Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2023 November 12

Welcome to the Wikipedia Computing Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

November 12

Is there any way to get support for Google Home?

I love Google Home and Google Assistant (GA).

I have a Google Nest speaker or display in every room. In addition, all of my light sources at home are Philips Hue devices, which I used to be able to control using my Google devices.

However, a few months ago, GA stopped understanding my lighting-related commands. Initially, when I said, "Turn off the lights", GA replied, "According to <some environmental org.>, turning off lights is a great way to save energy". But a week later, GA began to completely ignore my requests. I can see on the displays that GA correctly converts my voice to text, but there is no action or response at all.

This still applies to "turn on the lights". However, "turn off the lights" now causes GA to reply, "I don't understand".

But if I say, "Make all lights green", GA will correctly make all lights in my home turn green.

Additionally, when I try to activate a scene, GA replies in English, "Got it. One or more devices are not available.", but with Swedish pronunciation.

Please note that I can control all lights using the Google Home app on an Android device. It's only voice control that doesn't work.

Also, GA has started to talk in English with Swedish accent. This applies to its own error messages. I think the reason is that the device uses its Swedish synthetic voice to speak English text.

There are more strange issues. For instance, if I try to start a stopwatch on a display, the device replies, "You cannot start a stopwatch on this device. However, you can ...". But if I try it a second time immediately after, it does start a stopwatch for me on that very same display.

I sent an email to Google's support a few months ago, and they replied that they hoped the issues would be fixed in the next firmware update. However, nothing has improved since then.

I sent a new email this week, and the automatic reply said I would get an answer within two days, but that didn't happen.

What can I do? I really, really, want the devices to work, and I don't mind paying for true product support. But is there any support? Does Google have a support department? If so, how to get in touch with them?

Is there some other approach I can take?

(I do subscribe to various Google services with monthly fees (YouTube Premium, Google One, etc.). Wouldn't that qualify me for some kind of technical support?)

--Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 00:40, 12 November 2023 (UTC)

There is a website support.google.com. I have no idea if it will be of any help for Google Home.  --Lambiam 05:08, 13 November 2023 (UTC)

About your lights, are they still properly registered and connected to your Google Nest devices and Google account? Follow Hue's instructions here [1] and check if they are. As for the Swedish voice, there is likely a setting somewhere you can control what voice it uses. Have you tried something like "Okay Google, change your voice" or "Okay Google, list voices you can use". (NB I probably won't be replying more, but in any case, I have no personal experience with Hue devices or Google Nest and Assistant other than some very basic stuff like open Twitch on my phone. I only have experience with Alexa/Echo Show and Wiz devices. However I'm fairly sure similar concepts apply to all of these devices even if they use different protocols, methods of connection etc. Ultimately they need to recognise the lights and be authorised to control them. To be fair, I would expect if you just don't have an lights the response would be something like 'You don't have any lights I can control' but it's hard to be sure.) Nil Einne (talk) 05:38, 13 November 2023 (UTC)

Well, all the lights are visible and functional in the Google Home Android application. I can turn them all on and off in the app. I can change their colours and dim them. Also, all lights can be controlled using voice but only when it comes to setting colours: "Make all lights green." That works. The problem is that I am not able to turn lights on and off using voice: "Turn on the lights", "Turn off all lights", etc. don't work, with varying kinds of error responses (sometimes no response at all). Apparently, all lights are properly connected to Google, but for some reason very strange and seemingly random things happen with voice commands. --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 14:09, 13 November 2023 (UTC)

Looking online, I see some people saying doing stuff like saying "turn off my lights" or just "turn off lights" instead of the lights can help. Maybe even a short "lights off". Also have you tried controlling lights individually or in rooms e.g. "turn off kitchen light 1" (or whatever, I don't know how you name your lights) or "turn off all kitchen lights" or "turn off all lights in my/the kitchen"? Also have you tried something like "are my lights on?" I did find a lot of people who've had similar issues over the past year or two with limited help. I know it's been a long time, but if you aren't sure this has ever happened during that time it might be worth power cycling both the Google Nest device you're using and the lights along with any Hue hubs and maybe even the home router. (I mean hard power cycle not simply a soft one to ensure they properly refresh.) There is a slight chance removing the lights and adding them back will help but given it is still able to control them, I suspect not. BTW from what I read although Google One might entitle you to phone support, I don't think this carries over into Nest devices and problems or for that matter anything related to the Assistant and if you try you'll probably just be told where you can go for help. You can try https://support.google.com/googlenest/gethelp and https://support.google.com/assistant/community although frankly, I sort of think this is a classic case where it'll be very difficult to get any meaningful support from Google. Nil Einne (talk) 10:51, 14 November 2023 (UTC)

Thanks again for your advice. I have now tried every possible phrasing to turn on/off lights, but GA only stays silent, replies "I don't understand" or quotes some website about saving energy by turning off lights. *sigh*. At least I can make all my lights green... --Andreas Rejbrand (talk) 23:18, 15 November 2023 (UTC)

Searching Wikipedia using wildcards to find people with certain initials

I'm interested in finding a list of notable people with certain initials. I've been all over the search FAQ's, and I understand * stands for any string of characters not at the beginning of a word. But searching on "B* C*" does not give anything useful. Any suggestions?

71.214.71.49 (talk) 17:43, 12 November 2023 (UTC)erich

For many names there's a disambiguation list, typing in 'Nolan' will give Nolan (surname) for instance. Personally I'd probably use Google. NadVolum (talk) 17:51, 12 November 2023 (UTC)

You already asked this question on the Help Desk and got some answers there. Please don't ask the same question in more than one place, because it wastes other editors' time. CodeTalker (talk) 01:16, 13 November 2023 (UTC)

That's a bit uncalled for. Someone on the help desk advised them to post the question here. -- Viennese Waltz 07:44, 17 November 2023 (UTC)

You can use Google to search Wikipedia more efficiently than using the Wikipedia search. In Google, include "site:en.wikipedia.org" in your search query and you will limit it to searching Wikipedia instead of the entire Internet. 12.116.29.106 (talk) 12:58, 14 November 2023 (UTC)