Google Home Mini

the most troubled device on the market today – JUNK and Quoted in Forums as the most troubled G device on the market today. I wasted decent amount of money on multiple devices that disconnect from Bluetooth and wif without reconnecting automatically’ let me connect to the wifi’ is the best Google AI can offer in 2025 .I only hope is that a class action materialises Show details

Google Home Mini trumps Echo Dot as voice assistant with some draw backs – Recently added Echo Dot and Echo Input to my home on top of the Google Home Mini that I already have for quite a while. Armed with first hand experience of both eco-system here is a little comparison: For Google Home Mini * Search - much better search capability thanks to Google. * Voice command - not as rigid as Echo Dot, understand commands… Read more

better. When I say, "Turn off everything." Echo Dot tells me she can't find a device called Everything. Face-palm! * Dialog - sounds more natural. * Radio - more channels are supported.

For Echo Dot * Sound quality - more bass and louder, but vocal sounds muddier than Google Home Mini. * Ability to call Apple phone not possible with Google Home. * Connectivity - 3.5mm stereo port and voice command to pair and unpair bluetooth speaker. * Construction - heavier, feels more solid. * Integration - the breath of compatible products is larger than Google Home. Easier to add new device also. * Aesthetics - looks is a personal thing so I am only going on the grounds of functionality. I find the Echo Dot easier to see given LEDs cover the whole circumference of the unit. I have my Google Home Mini's on their side so LEDs face forward. Otherwise these LEDs are just not visible. * Microphone - Echo Dot seems to be able to hear better, probably because she has 4 microphones compared with 1 that Google Home Mini has.

Tie * Jokes and games - pretty much the same although I do prefer Echo Dot's singing capability. Google Home's lame attempt feels almost insulting. * App - each to its own, Amazon Alexa tries to be a one-stop shop with music play capability. Home assistant is a keyboard / voice commander and doesn't attempt to replace such as Spotify.

Verdict On paper, Echo Dot wins. In reality, it is not as clear cut. Echo Dot and Google Home Mini are both voice assistance products. Poor conversational and search performance renders it pretty useless. With the Echo Dot, I couldn't get it to play a number of radio stations on TuneIn. No problems with Google Home Mini. Playing Spotify playlist, I have to utter the exact sentence - Alexa, play Spotify playlist xxx. Again, no problem with Google Home Mini.

Although I like the fact the Echo Dot comes with 3.5mm stereo jack, Google Home Mini's built-in speaker continues to work for dialog, despite it is paired to a bluetooth speaker, only music goes to the paired speaker. Echo Dot on the other hand, once paired or plugged into the 3.5mm jack, would talk to you through the paired speakers. It sounds bad, remote from the Echo Dot and is often too loud as a result. Bad idea. Dialogue volume should be configurable as a minimum. Google Home Mini otoh continues to use its built-in speaker for dialogue. This is much more intuitive. Whisper mode with Echo Dot is cute and parents with babies might like it but I don't have much use for it.

Therefore, on the grounds of being a voice assistant, Google Home is more reliable and more capable of the two. This makes Google Home Mini the winner. To sum it up in one line, Echo Dot hears you but doesn't understand sometimes. With Google Home Mini, if you get her attention, she tends to do what you want.

Admittedly, my verdict is at odds with Tom's Guide which has a nice review comparing the two. Echo Dot won on the grounds that it has better sound, broader range of integrated products and design. Tom's Guide, like me, favours the Google Home Mini for voice assistance. I don't know how the design difference impacts UX in this case. As Tom's Guide pointed out, vocal is better with Google Home Mini and like I said, it is a voice commander to me. I don't use their built-in speaker for music. Therefore, on the grounds of better voice, more natural language and voice assistance capabilities mean Google Home Mini wins imho.

The privacy concerns far outweigh this device's usefulness – Let's get this straight immediately. Google, as well as Amazon and Apple, have been caught spying on people with these devices. The device does not just wait for the "Hey Google" but it gets triggered by totally unrelated words, phrases and TV audio. Plus there's the leaked transcripts that clearly reveal it was listening in when it shouldn't have… Read more

been and those recordings made it back to Google.

So, use it if you want. But all these 'great deals' like 2 for $79 available on this product is just Google's attempt to saturate more homes with their spying devices so they can use your data for their own devices, usually to make a profit by selling it to third parties. If you don't think this happens then are too naive and should unplug at once!

Ok, so. That said. What does it do? Tell you the weather. That's about it really. I tested my two for about 6 months and then after the controversy mentioned above I unplugged them both and put them away. It's pretty useless as a speaker for music but it's ok for audio books. The novelty wears off pretty quickly.

Yes it has some good tie-ins if you have gone 'all-in' on Google devices, such as Chromecasts. But I have three those and didn't find myself using that feature anyway. There's nothing I couldn't already do from my phone that this speaker offers; just with an audio interface. But I can also do that from my phone.

Speaking of audio, there were quite a number of times where I'd ask Google a question and my phone and the nearest Mini would be triggered into a response but the audio would come out of the Mini about 10-15 metres away instead of the phone in my hand! Really unhelpful and forced me to re-ask my questions on multiple occasions but out of earshot of the Mini.

Just like with the Google Assistant on my Pixel 2, many times when asking it to do something it will either misunderstand you, give you the wrong answer or say 'sorry but that service is not available yet.' So clearly if you live in America or Europe you'll get a much better service than down here in Australia.

So yeah. It's pretty 'meh' in my opinion. If you're looking for a speaker buy a JBL Charge 4. The security concerns far outweigh this devices usefulness.

I received one 'free' with my Pixel 2 XL and bought another one for $40 off eBay. Don't pay more than $50 for one.

Awesome smart home starter – I don’t think I could live without mine at this point (I have 2). They’re fantastic for basic things like playing music, setting alarms and timers (amazing for when your hands are dirty from cooking, dying your hair etc but need to set a timer). I also use mine with routines set up to turn my smart lights on and off (example “I’m leaving” turns… Read more

everything off, “goodnight” turns off everything except the toilet and hallway light for my kids). You can broadcast messages between them or from phones to them and just so much more I couldn’t list it all. The speakers aren’t the most amazing but they’re by no means bad and if you want better you can get something like a chromecast audio or connect to another Bluetooth speaker then set that as your default speaker but because these are small and unobtrusive they’re a great more reasonably priced way to fill your house with them so you can speak to the google assistant no matter where you are in the house.

Hey Google, you only get 4 stars – It does what it should but I don't like how it tries to push Google Assistant with everything. I know you're collecting data on everything I say but give me the option to opt-out easily. Show details

Excellent product – Unique product. Nice and compact. The voice recognition is very advanced and responsive. Good for controlling smart devices like WIFI plugs etc . It loses one star as I am a bit uncomfortable that it stores all my voice commands and searches, breach of privacy I think. I hope it is not listening when it is OFF!! Show details

Great value! Not to be afraid of smart technology! – Recently installed my mini. I absolutely love the morning routine. It plays the weather, news and then music on Spotify (free) for me. The quality of sound and microphone both work really well. Great value as well. I would rather spend money on Mini then any other speaker.

Need a lot more work – I have a number scattered throughout the house but I am now in the process of removing some. The problem is that you can virtually be standing over one and ask it to do something but one in another room answers. If you ask it to play music (or similar), it starts playing in the wrong room. You tell it to stop and the one next to you says nothing… Read more

is playing. Very frustrating so the only option is to remove some of the devices. I wish I had gone with another company's product.

Buggy , Inconsistent performance – Wasted hundreds setting up the house - they sometimes connect , sometimes perform but overall clunky technology ; get stuck in there was a glitch loops, shooping lists are missing on your phone when you need them, timers sometimes disappear, gaps in home routines ...in other words a google hit n miss . Unless there are some major s/ ware up dates im going back to Alexah.!

Great only if you're prepared to subscribe to music services – Sounds fine for the size and not expensive but beware if you are not prepared to pay $12 a month for subscribing to the music services. Practically, after every song you ask to play (at Google's choice, mind you), you will be hounded time and time again by a Google message that if you wanted uninterrupted and choice of music, you will have to… Read more

pay for subscription. Now that's how they make money off you.

Disappointing, if you ask me. Just get a radio, there's less interruptions.

Helpful Assistant and Great Speaker – The Google Assistant built into this device is great at telling you the weather and even playing music. It is easy to set up and use and I would recommend it to anyone.

Very convenient. I love it – My friend recommend that I purchase this as it's very convenient when I want things done. I particularly enjoy listening to music and it helps me a lot when I need instant information. Show details

Good but irritates alot – Very easy to use, just say something and 80% matches your voice and plays on TV. Specially good with newborns n toddlers n you don't have free hand to put music or tv while feeding baby so you get a help specially in countries like australia/America where you are all by urself. But cons are it goes mad somedays , doesnt listen anything properly and i get tired speaking. Otherwise its a must buy.. Google stop irritating Show details

Worth $0 – Always pushes google products even though I’ve paid for others. Eg never plays Spotify even though I’ve set it as my default music player - always selects YouTube music then asks me to upgrade to premium. Pretty disappointed that this is even allowed - it should be made clear to consumers that this is not a bipartisan product.  Show details

Decent - but not worth Money – Not much use for this product besides it's voice commands. This gadget acts as a speaker and weather boy - but that is about it. There is not much else to it and after a few months there is a high possibility you will grow out of it, and it will just sit there collecting dust!

Pretty decent – The volume and sound quality are great, it is a nice compact size so good for taking to work with me. However sometimes it disconnects from my phone in the middle of songs and I have to reconnect a few times. Show details

This is Perfect ! My go to for everything ! – I was a bit hesitant to buy the product. But wow, the speaker quality is good and the two-way conversation with google home is seamless. I can ask it to play my NetFlix or Spotify, information about weather and any GK question. Show details

It does the job! – I bought it from JB HiFi because there was a promotion going on I think I saved my money. The device works fine but sometimes it talks randomly without saying "OK Google" or "Hey Google" which is so weird. Sometimes it doesn't pick the voice But it talks to you like real human. I meant to say better than Siri :) I have even connected google mini with wifi light bulbs and they are working great! so I am satisfied! Show details

Terrible product – Bought a home mini off google store in May last year. Worked ok for first few months and then from October started playing up. It would turn off automatically every now and then. Contact google Australia but that has been a nightmare. Countless HOURS on the phone has not got me anywhere. I still have the faulty unit and hasn’t been sorted in last… Read more

5 months! Wont recommend a google home specially buying anything from Google directly. Things would have been easier if I bought it from JB HiFi!

Lots of fun – Purchased for my 10 year old son together with a smart lightglobe and he loves it. He uses it to set alarms and play ambient music before he goes to bed. He also enjoys turning lights off with it and annoying his sisters. The only downside is I get sick of hearing Hey Google! Easy to set up and very easy to use. Show details

It's good if you feel like being lazy – The Google home mini is great if you can't find the tv remote so instead you ask Google to turn the tv on or off, it doesn't change the channel though, that would be good if it did. Also good if you need information quickly. Show details

Can’t make calls. Can’t choose songs – Google Home is advertised that it allows you to make hands free calls. We tried to set this up in Google Home. Turns out this only works if you have a Telstra mobile number. Tried to play a particular song, like advertised, and it says you need YouTube Music account to do that. OK Google, so you want me to pay an extra $70 per month to use this $40 toy. Thanks Google.

21st century – I got a google home mini for Xmas.. it’s an awesome product...full of information just ask it and it gives you a reply ...a bit like the missus...welcome to the 21st century Duck rogers!! Show details

When it works its great, but – As a smart speaker alone it's pretty decent product. The sound quality is not bad for something at this size and price point. Where it has issue is its bluetooth connectivity. When I use it as a bluetooth speaker with my laptop, it will regularly drop its connection with my laptop. Sometimes it will be fine for a few hours, other times it will… Read more

just drop within minutes. If you search the google support forums, you will find that its a common issue/flaw that they know about, but have yet to find a way to solving it even after all this time.

Can't live without it – I love love love this. When I want to play music all I have to say is hey Google Play YouTube and boom YouTube plays not only that it tells me the weather for today as well just something small and great

Google home mini – Great product, easy to set up, very good speaker to blue tooth your music at home, and a affordable price, can get it in other colours to match home. I give it a ten Show details

Let's be honest, this product is useless – It is an egg timer. That's all. Well over 80% of my inquiries lead to the most common response you will get - "I'm sorry, I can't help you with that, but I'm still learning...." B.S. It is not learning. It is spying at best. And that part I don't even mind if it actually learned something from all that spying! This device is about 10 years too… Read more

early to market. It's a voice activated alarm clock and timer. That's all. Anything else it does is so mundane it lowers your IQ after listening to it.

Do yourself a favor and purchase this device after version 10.0 has been released. Right now, it's just a spying paperweight.

Not just a wire tap device – Got my Home Mini a few weeks back, took a spot my bathroom, sound is just right for the small space and come in handy during the morning for weather and local radio streaming. I have setup some automation with light switches that work great with voice commands too. Show details

Great fun!! – Once I received my Google mini set up was super easy. Once I got it going it was super handy .sucked that if the internet was weak or off it wouldnt work Show details

Bang for your buck! – I never thought I would consider purchasing a Google home mini; however, when unexpectedly receiving one for free with my grocery shopping (it was a valentines day promotion) I though we would give it a go. I have to say i've been converted, love this product and have since purchased additional units for placement around the house. The unit is… Read more

fantastic for:

- weather updates - controlling lamps - setting routines (it turns on as our alarm in the morning with the news, lamps turn on and our calendar items for the day) - casting music - broadcasting messages to other units in the home (e.g. when dinner is ready)

Cons The only real downfall of the Google Home mini is that there are features unavailable in Australia that are already available overseas: - make phonecalls - send text messages

The most entertaining piece of cheap TECH – I have 6 google homes just because its funny and they are the best things to have. I can talk to my friends across them, I can set timers and alarms as well as use the google to give me definitions of homework words. If you are thinking to buy the home pod, do not as these google mini's are way more superior and they actually speak to you coherently unlike siri. Show details

Google Home Helper! – Have recently purchased a couple of Google Home Mini's along with the compatible light globes which have been replaced around the home. As someone with a disability, I have found it invaluable to tell Google Home Mini to turn on / off lighting without having to ambulate to the light switches. I can ask it about anything - weather, time, set… Read more

alarms and reminders, stream music until I tell it to stop, or for a certain amount of time. I can ask 'Google' about anything I would search for on the internet and get a response. I can set it's volume, ask it to also dim lights (if they are dimable globes).

The feature I love most is to be able to 'broadcast message' from the Google Home Mini in one room to another! I can broadcast messages to tell the kids that dinner is ready, to come and pick up their shoes for example, without having to yell it out. Needless to say we have had some laughs broadcasting messages to each other. Cheaper than installing an intercom!

This product has been an incredible help to me. Great product and look forward to adding more Googles to our home!

Love it! – I work in a home-office and have had an old radio playing music for the past couple of years. What I love about the Google Home Mini is that I can listen to multiple stations and ask it questions - its like having an assistant sitting beside me. I bought it just for the music but totally underestimated its other uses - definitely worth buying. Show details