To change volume during Google Home speaker-group playback, open Google Home > Home > Favorites, tap the current media session, and adjust the slider beside the speaker you want to change. Group members have individual volume controls: phone buttons, voice commands, and touch controls do not change every speaker at once.
Adjust a speaker’s volume during group playback
- Make sure your phone or tablet is linked to the same Google account as the speaker or display.
- Open the Google Home app and tap Home > Favorites.
- Tap the current media session to open playback controls, volume controls, and playback-device selection.
- Move the slider beside the speaker whose volume you want to change. Adjust other speakers individually as needed.
Google’s speaker-group guidance says each device’s touch controls adjust only its own volume, not the speaker group’s volume. Likewise, during group playback, a voice command such as “Louder” or “Set volume to 40%” changes only the device the command is directed to. Speak to the particular speaker whose volume you want to alter.
Your phone or tablet’s hardware volume buttons do not adjust speaker-group volume. Use the relevant speaker’s slider in the active media session instead. Google’s audio-group volume instructions also direct users to adjust speakers individually.
Which volume control should you use?
| Control | Scope during group playback | Audio type or use |
|---|---|---|
| Speaker slider in the active media session | The selected speaker; adjust each group member separately | Media playback |
| Voice command directed to a speaker | Only the device addressed | Volume commands such as “Louder” or “Set volume to 40%” |
| Device touch controls | Only the device touched | That device’s volume |
| Phone or tablet hardware volume buttons | Do not adjust speaker-group volume | Not the control to use for a group speaker |
| Alarm and timer settings | The selected device | Alarms and timers, separate from media and Assistant volume |
Change alarm and timer volume
Alarm and timer levels are separate from media and Assistant volume, so changing a speaker’s media slider will not set its alarm level. In the Google Home app, open the device tile and go to Settings > Audio > Alarms and timers, then adjust the level. On a Nest display, swipe up to open Quick settings, tap Volume, and expand the timers-and-alarms control. See Google’s volume controls for Nest speakers and displays.
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Correct playback delay between group speakers
- Start music casting to the speaker group.
- Stand between the two affected speakers, or as close to the midpoint as practical, and adjust their levels until they sound approximately equally loud.
- If the group has more than two speakers, choose two affected speakers and mute the others while diagnosing the delay.
- Open the settings for the speaker that plays last and go to Settings > Audio > Group delay correction. Increase its correction until the playback is better synchronized.
Google’s group playback delay instructions give typical reference ranges of 0–40 ms for speakers, 0–80 ms for soundbars, and 0–70 ms for receivers. Google does not state a publication year for these ranges and cautions that specific models may fall outside them. They are troubleshooting references, not guaranteed specifications for an individual device.
Group setup and playback notes
Google lists Nest Audio among compatible speaker-group devices. Create speaker groups in the Google Home app on a phone or tablet; group creation is not available in the Chrome browser. Editing a group while it is casting stops current playback, so restart casting afterward. See Google’s speaker-group compatibility and setup information.
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If the Home or Favorites tabs look different in your app, look for the active media session: that is where playback, device selection, and the individual speaker controls are available.
Quick Recap
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