Updates usually tweak familiar features, which can sometimes disrupt users’ everyday routines and require fresh learning. We’re probably looking at one such instance now. Google Home recently updated its news feature, and the familiar “play the news” command is not working the same way. This seems to have caused some confusion among users.
Google Home’s “Play the News” command no longer works after recent update
Google Home received an update earlier this month and has been steadily rolling out to users in early access. The changelog notes a change to news summaries. This says that users will need to say the “play my news brief” command to hear broadcasts from their chosen news providers. If you’re saying the old “play the news” command, Google’s Gemini will generate story summaries based on the latest headlines instead of playing your custom news provider broadcasts.
As the update reaches more users, some are venting out their frustration with the change. The complaint here is the sudden change to a command they’ve been using for years. One Reddit user pointed out that they have set an automation to play news briefings for them. Despite that, Gemini seems to be returning an error. Even without automation, users seem confused by the change to a command they’ve used as a habit.
This is leaving users confused
Google says this new approach makes news more interactive. It lets Gemini listen for your response without needing a trigger phrase, so users can ask questions about specific headlines it mentions or explore more stories. However, many users just want to hear their custom news feeds, which seems like a fair expectation. For what it’s worth, this is still possible by saying “play my news brief” to get broadcasts from your chosen news sources.
If you say the old “play the news” command, Gemini will instead tell you how to find these settings. To set up your custom news, in Google Home head to Settings > Gemini for Home > Media > News. Here, you can add shows that will play when you use the new phrase.
Interestingly, another user reported that saying “play my news briefing” incorrectly triggers Spotify instead of playing their custom news broadcast. Google hasn’t commented on the issue, though the news brief feature otherwise appears to be working as intended. Besides the change in phrase, the update includes other improvements like enhanced media features and more accurate weather forecasts on smart displays.
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