Reasons Why Google Home Stops Playing Music
There are a number of potential reasons why Google Home might stop playing music or won’t start playing music at all, so a troubleshooting guide like the one we’ve created below is very helpful. Try every step, from start to finish, until the problem is solved!
What to Do When Google Home Stops Playing Music
You can either unplug the device from the wall, wait 60 seconds, and then plug it back in, or use the Google Home app to reboot it remotely. Follow that link above to learn how to restart from the app. Restarting should not only flush anything lingering that might be causing problems but should also prompt the device to look for firmware updates, one of which might be the fix for the sound issue. Speak to it to tell it to increase the volume, saying Ok Google, turn it up. Or, on the device itself, swipe your finger along the top in a circular, clockwise motion. If you’re using the Mini, tap the right side. On a Home Max, swipe to the right along the front side of the speaker. For Nest Hub, press the upper volume button on the back. For example, instead of Hey Google, play XYZ playlist, try a more general Hey Google, play music. If this works, try the original way you spoke and see if it works this time. Whether you’re wanting to play Pandora, YouTube, Spotify, or YouTube Music, make sure you’re using those words appropriately, too. Add the service at the end to specify that kind of music, like Ok Google, play alternative rock on Spotify. For example, if you’re streaming Spotify from your phone to Google Home, tap Delete cache in the settings to delete all the temporary files it’s storing on your device. If you can’t find a cache option, delete the app and then reinstall it. This will erase any residual files that might have been causing music problems with Google Home. For example, Pandora music will stop playing on your Google Home if you start streaming from your computer at the same time it’s streaming through Google Home. You can read more about that here. In fact, Spotify and YouTube Music only support one-device playback, too. The only workaround here, if it’s even an option with that service, is to upgrade your account to a plan that supports simultaneous playback on multiple devices. If there are several other devices on your network that are streaming music, videos, games, etc., there might not be enough bandwidth for music to play smoothly, or even at all. If there are other computers, gaming consoles, phones, tablets, etc. that are using the internet at the same time that Google Home is having trouble playing music, pause or shut down those other devices to see if that fixes the problem.
