BBC and Google investigating persistent radio streaming bug on Nest speakers [Updated]

Update 18/05/26 – 01:16 pm (IST): BBC updated the wording on their help page, noting that “Google are investigating this issue.” This indicates that the issue is on Google’s end, and nothing the BBC can do to fix it.

It’s possible that this is related to the casting issues we also highlighted with Spotify and the other ongoing bugs Chromecast users are dealing with. 

While there’s no ETA for a fix. Some users have shared a potential workaround. You need to ask your Google device to play BBC Radio 1 via BBC Sounds, and then turn off the mic. Users who tried it claim it worked for them.

Original article published on May 08, 2026, follows:

Google Nest Mini owners in the UK are dealing with a bizarre bug that completely breaks BBC Radio streams. Instead of playing live audio normally, the smart speakers are cutting out after just 30 seconds or trapping listeners in an endless time loop. The issue has been a constant headache for users over the last couple of weeks.

The broadcaster officially acknowledged the glitch on May 5. According to a newly updated BBC Sounds help page, the company is actively investigating the playback failures alongside Google.

The official statement notes that streams may randomly cut out or repeat. The BBC suggests a temporary workaround, telling users to cast live streams directly from the BBC Sounds app or website to the affected speakers.

At least on paper, that should play without issue. But actual listeners paint a different picture.

According to reports on Reddit, casting the audio directly from a phone yields the exact same looping error for many people. One user pointed out that casting only works reliably for catch-up programs, not live radio.

Stations like Radio 2, Radio 4, 5 Live, and 6 Music just will not stay connected natively. The OP mentioned the stream starts off fine, then randomly pauses and repeats the exact same 20-second chunk of audio multiple times.

Users confirm that other music services like Spotify and Global Player are currently working perfectly fine.

Similar complaints have also popped up on the official Google Nest Community forums. 

Some users suspect the glitch is primarily hitting 2nd Gen Nest Mini hardware. Older 1st Gen models and smart clocks seem to handle the BBC streams without throwing a fit.

A few frustrated listeners tried completely factory resetting their devices and tweaking their router settings. That did not fix the problem at all.

A community specialist on the forum told users to submit voice feedback with the specific keyword “GHT3 23803 BBC radio playback issues” to help isolate the root cause.

The bug is even confusing Google Assistant itself. One Reddit user said when they asked their speaker to play BBC 6 Music, the device announced it was pulling the station from Spotify and then launched an entirely unrelated podcast.

Listeners in the UK cannot simply bypass the glitch using a different radio app like TuneIn. The BBC pulled its live streams from TuneIn in the UK years ago.

For now, Nest Mini owners are stuck waiting for a proper software patch from either Google or the broadcaster.

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