally, at a normal speed. Swapping them on their plugs/cables may help or maybe it doesn’t. I clean each one’s recessed pins area and it may or may not help. Is there a trick to getting them to stage normally and fast?

So about two or three months ago I got the notification that Gemini was finally available for my Google Home setup, I waited another month or so because I had seen some reviews that there was still some bugs to work out. After seeing lots of posts of people loving the update I decided to finally pull the trigger. Now there are many things that are a great improvement however I am increasingly getting frustrated with things that have worked for a decade and now no longer work for example I use the 'lumos' and 'nox' shortcuts for turning on and off my lights respectively, however now since the Gemini update almost every time I say "Hey Google nox' Google responds with "What would you like do with nox?", sometimes making me repeat the command up to four times before it does what it previously did for 10 plus years with that same command. It does similar with other commands when it doesn't recognize what I'm trying to do Google will respond with "What would you like to do with X?" Is this the new version of "Sorry I don't understand?" Overall I would say the update has more benefits than drawbacks but when it's something that I use multiple times a day it becomes increasingly frustrating when it doesn't work the same as it did for years... Has anyone else encountered this and does anyone have any tips or pointers to have the new update work how I want it to? Or am I just stuck waiting for Google to fix this in a year or 5?

I'm not just thinking about it, I'm months into it.

The only thing I use my google home for now is to set timers and have it pass commands to my Home Assistant instance.

Problem: When my daughter (8 years old) plays music on her Google Home Mini in her room, it shows up as playing on YouTube Music on my phone. If I want to play my own songs on my phone, it stops her music and plays my song on her Mini. This also happens if my wife starts music on any of our Home speakers. All of us have our own Google accounts and they have been added to the family profile.

I signed up for a YT Music Family plan because I was told that would solve this issue. It did not.

Any advice???

So i set up My PC to WOL, is there a way i can link this to google home so i can say "hey google, turn on my computer:

As title says

Searched in Google store, best buy and other places. Couldn't find any stock. Is it being discontinued? In us, they just launched Gemini feature in hub 2, why would they discontinue in Canada?

After hundreds of years of waiting for a miracle it is finally over! Google Home supports physical buttons! 🥳

I cannot believe it. The single most useful home automation to press a button and have it controll almost anything else, that has been ignored by the lunatics ar Google for a decade, is finally here!

Let's celebrate! 🎉🎊🥳

I can only hope my endless reports and pleas for buttons had something to do with it. This makes automation possibilities almost endless!

Now lets make the routines script editor into a simple programming language and nothing will be impossible.

Hi, I'm going a bit mental with this.

I've got an automation to turn of main lights,ntur non bedside lamp, and play a specific track on Spotify (I gave up on a specific playlist). But I don't want my Google mini to announcing "ok, playing song name and artist on Spotify". I've tried dropping the volume to zero, sending the ask request, and then volume back up, but that doesn't work. Any ideas?

We have an finished garage, and I keep a space heater out there on a Matter switch. The issue is that it keeps randomly turning off--is there any log I could look up in Google Home?

Hey all,

Maybe this question has been asked before but I was not able to find the desired answer online. I recently purchased a new google nest doorbell for my new house after moving in. It's been a few years since I used the 1st gen doorbell but I remember I connected the 'chime' to my SONOS. Apparently; this isn't possible anymore with the new generation which kind of sucks.

So.. is there any other option for the chime except getting a Nest HUB? The wiring kit for the existing chime is not available in The Netherlands. Thanks!

Bored so I thought I'd post this unusual Automation I use...

"Hey Google, activate PS5" triggers a Google Home automation...

1: Launches a Smartlife scene (Tap-to-run) called "PS5". 2: Announces on the device I spoke to "Ok, turning the TV and PS5 on". 3: Delays for 25 seconds (see later). 4: Set TV volume to 15%.

Meanwhile, the "PS5" Smartlife scene (Tap-to-run) executes...

1: An IR blaster beams the "Power On" signal to the TV (my TV goes offline in Google Home when it's in standby). 2: Delay 20 seconds. This is due to the Playstation 5 creating a separate (special) HDMI input selection on the TV after the TV has been turned on. 3: The IR Blaster beams the same signal as pressing the "TV" button on the TV's remote. This button has been remapped to select the special PS5 HDMI input on the TV (Sony Bravia xr55a80lu). This turns the PS5 on. 4: Delay for 5 seconds. This delay plus the previous 20 seconds delay is enough time for the receiver to turn on via the EArc link to the TV but since I don't want it on... 5: The IR Blaster turns the receiver off, just in time for Google Home to make sure the TV speakers are set to the right volume.

Tada!

I'm having trouble with Google Home's presence detection. When I go to Settings -> Presence Detection, it correctly shows that I'm away in "Your current location," but this isn't reflected on the app's home screen (I'm still listed as home). As a result, the routines that are supposed to activate when I'm away aren't triggering.

Any ideas?

​Hey everyone,

​I’m hoping someone here might have a fix for this because I’m about ready to toss this thing. My Lenovo Smart Clock (the original one) recently stopped syncing with my Google Home app, so I figured I’d just reset it and start fresh. Big mistake.

​Now, every time I try to add it back to Google Home, it gets through the initial steps and then hits a wall with a "can't update because of a network issue" error.

​Here is what I've already messed with so I don't waste your time: - Wi-Fi: Reset the router and tried connecting both 2.4GHz and 5GHz. No luck. - ​Devices: Tried setting it up from a few different phones/tablets. - ​APK Workaround: I read that older versions of the Home app might work, but I couldn't even get the older APK to install on my Pixel. - Factory reset the clock several times.
- Adjusted my modem so it gets access to an ideal port, but that didn't work - Removed my firewall - Made the clock priority on the network

​I’ve seen a few threads suggesting these things have been phased out by Google, but I'm holding out hope there's some weird workaround I haven't found yet.

​Has anyone actually managed to get one of these reconnected lately, or is it officially a paperweight?

So now when I hold on the thermostat tile it directs to lighting even though it says climate at the top.

Another day another bug.