Nexus 5: Earpiece call button started going to Google Now instead of dialer dialog

[Mudgene]

For months I was happily using my Nexus 5 with a SoundID 300 earpiece. Pushing the call button went into a dialer dialog with voice prompts and responses. Suddenly a few weeks ago it started going to the Google Now (aka Google Search?) function (the one you get when you say "OK Google"). Although it will generally recognize the same voice commands as the dialer dialog, there are no voice prompts or responses, so if Google Now has crashed or decides to prompt on screen for "OK or Cancel", I have to get the phone out and look at it to see why it didn't dial.

I presume there's a setting somewhere that got changed by accident or by an app, but I can't find it. Any clues?

FOLLOW UP: Had a response on another forum that it looks like hardware, so I called the warranty service number. Tech walked me through trying some stuff, but even in safe mode it kept doing this (ruling out 3rd party apps). He's supposedly working with his lead using lab equipment and will email me with other stuff to try.

 

[Jonneh]

Re: Earpiece call button started going to Google Now instead of dialer dialog

This may be the wrong path, but could you maybe need to clear a default on an app somewhere? For example, if your earpiece came with an app to install on your phone, go into your settings, click Apps, find the earpiece app and tap it, and click "Clear defaults". If you didn't have an app for your earpiece, perhaps try clearing the Google Search or Google Now defaults using the same process?

 

[Mudgene]

Re: Earpiece call button started going to Google Now instead of dialer dialog

Thanks, Jonneh. No, the SoundID 300 is a "dumb" earpiece, only does the phone profile, so no app involved (no a2dp or other advanced profile). Tried doing all sorts of cache and defaults clearing under guidance of Google support. No dice. Had to do a factory reset to clear up the problem, which left me holding the bag to reintegrate everything but the actual Google apps.

 

[Mudgene]

Re: Earpiece call button started going to Google Now instead of dialer dialog

googleplay-support@google.com

to me
Hi Jake,

Great to know that your device's dialer is working properly now.

I do understand that you loss your app data, and other customization on your device, but unfortunately, the only way to fix the issue (Google now) was to perform a hard reset.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reply directly to this email.

Thanks for contacting Google! Have a wonderful day!

from me:

Given that the problem was with one Google application usurping the functions of another Google application, on a Google operating system, running on a Google-branded hardware platform, it's completely unacceptable that the solution destroyed the functionality of almost all of the third party applications acquired from the Google Play Store, leaving it to the end user to piece things back together on his own.

My job title is Chief Systems Engineer. This is my personal phone, but I can say unequivocably that I would never consider putting enterprise customers on such a deeply flawed solution, and the experience detracts from the credibility of Google as a solutions vendor in general. We're not a large enough enterprise for that to matter to Google, per se, but I suggest that you work on this gap if you expect to become a player on the enterprise applications market in the long term. That's something that you seem to have a notion of doing.

 

[Mudgene]

Re: Earpiece call button started going to Google Now instead of dialer dialog

Hum. I didn't think posting the dialog with Google support would be a problem, but I guess it doesn't meet with mod approval. I'll leave it there.

Open letter to google:

Given that the problem was with one Google application usurping the functions of another Google application, on a Google operating system, running on a Google-branded hardware platform, it's completely unacceptable that the solution destroyed the functionality of almost all of the third party applications acquired from the Google Play Store, leaving it to the end user to piece things back together on his own.

My job title is Chief Systems Engineer. This is my personal phone, but I can say unequivocably that I would never consider putting enterprise customers on such a deeply flawed solution, and the experience detracts from the credibility of Google as a solutions vendor in general. We're not a large enough enterprise for that to matter to Google, per se, but I suggest that you work on this gap if you expect to become a player on the enterprise applications market in the long term. That's something that you seem to have a notion of doing.

 

[Mudgene]

Re: Earpiece call button started going to Google Now instead of dialer dialog

But it weren't that pretty at all.

 

[Jonneh]

Re: Earpiece call button started going to Google Now instead of dialer dialog

:-\ That's a real shame you had to resort to a factory reset for that. I still don't understand what caused the issue in the first place, but I'm glad you've got it sorted now.

 

[Mudgene]

Re: Earpiece call button started going to Google Now instead of dialer dialog

Actually, I'll be sorting it out for days, typing setup data into app after app. I'll need to get an external keyboard if this is going to be a regular experience.