- Google Home Speaker users report early issues
- The voice assistant takes up to 60 seconds to respond to requests
- Google has said it is working on a fix, but there have been no updates
Google has only just returned to smart hubs with its new AI-powered Google Home Speaker, six long years after the company released Nest Audio — and users are already running into trouble.
It’s been barely a week since pre-orders shipped, and those who have been eager to test the upgraded Google Home Speaker have been let down with the device’s performance.
The crux of the problem is the voice assistant itself, as many users say it takes a while to respond to their commands. A number of Reddit posts highlight the same issue, agreeing that the speaker can take between 30-60 seconds to respond, and others have experienced a complete loss of sound.
Google Speaker 2026 from r/googlehome
While we don’t know how widespread these delayed responses are, the top comment in the Reddit thread above says it happens globally. Whether this is the case or not, it has sparked a lot of frustration among those who have spent good money on the new device – “I’m returning mine” writes one user, while another says “I really hope Google does more on things”.
Looking at the user reactions, it seems that this issue is also prevalent in older devices like the Nest Audio and Nest Mini, so it’s not just the new home speaker that is going through the ringer. Fortunately, Google is doing something about it.
Amid the backlash, the official u/GoogleNestCommunity responded to the Reddit post with the following; “We are aware of an issue that is causing increased latency or timeouts. We are working on a fix ASAP and will get back to you when this is resolved. Thank you for your patience”.
While Google’s acknowledgment offers some sort of assurance that a fix is on the way, the company hasn’t provided any details on how it intends to fix the issues or when users can expect to see an improvement. At this rate, it’s still a waiting game, but this isn’t the only criticism the Google Home Speaker has faced since launch.
The ability to repair may be hindered
When Google officially announced the new Home speaker in October 2025, I was excited to see a new speaker on the way as much as the next person, but there’s a setback that an early unboxing video addresses.
The Google Home Speaker has a fixed power cable, which means you can’t unplug it like you can with most of the best smart speakers. It might sound like we’re splitting hairs here, but the unboxing video highlights the repair issue that comes with not having a removable power cord.
Aside from these issues, the Google Home speaker is not entirely devoid of positives. According to the same unboxing video, the speaker’s accompanying app has a lot of appeal, and overall sound quality is pretty solid — so it’s nice to see that Google has followed through on its promises of a 360 audio upgrade.
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