Users of smart speakers who rely on Google Home to manage their numerous speaker groups will become irritated. Sonos has won a long-running legal battle against Google for patent infringement, and we will now begin to experience the impacts of the adjustments that Google must make to both the hardware and software elements of the speakers. The most recent update to the Google Home app is just the beginning of the changes that users will see over the following few months as the verdict takes effect.
You will no longer be able to alter the sound levels of your Speaker Group after updating your Google Home app to the current version. According to Android Police, pressing the volume rocker on your phone while on the app’s media screen will not adjust the sound level of the speaker or the entire group attached to it. It will simply change the volume on your phone. To change the output of the speakers, navigate to the app’s virtual slider.
Previously, the shortcuts for altering the speaker group were rather useful. You may now add a couple more stages by using the virtual slider in the Google Home app. You will also have to control the sound level of each speaker individually, which might be inconvenient if you have numerous speakers in your house playing at the same time. And this is only the beginning of the changes, since the US International Trade Commission ruled that Google infringed on Sonos’ intellectual property. If the US government does not intervene, this might entail a prohibition on importing patent-infringing equipment.
However, for the time being, this is the immediate modification that they are implementing. You may avoid this entirely by not updating the Google Home app. However, this is most certainly only a temporary reprieve. While Speaker Groups will continue to function for the time being, expect some more modifications in the future because the patents at issue in the ruling address this specific technology. Third-party speakers with Cast functionality will eventually require a firmware update to function properly.
Google has stated that, as expected, they disagree with the court’s decision, but that they are trying to ensure that consumers continue to have “the best experience using our products” and that there is no disruption. This is certainly wishful thinking on their part, as customers must ready themselves for changes in the coming months.
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