Google updates Nest Audio and Home speakers with seven fixes
Google has detailed new firmware for its Nest and Home smart speakers. The release notes list seven changes, from streaming and audio tuning to fixes for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 7 and Google Meet voice commands.
Google did not give firmware version numbers. Its release notes page had not been fully updated on the day, and the Google Home Speaker was one of the devices still missing from it.
Audio and discovery
The Google Home, the Google Home Mini and the Nest Audio get "enhanced streaming performance", which Google says should give smoother audio playback.
Stereo pairs get a tuning change. Google says it reduces boomy bass and keeps minimum volume levels clearly audible.
The Google Home app should now find the Google Home Speaker, the Nest Audio and the Nest Mini faster and more reliably on the local network.
Bugs fixed
- Bluetooth audio streamed from a connected laptop or device no longer pauses on its own after a voice "resume" command.
- Speakers can now connect to Wi-Fi 7 access points that use WPA3 security. Setup and connection had failed before.
- Stereo pairs and speaker groups no longer vanish or become undiscoverable in the Google Home app.
- Voice commands can end Google Meet calls again.
Gemini for Home fixes
Google also shipped its second October update for Gemini for Home, which is in early access. It bundles six fixes for speakers and displays.
One fix removes the unprompted "Sorry, I didn't understand" that some devices said when nobody had spoken to them. Gemini also handles requests to move music to another room better. A rare mix-up between media sleep timers, ordinary timers and alarms is fixed too.
On smart displays, voice commands for YouTube TV now reliably start the content requested. Volume requests for a speaker in another room no longer change the volume of the device you are talking to when the other one cannot be found. Alarms and timers whose volume had been set to zero now follow the device volume.
Source: Google Home Help