Can’t change the volume from this device (Google Home FIX)

Google Home/Nest users used to be able to control speaker group volume at once via voice commands or sliders. However, that’s not the case anymore and some users get the “Sorry, can’t change the volume from this device”. If you’re among them, check the instructions we provided below.

Table of contents:

1. Restart the devices in the Speaker Group
2. Delete the Speaker Group and group the speakers again
3. Reset speakers/displays to factory settings
4. Use Google Home Routines to control the volume

How do I control speaker group volume on Google Home?

The functionality that allowed speaker group volume control is gone after the legal ruling against Google and in favor of Sonos. So, nowadays, you can’t use voice commands or joined group volume controllers to increase the volume of multiple paired speakers simultaneously — only separate sliders or voice commands for each individual speaker/display. Everything is explained in this blog post.

So, if you get the “Sorry, can’t change the volume from this device” when issuing a command to a speaker/display in the speaker group, you can try one of these steps. Have in mind that the volume can increase only individually and not as a group.

1. Restart the devices in the Speaker Group

The first thing you should do is restart all devices under the Speaker Group. Unplug them from the wall, wait for 10 seconds and plug them back in. That might address the problem and allow you to change the volume of the singular speaker. As we said, after the Sonos legal claim, Google removed the functionality to control the volume on multiple speakers simultaneously.

On the other hand, if you can’t change the volume on any speaker via voice commands, try deleting the speaker group and setting it up again.

2. Delete the Speaker Group and group the speakers again

An alternative solution for the problem at hand would be to delete the Speaker Group and unlink the individual speakers/displays in your home from the Google Home app. Once you link them again, you can set up a new Speaker Group and check if the problem reappears.

Here’s how to delete the Speaker Group and create a new one in the Google Home app:

1. Open Google Home on your smartphone.
2. Open the speaker group and tap Delete.
3. Remove the Group.
4. Now, open and remove individual speakers/displays.
5. Tap Add (+) sign, and select Set up a new device > New device.
6. Follow the instructions to set up the devices again.
7. Now, use the Add (+) and select Create speaker group.
8. Name the speaker group and add speakers or displays.

3. Reset speakers/displays to factory settings

Alternatively, you can reset all included devices to factory settings, set them up again, and then re-create the Speaker Group. We are aware this is not ideal, especially if you have a lot of devices, but it seems that this solved the problem for some users. You can learn how to factory reset Google Home/Nest devices on the official support page.

After the reset, open the Google Home app, add the device again, and then re-create the Speaker group. If that does nothing, consider creating routines with voice starters for particular devices or just resort to Google Home to control speaker volume for each individual speaker/display in the group.

4. Use Google Home Routines to control the volume

Finally, you can create separate Google Home routines for different devices under the same Speaker Group to increase or lower volume with voice commands. This isn’t ideal but it’s still applicable if you want to go around the limitations imposed by the legal ruling. Not quite convenient but it’s a worthy alternative if you miss the old feature that’s been removed for more than a year.

Here’s an example of how to use Google Home Routines to control the volume of a Speaker Group in Google Home:

1. Open Google Home.
2. Select Routines or Automations.
3. Tap Add+.
4. Under Starters > When I say to my Assistant, add a phrase or a keyword you want to use to increase or lower the volume on your Speaker Group.
5. Under Actions, select Adjust Home Devices.
6. Select the speaker or the display and check the box next to the “Set volume to” option.
7. Choose the preferred volume.
8. Repeat the action for the second device (…third, fourth, etc.).
9. Save the routine.

Of course, you can always open the Speaker Group that’s playing audio in Google Home and increase or decrease the volume with separate sliders.

And, with that said, we can conclude this article. It’s understandable that users are not really happy with how things worked out and, for many, losing the functionality that allows to increase or lower the volume on a Speaker Group makes the user experience underwhelming. But, it is what it is and, unless you decide to switch to Amazon smart speakers and displays, this is something you’ll need to accept.

Thank you for reading and don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments section below. We look forward to hearing from you.