9 Easy Fixes for When Google Assistant is Not Working

Google Assistant is probably one of the more advanced virtual assistants out there, which is why a lot of people rely on it to get through certain tasks. Be it making notes, setting a reminder or using it to power your smart home, it can be incredibly frustrating if the service stops working.

In this guide, we’ll go over several ways to try and isolate the cause of the problem to look at potential solutions to solve the problem. Don’t worry, this guide doesn’t include a lot of technicalities — just follow the steps down below and you’ll be good.

Keep in mind that most of the steps down below were replicated on a Google Pixel device, so some of the steps may be different on your device.

Reasons Why Google Assistant Isn’t Working on Your Phone

If Google Assistant isn’t working on your device, there are several possible explanations. First, your device may not be compatible with Google Assistant, as it is currently only available on Android and iOS devices. Other than that, an unstable internet connection or an outage of Google services could be the culprit.

Furthermore, the issue may lie with Google Assistant itself, requiring an update. It’s also possible that Assistant isn’t recognizing your voice properly. If you find that none of these is a potential cause to your device, as a last resort, a factory reset of your phone could solve the problem.

Solutions to Fix Google Assistant Not Working

Follow the steps below one by one to isolate the issue with Google Assistant and get the service up and running. Your plan of action should be to first check if the issue lies on your end or at the service’s backend.

READ MORE: How to Turn Off Google Assistant Completely ➜

1. Check if Your Device Supports Google Assistant

Almost all Android devices nowadays support Google Assistant, but there may be some that don’t fulfil Google’s requirements. To check this out, compare your phone’s specifications with the ones listed below:

Minimum Requirements for Google Assistant:

• Android 5.0+ with at least 1GB RAM or Android 6.0+ with at least 1.5GB RAM.
• Google app version 6.13 or higher.
• Google Play services.
• A screen resolution of at least 720p.

If your phone doesn’t fulfill the requirements listed above, you may have to look at other avenues. However, if it does, move forward to the next step.

2. Make Sure You Have an Active Internet Connection

Google Assistant requires an active internet connection to process your requests and provide accurate results. If you’re experiencing issues with Assistant’s responsiveness on your phone, your internet connection might be the culprit.

One of the ways to test if your internet is working properly is to do other tasks that require an active connection. An easy way is to open your browser and perform a normal Google search. Alternatively, if you are on Wi-Fi, try and find another device and check if the internet is working properly.

For users without Wi-Fi, check to see if you have cellular data on. You can do this by following the steps down below:

1. Open the Settings app and go to Network & internet.
2. Selects SIMs and choose your cellular network.
3. Now, under Mobile data, toggle on the switch to enable cellular data on your phone.

READ MORE: What is Jitter? Decoding The Key to Faster Internet Speeds ➜

3. Check if Google Services are Down

If your internet is working properly but you are still experiencing issues with Google Assistant’s functionality, there is a possibility that Google services are currently down. You can check for any reported outages at DownDetector, but it is extremely rare for something like this to occur.

If Google is down, you’ll have to wait until services are restored and then try again.

4. Make Sure Google Assistant is Enabled

If Google Assistant isn’t responding to your voice prompts, chances are that you don’t have Assistant enabled. This means that any time you say, “Hey Google,” the app will not respond since it won’t be listening in the first place. To enable this, follow the steps down below.

1. From your home screen, swipe right to open the Google app.
2. On the top right-hand side, you’ll see your Google account’s profile picture. Tap on it.
3. Tap on Settings and select Google Assistant.

   

4. Choose “Hey Google & Voice Match“.
5. Turn on the toggle switch for “Hey Google.”

   

5. Check Your Phone’s Microphone

If you’ve enabled voice recognition for Google Assistant and it is still not responding, there is a possibility that the issue lies in your phone’s microphone. To test out your microphone, try calling someone to check if it works properly.

Alternatively, you can also use the Phone Check app on the Google Play Store to ensure your microphone is picking up your voice.

READ MORE: Where is the Mic on iPhone 13? Exact Locations Revealed! ➜

6. Look for Updates

If you have tried all of the steps listed above, there is a chance that the issue lies within the app itself. It may be experiencing a bug or an issue with its service. When this happens, developers often roll out updates to address such problems. Check if there is an update pending for Google Assistant and update the app if one is available.

To do this, follow the steps down below.

1. Open Google Play Store and search for “Google Assistant.“
2. Tap on Google Assistant.
3. Update the app if one is available. If the app is up to date, you’ll see ‘Open‘ instead of ‘Update.’

7. Retrain Voice Model

If Google Assistant isn’t recognizing your voice, check to see if the service is working without it via typing manually. For this, open the Assistant app and on the bottom right-hand side, tap on the keyboard button. Type in your query and check if it’s working properly.

If it’s working fine, retrain your voice model. To do this, follow the steps down below.

1. From your home screen, swipe right to open the Google app.
2. On the top right hand side, you’ll see your Google account’s profile picture. Tap on it.
3. Tap on Settings and select Google Assistant.

   

4. Choose “Hey Google & Voice Match“
5. Tap on “Retrain Voice Match model.“
6. Read out the commands when prompted,

   

7. Tap on “Next” till the process is finished.

8. Restart Your Device

If nothing above seems to work, make sure to restart your device once to see if it fixes the issue. A simple restart can often be the solution to some of the most complex problems. After the phone boots up again, check to see if Assistant is working.

To restart your phone,

1. Press and hold your Power (or Power + Volume) button.
2. Tap on Restart.

READ MORE: 7 Ways to Turn Off Your iPhone or Android (Even if its Stuck) ➜

9. Factory Reset Your Phone

As a last resort, you may have to completely start afresh. For that, it is advisable to factory reset your phone. This step should only be done if Assistant is an integral part of your daily routine. Keep in mind that a factory reset clears out your phone completely and it is always a good idea to back up your phone before resetting it.

We have dedicated guides on both how to reset an Android phone and how to reset an iPhone without password.

Conclusion

All of the steps mentioned above will hopefully help you get Google Assistant back up and will highly likely isolate the cause of the issue. Likewise, if nothing else seems to be working, contact Google customer support for more assistance.