Google has confirmed that due to a recent court ruling, it is currently not possible to simultaneously use your Nest devices in multiple rooms.
In a forum post, a Nest community manager mentioned that numerous beloved Google Assistant speakers from Nest will now be restricted to being part of only one speaker group within the Google Home app simultaneously, citing a “recent legal ruling.” What remains certain is that this change will not impact existing speaker groups.
As a result of this, if you have a Nest Mini in the kitchen and a Nest Audio in the living room, you won’t be able to create a group to play music simultaneously in both rooms. When attempting to do so, you’ll encounter an error message. The Nest devices subject to this limitation include:
- Google Nest Mini (2nd gen)
- Google Nest Audio
- Chromecast with Google TV (4K)
- Chromecast with Google TV (HD)
- Google Nest Hub (2nd gen)
- Google Nest Hub Max
- Google Nest Wifi point
- Pixel Tablet (Hub Mode)
Although the community post did not explicitly cite a particular legal dispute, it is probable that this alteration is connected to the ongoing patent dispute between Google and Sonos. Sonos has accused Google of patent infringement in the realm of multi-room audio technology.
In the earlier part of last year, Google modified the method for controlling the volume of a cluster of smart speakers, in response to an International Trade Commission verdict that favored Sonos. Consequently, customers were compelled to individually adjust the volume on each Nest and Cast-enabled speaker.
The latest concession is disappointing for Nest users, but it’s not the end of the world. You can technically change which speaker group a Nest device belongs to whenever you want, but it will probably be annoying to do it all the time.
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