My phone hears and responds to voice commands but doesn't actually complete the task

[Corinnenewt]

Since the last update, my phone is not completing my requests. I first noticed it in my car. I have android auto and have never had a problem. Now, when I say "call John doe" it responds " calling John doe, mobile" makes the Google noises and then just stops. It doesn't register on the phone at all. I thought it was a car issue until I tried using voice commands straight to the phone and the same thing happened. It actually says "calling so and so" but does nothing. It doesn't even open the phone. I have the same problem with Google maps when navigating in the car. This has been consistent since the latest update. If I dial a number on my screen in the car, I have no problem making calls - it's pretty clearly just a problem with the voice commands. Any insight is appreciated.

 

[underway99]

This is tried and true advice for fixing what ails an Android device after an update. You'll find this all over the forums, and it works almost all of the time if your issue is caused by software.

Post-update issues can sometimes be fixed by clearing the app and system caches. It's like clearing the working memory (not your hard drive storage) on your PC. You don't lose anything by doing that.

If clearing the app and system caches doesn't isolate your issue, then the next step is to reset your phone. You'll lose whatever is on your phone, so make sure that you back up your passwords, photos, music, documents, etc. That will make your phone like you just removed it from the box, except that it will still have Nougat. A bonus is that when you reload apps, you're getting the latest version. That should minimize the chance of apps conflicting with the new OS.

One more thing. When you set up your phone again, skip the temptation to restore from a backup. If your issue is caused by an app or setting conflict, you'll just put the problem right back onto the phone.