What you need to know
- A user on the Google Home subreddit reports that their Nest Hub Gen 2 is struggling with the time.
- The post says their device will set an alarm properly (on its display), but the AI speech will say “it’s set for 3 am,” when in reality it’s set for “3 pm.”
- Google recently rolled out Continued Conversations for Gemini on its smart home devices.
Issues surface with Google’s Nest Hub, as user reports on social media highlight a strange problem with its sense of time.
It’s unclear just how widespread this issue is, but a user on the Google Home subreddit reports that their Nest Hub Gen 2 is struggling with time (via Android Authority). The user states that while their device can set the correct time (say, three o’clock, for instance), it will mess up the AM/PM ending. They state that if they’re looking to set an alarm for 3 pm, their Nest Hub Gen 2 will say it’s set for 3 am.
Android Central’s Take
This just sounds like a joke. It makes it seem as if the Nest Hub Gen 2 is stuck in opposite day. You tell it one thing, but it says the same with a dash of the opposite. It’s good that the device actually sets the time right, and it’s the speech part that’s messed up. But, still, even that’s enough to make people look again, saying, “huh? I didn’t say that…”
This is a big issue—a twelve-hour issue, to be exact. The speech part is the primary issue, as the user reports that their desired alarm is correct. The Nest Hub will set it for 3 pm; however, it’s the device’s AI speech that’s incorrect. The user attempted to test this further, asking their Nest Hub Mini for an alarm, but not only did it set the correct time, but it spoke it properly, too.
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The vocal capabilities of the Nest Hub Gen 2 are being called into question this week, but Google is seemingly on the case. A response says that the company is aware and working on a fix. Right now, the post does not state when it will arrive. As previously stated, it’s unclear just how widely affected Nest Hub Gen 2 users are. The publication even brought this up, stating how scarce reports are about this problem.
Smart home hiccups
It’s been quite a while since we last had issues with Nest devices. There were a few reports that also concerned Google Home products. Speakers and displays were struggling, becoming unresponsive when given verbal commands. Users attempting to ask the devices about the weather and other mundane questions were met with silence. Google started fixing those issues some time after, though it did take a while, given how those reports crossed into the holidays.
Android Central’s Take
While Nest devices have had their fair share of bugs, Google’s really been focusing on Gemini for Home as of late. Specifically, it’s been trying to bring its talking and listening capabilities up to par, so users don’t experience something clunky. So far, it seems like the updates they’ve been rolling out have been useful. But, of course, what the user thinks matters most.
Hopefully, the problems this time around won’t take so long, even if it is just a speech issue. In more exciting news, Google rolled out Continued Conversations for Gemini. Now, the AI will keep its “ears” open for a little longer after receiving a command from the user. Google sees this as a way of keeping things feeling natural, while making it easier to ask follow-up questions.