You can broadcast messages if you have at least two Google Home or Nest speakers in your house. This feature repeats your message on all speakers (or specified ones), saving you from yelling messages across multiple rooms. This feature is compatible with all Google Assistant speakers. You don't need to rely on Google's Nest products to broadcast messages.

The broadcast message command is simple, but it can be difficult to get it working correctly the first time. We show you how to use the Google Assistant broadcast feature and avoid common issues.

What is the Google Assistant broadcast feature?

The Google Assistant broadcast feature repeats messages on connected Google Home or Nest devices in your home. You can broadcast a message to every speaker in the house, a specific room, or a device. You can't use this feature to broadcast messages to devices that aren't connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

Google nest display on white shelf

Broadcasting via Google Assistant is more convenient than leaving a message in a family group on WhatsApp or Telegram. It's a neat way to keep your family updated on important events (like when dinner is ready) without reaching for your phone or shouting across the house.

When you broadcast a message, receiving devices play a short notification sound before playing your message.

You can no longer broadcast messages to your Google Family Group. This change happened on January 26, 2024.

Everything you need to broadcast messages with Google Assistant

Broadcasting messages with Google Assistant requires at least two speakers. However, there are a few more requirements to broadcast messages successfully:

  • Two or more Google Assistant speakers or displays. These can be Google Nest devices or any smart speaker or device that runs Google Assistant.
  • The speakers and displays must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
  • Do Not Disturb and Downtime must be turned off.
  • At least one Google account must be signed in to all speakers.
  • Your Google Assistant device runs the most recent update.

You can also use your phone to broadcast messages. It doesn't need to be on the same Wi-Fi network as your Google Assistant devices to send messages (although it won't receive them).

Anyone (including users in Voice match and guests) can start a broadcast on Google Nest devices.

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How to broadcast a message on Google Assistant devices

Broadcasting a message is as simple as using a voice command on your phone or Google Assistant device.

Broadcast a message to all devices from an Android phone or Google Assistant speaker

  1. Say "Hey Google" to wake up Google Assistant on your Android phone or smart speaker.
  2. Say, "Broadcast [message]." You can say "Shout," "Tell everyone," or "Announce" instead of "Broadcast."

When you use your phone to broadcast a message, you can trigger Google Assistant via a swipe gesture on the phone instead of saying, "Hey, Google." Activate Google Assistant (usually by holding your phone's power button), and say "Broadcast..." followed by your message.

Broadcast messages from an iPhone or iPad

You aren't entirely out of luck if you use an iPhone or iPad. The integration isn't as seamless as Android. Still, the Google Assistant app on iPhone can broadcast messages to Google Assistant speakers or displays.

  1. Download Google Assistant on iPhone.
  2. Open Google Assistant and sign in with your Google account on the Nest smart speaker.
  3. Give the necessary permissions and tap the microphone icon at the bottom.
  4. Say "Broadcast a message" and share your announcement on all Google Nest devices.

Only one person can broadcast at a time.

Broadcast a message to a specific room or device

You can limit the broadcast message to a specific room or device. Here's how to specify where you want the broadcast to play:

  1. Open the Google Home app.
  2. Check which devices are in which rooms.
  3. Append the device name or room name to your broadcast message.

For example, if you want to broadcast to the Nest Mini speaker in the screenshot above, say, "Hey Google, broadcast to My Bedroom, [message]," or "Hey Google, broadcast to My Bedroom speaker, [message]."

Broadcasting to a specific room or device is only available in English.

How to broadcast a preset message

Google Assistant has preset messages saved for common broadcasts. For example, if you said, "Hey Google, broadcast I'm home," the Google Assistant speakers in your home say, "Hi there, [name] has arrived."

Other preset messages include:

  • Wake up: "Wake up everyone" or "Time to wake up."
  • Dinner: "Dinner is served," "Dinner is ready," "Ring the dinner bell," "Time for dinner," or "It's dinner time."
  • Movie time: "Movie time," "The movie is about to start," or "Let's go to the movie."

A complete list of preset messages and their commands can be found on Google's support page.

How to reply to a broadcast

You can reply to a broadcast to send a message to the broadcast device. Say, "Hey, Google, reply [message]," immediately after receiving a broadcast.

If an Android device or iPhone was used to send the original message, the reply appears as a notification. If you use Google Nest to announce a message, the device plays your family member's reply out loud.

When you reply to a broadcast message, be careful with your words, as everyone around the broadcast device hears your reply.

What to do if broadcast messages are not working on Google Assistant or Home devices

If Google Assistant doesn't broadcast your message on other smart devices, use the following steps to troubleshoot the problem:

  • Ensure all the Google smart speakers are active and connected to a power source. Check the devices from the Google Home app on your phone.
  • Restart Google Nest. Turn off the power source and switch it on again to make it active.
  • Turn off Digital Wellbeing on your phone. The system may restrict the broadcast function due to Downtime.
  • Connect all smart speakers and displays to the same Wi-Fi network.
  • Deactivate Do Not Disturb.
  • Turn off Bedtime mode on your Android phone.
  • Update your speaker or display's firmware version. It must run on 1.39154941 or later.

Keep your family members in the loop

Another way to use broadcasts is through Routines. This is a handy tool if you want to automate broadcasting messages.