Keeping your smart devices up to date can be really easy. But on devices like any of the best smart speakers, it's also not immediately obvious what to do. This is true of the Google Nest Audio and Nest Mini, two of the best Google Assistant speakers you can buy. On your phone, it's easy, it has a screen and a menu and there's always a manual way to check for new software updates.

This isn't the case for the Google Nest speakers. Neither have built-in displays, nor much at all in the way of hardware controls. So how do you go about making sure these get updated? The good news is that you don't really have to.

Google Nest speakers should update automatically

Smart speakers such as these are designed to be as simple to use as possible. As such, the settings really just get out of the way after your initial setup process. And the same is true of updates. Google's speakers, including the older Google Home and Google Home Mini, should update automatically when there's a new version available. Though it should be said that much like Android update rollouts on Google's Pixel phones, it'll always take a period of time for every device out there to be updated.

The flip side is there is no update button and no way to manually force it. You can check the current software version in the Google Home app on your phone or tablet under Device Settings. But you'll need to visit Google's support pages to cross-reference whether or not you're up to date. It's a little clunky, but then for almost everyone with one of these speakers, this isn't something that should worry them.

If your speaker is currently in the process of updating, the lights on the top/front of the speaker will be flashing. If you see this then leave it alone until it's done.

One way to force an update on your smart speaker

While you don't need to worry about manually updating your Google Nest speaker, there is one way you can try and force it if you really want to. This involves first completing a factory reset, then setting the speaker up again as new.

During the setup process, the speaker should check for and install any new updates. As above, if it is in the process of updating the LEDs on the device will be flashing. So leave it alone until it completes.

There isn't as much need to update smart speakers like these as there is a phone or tablet, so resetting is a pretty drastic measure. Nevertheless, it should work, and is an option, too, if you're having some issues with your hardware.