Google aware of bug where Assistant randomly says "Sorry, I don't understand" without any user input

Update 01/08/24 11:10 am (IST): Google has fixed the bug that resulted in Assistant randomly saying “Sorry, I don’t understand.”

Original article published on July 29, 2024, follows:

Google has officially acknowledged an issue affecting its digital assistant on some mobile devices. Users have reported their phones unexpectedly saying “Sorry, I don’t understand” without any prompting, even in completely silent environments.

The bug appears to be triggering the Assistant’s error response at random times, including the middle of the night. As expected, this has led to frustrated users being woken up or interrupted during important meetings.

In a statement on Google’s support forums, a representative confirmed: “The Google Assistant team is aware that a ‘Sorry, I don’t understand’ response is being triggered unexpectedly on mobile devices. Our team is actively working on it.”

The issue seems to have emerged either after an update to Assistant or following recent system updates on various Android devices. Notably, even users who have disabled Google Assistant or removed its permissions are still experiencing the problem.

One Samsung S24 owner reported: “Since the latest system update this week, my phone has randomly been saying ‘Sorry I don’t understand’. In all cases, I was not asking for anything. There was no ambient noise, and nobody was talking.”

Interestingly, some noted that Android Auto could be the culprit, given the fact that it appears to be triggering Google Assistant according to the activity log. Although, a few users claim that the problem persists even after force stopping and disabling AA.

While Google works on a fix, some users are resorting to turning off their devices at night to avoid disruptions. The company has promised to provide updates as they become available. That said, the bug doesn’t appear to be widespread, at least not enough to result in multiple threads on platforms like Reddit and Google’s own support forums. 

I also couldn’t replicate the issue on a Pixel 8, Pixel 7a, Realme X2 Pro, and the OnePlus 11. If your device is affected with this creepy bug, you should keep an eye out for an update for Google Assistant.

It’s worth noting that while this specific bug is a new issue, the “Sorry, I don’t understand” error has been a common problem for Google Assistant users in the past. In many cases, there are troubleshooting steps that can resolve the issue. For a comprehensive guide on addressing this error under normal circumstances, you can check out our article on troubleshooting tips for the Google Assistant “Sorry, I don’t understand” error.

For now, affected users are advised to keep an eye on Google’s support forums for official announcements regarding the bug’s resolution. In the meantime, if you’re experiencing this issue, you may want to try some of the general troubleshooting steps outlined in our guide, though they may not be effective for this specific bug.