Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR A recent Google Home bug prevents smart speakers and displays from setting alarms for 12:30am.
Google Assistant-equipped Home devices like the Nest Hub and the Nest Audio recognize standard alarm command phrasing, like “Okay Google, set an alarm for twelve thirty am,” but they set the alarm for 12:30 p.m. instead.
Saying “zero zero thirty” aloud appears to be the only working time input for setting an alarm for 12.30am.
Google Home is no stranger to more than the occasional bug like bricked Nest Hubs and gimped Thermostat commands. To Google’s credit, the company does roll out updates that fix the issues, but these issues are often embarrassing to have occurred in the first place. You can now add another bug to the list, with Google Home smart speakers and smart displays strangely unable to set a very specific alarm.
Reddit user ReddBroccoli infuriatingly points out that their Google Assistant-equipped Nest Hub fails to set an alarm for 12.30am. Strangely, no matter which variation you try, the Nest Hub will set an alarm for 12.30pm. Here’s a video from the Reddit user showing their Google Home smart display’s inability to set an alarm for 12.30am:
I tried out the basic alarm command “Hey Google, set an alarm for twelve thirty am” on my Google Nest Audio, and sure enough, Google Assistant keeps setting an alarm for 12.30pm. Even saying “half-past midnight” for the time doesn’t work.
The only command that works for this particular hour is saying “zero zero thirty” out loud. You’d think the smart speaker/display is set to accept time in only the 24-hour military time format, but my Nest Audio replies back, “Okay, alarm set for 12.30am,” acknowledging and using the 12-hour time system. The Reddit user mentions the command used to work, so something changed in the backend recently.
We’ve contacted Google for comments on the above issue. We’ll keep you updated when we learn more. Until then, we recommend using your phone to set an alarm, as your Google Assistant-equipped smart home clearly isn’t up to the task.
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