How to Fix It When Google Assistant Is Not Working

Android users and Google fans have grown accustomed to the useful hands-free features of Google Assistant. So when it stops responding, this can cause frustration. When Google Assistant doesn't respond to your commands, there are some easy fixes to get the popular virtual assistant working properly again.

Causes for Google Assistant to Not Work

There are many reasons why the phrase OK Google or Hey Google may not work when attempting to use Google Assistant. These can range from a phone having no internet connection to the Google Assistant service being disabled on the phone. Below are some common causes for Google Assistant to malfunction:

• Phone incompatibility.
• The phone is offline.
• The microphone is malfunctioning.
• Other apps are interfering.

How to Fix Google Assistant Issues

There are several items you can look at to try and fix Google Assistant problems. If you know what to check, you should be able to get it working again on your phone quickly.

1. Make sure Google Assistant is compatible with the device. The first thing you should confirm, especially if this is the first time you've tried to get the voice prompt to work with your phone, is whether the phone meets the Google Assistant system requirements. Also, confirm that Google Assistant works with the phone model.

2. Check the Wi-Fi or mobile data connection. It may be offline, or you may be in a dead zone for your mobile network. This doesn't mean you're completely out of luck. There are several things you can do with Google Assistant offline, even if you don't have access to Wi-Fi or mobile internet.

3. Check the microphone. It might be disabled or malfunctioning. There are a few options to test the microphone:

   • Use Skype Echo/Sound test services to test the microphone.
   • Install the Phone Check app from Google Play and run microphone checks.
   • Use the Google Support Hangouts audio troubleshooting steps.

4. Ensure that Voice & Audio Activity is enabled. These functions are needed for Google Assistant to hear and react to instructions.

5. Check the language settings. It is possible that when you first set up Google Assistant, you selected the wrong language. If you use a language other than English, follow Google's set of instructions on updating the Android language pack.

   If you have problems changing the language, there are steps you can follow to force an update of the Google Assistant language.

6. Setup Google Assistant once again. It may be that the initial setup process was corrupted or interrupted. Starting from scratch may fix the problem.

7. Re-install Google Assistant. If the app isn't responding, it may be corrupt. Re-install Google Assistant to clear up the issue.

8. Disable or delete apps on Android or iOS. Some of these apps may interfere with Google Assistant. If you have any such apps installed on your phone, either disable or uninstall the apps to see if it resolves the issues.

   The following apps are known to cause issues with Google Assistant:

   • Samsung Voice (S Voice)
   • Bixby
   • KingRoot
   • AppLock

9. Retrain Voice Match. It may be that Google Assistant no longer recognizes your voice. Retrain the device to better recognize your voice.

10. Consult Google Assistant Help or contact Google customer support. If all else fails, try the customer service route for additional help in fixing the issue.