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Google Home made users say the weirdest thing to set an alarm, but that’s over now

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Why This Matters

The temporary malfunction of Google Home's alarm setting feature highlights the importance of robust software testing and quick issue resolution in smart home devices, which directly impacts user trust and convenience. The fix reassures consumers and emphasizes Google's commitment to maintaining reliable smart home experiences amidst frequent updates.

Key Takeaways

Brady Snyder / Android Authority

TL;DR Some Google Home devices stopped setting alarms via voice command for several days.

The bug hit both Google Assistant and Gemini for Home, affecting Nest speakers, displays, and even third-party devices like Lenovo smart displays.

Google has confirmed the fix, and our own testing shows alarms are setting and triggering correctly again.

Google Home has had a busy August, with Google rolling out several updates that make Gemini for Home smarter and add new capabilities to its smart home platform. But amid all those improvements, something as basic as setting an alarm suddenly stopped working for some users. Thankfully, Google has now confirmed that the issue affecting Nest and other Gemini-powered smart home devices has been fixed.

For several days, users on Reddit reported that commands such as “Hey Google, set an alarm for 8:30 AM” would simply be ignored. Some found that alarms worked when set for an exact hour, while others had to ask Google to set an alarm first and then provide the time when prompted. One odd workaround involved saying “Hey Google, hi” before giving the alarm command.

The problem wasn’t limited to Google’s Nest hardware. A user with a Lenovo smart display reported the same behavior, while reports indicate it affected devices running both the older Google Assistant and the newer Gemini for Home. That points to a Google-side issue rather than a problem with a particular Nest device.

The timing is notable, too. The alarm problem appeared shortly after Google’s major Google Home August update, which introduced new features and a smarter Gemini for Home experience. There’s no indication that the two are related, though.

Google acknowledged the problem earlier today, saying it was investigating reports of alarms not setting. A few hours later, it followed up with a fix: “We’ve resolved the issue impacting setting Alarms.”

Google Nest support / Reddit

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