All my Google Home devices are now speaking Australian :-(

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › All my Google Home devices are now speaking Australian :-(

lchiu7

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#251063 6-Jun-2019 20:02

I have 2 Google Homes, a couple of Google Home Minis and a Lenovo Smart Display. Up till now they all spoke with an American accent which is fine for me.

Today all started speaking with the lady with the Australian accent which I really don't like.

Anybody else experienced this and can you fix it? The devices all have my home address as the location else weather etc. would not work properly but they've been that way for more than 2 years.

Has Google made some change?

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

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#2253294 6-Jun-2019 20:16

same thing for me, checked the settings everything is set to english US

lchiu7

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#2253302 6-Jun-2019 20:24

I went into the Assistant settings and chose a US voice but I still get the Australian lady.

But I think I have worked it out. It's using your geolocation to set the voice. Out of interest I set my phone to be in the US and the US voice appeared. As soon as I set it back, it became the Australia lady.

I wonder if we can complain to Google?

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

peejayw

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#2253303 6-Jun-2019 20:28

Yes, same thing happened to me today. I hope Google goes back to letting us choose.

I'm supposed to respect my elders, but it's getting harder and harder for me to find one now.

ZollyMonsta

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#2253305 6-Jun-2019 20:29

Crikey!

Check out my LPFM Radio Station at www.thecheese.co.nz - Now on iHeart Radio, TuneIn and Radio Garden

As per the usual std disclaimer.. "All thoughts typed here are my own."

bobnz

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#2253306 6-Jun-2019 20:35

Use your home/mini and ask to send feedback - then lodge the issue.

lchiu7

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#2253340 6-Jun-2019 21:28

Did some more experimenting. You can go into the Assistant and choose voices and the one you like but it always goes back to the Australian lady. But if your device looks like it's located in the US (fake GPS on an Android phone) then you can change the voice to different ladies and guys. So I think it must be a bug.

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

richms

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#2253417 6-Jun-2019 22:44

I was about to post this very same thing. Aweful.

Richard rich.ms

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freitasm

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Geekzone

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#2253423 6-Jun-2019 23:10

Apparently it's not just you folks. Google devices are having some problems.

neb

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#2253430 6-Jun-2019 23:50

lchiu7:
I have 2 Google Homes, a couple of Google Home Minis and a Lenovo Smart Display. Up till now they all spoke with an American accent which is fine for me.

Today all started speaking with the lady with the Australian accent which I really don't like.

They're geolocating, and since everyone in the US knows that Australia == New Sealand:

you're getting the accent for the country you're in, Australia.

Dingbatt

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#2253526 7-Jun-2019 06:45

Need to be careful incase Google decides "NZ not in Australia" and then makes the service "not available in your country".

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

gbwelly

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#2253534 7-Jun-2019 07:19

lchiu7:

The devices all have my home address as the location else weather etc. would not work properly but they've been that way for more than 2 years.

I quite like my aussie lady (the kiwi and aussie accents are not as different as we would like to believe imo), and have been configured as Australia from the outset. I have no problems with weather, traffic etc

stocksp

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#2253536 7-Jun-2019 07:31

And my personalised routines have disappeared.

Behodar

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#2253537 7-Jun-2019 07:34

It appears that a variation of this issue isn't limited to Google Home.

I've traditionally had a British accent in Google Maps on my iPhone. The other day I noticed it had changed to US. I followed some convoluted steps to return it to UK (delete app, change phone region to UK, reinstall app, change region back). That worked, but I just tried it again and it's back to US.

z2k

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#2253565 7-Jun-2019 09:04

This has been bugging me so much I've stopped talking to my Google Homes..

Dingbatt

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#2253581 7-Jun-2019 09:26

I’m like gbwelly, my devices have always been set to the Aussie ‘Sheila’, so I didn’t notice the change. Not so keen if it’s ditched all my routines though.
Hopefully this isn’t part of the ‘America first and only’ policy being foisted on US based companies.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

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