Smart devices such as the Google Mini and the Amazon Alexa are great to have in your home. But these devices can be temperamental and prone to dropouts. However, when your smart devices disconnect and you are unable to reconnect them this can frustrating.

As Google Home requires an internet connection to work, when it doesn’t have this, you will experience issues with your assistant.

Therefore we have compiled a list of easy fixes to help you fix your Google Mini and get it connected once again.

Why won’t my Google Mini connect?

Google Mini Won't Connect

Photo by Davide Boscolo on Unsplash

If your Google Mini won’t connect, there are numerous causes for this. Including the following:

  • Your internet connection is not stable
  • You’re too far away from the router
  • Your app is out of date
  • The software in the mini is outdated

What are the signs your Google Mini is having issues?

Although there are many signs that your Google Mini is having issues, here are some of the most common issues.

  • You regularly hear your Mini say ‘something went wrong, try again’
  • Your music cuts out frequently
  • You are unable to find the device
  • There are lights appearing on the device without you speaking to it

How to fix Google Home Mini won’t connect

Google Home Mini

Photo by Kevin Bhagat on Unsplash

Regardless of what your issue is with the Google Mini, getting it to connect is important as without this you will be unable to use it. Therefore we have some easy fixes to allow you to use your Google Mini once again.

Fix 1. Restart your Google Home Mini

Have you tried turning it off and on again? This tends to be the most common solution to many problems with technology. Although it seems simple, it can be an effective fix for a lot of tech problems. If you’re unsure of how to restart your Google Home Mini, here’s how:

  1. Switch off your phone completely
  2. Next disconnect your Google Home Mini from the power, e.g. unplugging it at the wall or taking the wire out
  3. Leave your Google Mini turned off for 5 minutes
  4. Turn your phone back on
  5. Next replug the Google Home Mini, allow time for this to start back up properly
  6. Retry the Google Home Mini set up.

However, if this fix was not successful, you do not worry as we have plenty of other easy fixes.

Fix 2. Switch between 2.4GHz and 5GHz

It is likely that if you have a dual broadband router then you will be able to switch between two channels, 2.5GHz and 5GHz. Your devices will only connect to one at a time, but depending on what has a stronger signal and what the device supports. If you have an older model of phone it is likely your phone will only be able to use 2.4GHz therefore this method won’t be effective.

However, if you are using a device that allows a switch between the two doing this can help to reset the connection to the Google Home device. Your Google Home is set to mirror what your smart device is doing.

If you are already on 5GHz try switching to 2.4GHz, if you’re unsure how here are some easy steps to do so:

  1. Head to Settings on your phone
  2. Followed by Wifi then select your Wifi name – and mostly likely 2.5GHz
  3. Choose the network ending in 5GHz instead (however, if this doesn’t come up it’s likely that your device does not support this)
  4. Connect to this, allow your Google Home some time to switch and then try to speak to your Google Home again.

Fix 3. Make sure your Google Mini app is up to date

Although this seems obvious if you don’t have your phone or tablet set to auto-update you may miss updates for apps, without even knowing. If you’re unsure of how to update your apps here’s how:

  1. Head to the Play Store or the App Store on your device
  2. Search for ‘Google Home’ then next to the app it should say ‘update’ if one is required
  3. After pressing update allow your phone time to update
  4. Once updated, try to speak to your Google Home and see if there is any communication

Fix 4. Unplugging the Google Home fix

The unplug method can be a successful method, but it does require patience and a little bit of time. The way in which this method works is:

  • Unplugging your Google Home Mini from the wall
  • Plug it back in and wait for the lights to come on as it starts up
  • Then unplug it again, repeat this a further 10 times (be sure to count how many times you’ve done this)
  • On the 11th plugin, allow your device to load up as before, once loaded, follow with ‘Hey Google’
  • Your Google Home will then advise you to set it up from the Google Home app, although this may seem annoying, it usually fixes the device.

However, if this method does not work for you, we’d recommend following our next fixes.

Fix 5. Move your Google Mini closer to your router

Although the Google Mini is supposed to work from a distance, users have found that moving the device closer to the router does help with your connection dropouts. Plug your speaker in near your router and see if this makes a difference. If you find it does, it was likely that your device was too far away from the router, therefore struggling to keep a strong and stable connection.

Fix 6. Try manually connecting to the device hotspot

The next method on our list is to manually connect to the device hotspot, if you’re unsure how to do this, not to worry as we have broken this down into easy steps. Here’s how to manually connect to the device hotspot.

  1. Go to your Wifi settings on your mobile/tablet
  2. Open the list of Wifi networks, and look for one which states ‘GoogleHome’ followed by numbers, your device may also still hold any names it has been given since then
  3. Select the device and see if it will let you connect this way
  4. If you can successfully connect this way, open the Google Home app again and try set up the device as you would with a new Google Home Mini.

Fix 7. Airplane Mode On and Off

Following on from this, if you’re still having issues we’d recommend trying to turn Airplane Mode on. By doing this you are closing down all connectivity to your phone. Next head to settings and turn on Wifi manually. This will turn your Airplane mode off automatically.

Once this has happened, allow a few minutes for the app to reboot then try again.

This method may result in you needing to restart the Google Home Mini, including setting up the data again.

Conclusion

Whether you’re a tech novice or an expert, trying to resolve issues with a device can be confusing. Not to mention long-winded! Therefore, we hope one of these suggestions is an Easy Fix to your Google Home Mini issues. We hope these tips have been useful when your Google Mini won’t connect and hope you are able to reconnect soon.

If you’re having issues with the other devices in your home, you may find our other guides helpful: