Voice control on a Nest Audio means the speaker hears you, sends the request to Google's Assistant and answers or acts, and when it fails, the break is at one of those three points. First check that it is listening. The Nest Audio has a physical microphone switch on the back, and when it is off the lights turn orange and the speaker will not respond to Hey Google however clearly you speak, so slide the switch back and look for the four white dots when you say the wake phrase.
The checks in more detail
If there is no response, open the Google Home app, tap the speaker, open its settings and look at Voice Match and the Assistant settings: Voice Match must be set up for the person speaking, and a speaker that recognizes only one voice ignores others. Re-train the voice if the speaker misses you. Check the volume of the response and the Do Not Disturb setting, which silences answers and alerts. Next the network.
The Nest Audio needs a working internet connection to understand a request, so a speaker that says it is having trouble connecting needs the router restarted, and the Wi-Fi checked from the app, which shows the speaker offline or online. A busy room or a noisy fan also drowns the wake phrase, so test in a quiet moment and speak at a normal volume from a few meters away. If the speaker answers but does not control a light, a thermostat or a TV, the fault is with the linked service, not the voice:
open the Home app, check that the device appears and responds from the app, and relink the service if it does not. Give devices simple names that the Assistant can tell apart. Update the speaker, which happens automatically when it is online, and restart it by unplugging it for ten seconds. If voice commands fail only for certain phrases, rephrase them, and check the language setting in the Assistant settings. A factory reset is the last step before contacting Google support.
Differential
Likely causes of “Nest Audio does not respond to voice control”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
The microphone switch is off
What separates it Orange lights and no response
How to confirm Slide the switch on
- 2
Voice Match is not set up for you
What separates it The speaker ignores your voice
How to confirm Retrain Voice Match in the Home app
- 3
No internet connection
What separates it The speaker says it is having trouble connecting
How to confirm Restart the router and check the speaker's status in the app
- 4
Do Not Disturb or a low volume
What separates it The speaker responds silently
How to confirm Check the settings and the volume
- 5
A linked service that is offline
What separates it The speaker answers but the device does not act
How to confirm Check the device in the Home app and relink it
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- The color of the lights
- What the speaker says
- Whether the device works from the app
- Whether the router is up
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedCheck the microphone switch
ReversibleOn the back; orange lights mean it is off.
Retrain Voice Match
ReversibleIn the Home app settings.
Restart the router
ReversibleAnd check the speaker is online.
Test a simple command
ReversibleSuch as what time is it.
Check Do Not Disturb
ReversibleAnd the volume.
Relink a failing service
ReversibleIn the Home app.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Microphone switch
- Orange lights mean the microphones are off.
- Voice Match
- It decides whose voice the speaker obeys.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the speaker still fails after retraining and a router restart, contact Google support
- !If only one device fails, relink its service
- !Factory reset as a last step
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
Why does my Nest Audio ignore Hey Google?+
The microphone may be off or Voice Match is not set up for you.
What do orange lights mean?+
The microphone is switched off.
Does it work without internet?+
No.
Why does it answer but not control my lights?+
The linked service may be offline.