Andrew Heinzman
Another day, another Nest bug. Customers are complaining that their Nest Doorbell and Nest Cam’s two-way audio feature, called “Talk and Listen,” isn’t working correctly with Samsung phones. While incoming audio works fine, outgoing audio is too quiet for visitors to understand.
Update, 1/26/22: A Google representative tells Review Geek that “we have recently identified a fix and it will be rolling out as part of the 2.49 Google Home app release.” The company did not specify when this update will roll out, but we’re excited to see a fix for such a huge and overlooked bug.
Two-way audio is an incredibly important feature for smart doorbells and outdoor cameras, especially during a global pandemic. It lets you respond to strangers, friends, or family who are at your door, even if you’re away from home.
So, it’s easy to imagine why this is such a frustrating problem. Several users in a Google Support forum say that they want to return their affected Nest products, as “Talk and Listen” was one of the features that they were most interested in.
Unfortunately, I’m not sure that a fix will come any time soon. This problem goes back to at least 2019, and although I can’t verify it, some customers claim to have first reported the bug in 2017. A Google representative acknowledged the problem in an October 2021 support thread, but could only tell affected customers that “we are still collecting data on this issue.”
We aren’t sure what’s causing the problem, though all models of Nest Cam and Doorbell are affected, including the new battery-powered units. And although some Samsung phone owners say that “Talk and Listen” works fine with their device, it seems that all Samsung phones are vulnerable.
So, what can customers do if Nest two-way audio is too quiet with their Samsung phone? Normal troubleshooting steps, like formatting your devices, don’t seem to work. So, Google’s support representative suggests using a different device for “Talk and Listen” until the problem is resolved. (It’s not the most helpful suggestion, I know.)
We reached out to Google for a comment on this story. I’ll update this article if the company responds or if any new information comes to light. (Feel free to email me at andrew@reviewgeek.com if your Nest products don’t work properly with your Samsung phone.)
(h/t) Simon and the other Nest customers struggling with this issue.
