Google Home App is Adding Back Group Speaker Controls

Google has quietly announced that it’s adding back the ability to control volume for multiple speakers in the Google Home app. Speaker group functionality is also coming back to the Google Assistant.

“We’ve re-enabled the ability to control the volume for multiple speakers or devices at once, using the Google Home app for Android or through Google Assistant with your voice,” Google explained on the Google Nest Community blog (via The Verge). “Additional ways to access Group Volume Control are on the way, including directly on your Android smartphone lock screen and via smart displays like Google Nest Hub.”

Two years ago, Google had to remove this smart speaker functionality from its Google Home app after an ITC ruling determined that the company’s products infringed on Sonos patents. In May 2023, a San Francisco courtroom also ordered Google to pay Sonos $32.5 million for infringing on one of the company’s smart speaker patents. However, a US District Court judge threw out the damages award in October.

While the legal battle between Google and Sonos isn’t over yet, it’s good for people invested in the Google ecosystem that essential smart speaker functionality is now coming back to the Google Home app and Google Assistant. Even though this isn’t mentioned in the Google Nest Community blog post, The Verge reports that controlling volume for a speaker group also works in the Google Home app for iOS.

Google also announced another improvement coming to the Google Home app for Android today: A new Google Home Favorites widget is now available in public preview, and it lets users easily control their most important smart home devices from their phone’s home screen.