Google's devices are among the best smart speakers, but some of them appear to have lost key features following a patent ruling against the tech giant in a lawsuit against Sonos.

On Thursday, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled against Google in a lawsuit filed by Sonos regarding patent infringement. Google has now outlined changes to its Nest Audio and Google Home speaker product lines to bring them in line with the outcome, but some users are not satisfied.

The most significant change affects those with multiple speakers in their homes, who will need to adjust the volume on each speaker individually, rather than together as a group. The volume of a group of speakers will also no longer be able to be adjusted using the Google Home app using the volume controls on the phone.

"Most speaker groups should continue to function as expected, unless you have a speaker group that includes other brands of Cast-based devices such as JBL or Lenovo.

Finally, "a few users" will need to use the "Device Utility app" to install the product and get updates. Since this appears to apply only to devices that have not yet been updated, those most likely to be affected are those who have not yet purchased, i.e., have not yet set up their Christmas gifts.

At the time of the ruling, Sonos warned that while Google could have its non-infringing patent design approved by the ITC, the workaround could be bad news for customers. In a statement, Sonos said that such actions could "diminish or remove product features in a way that circumvents the import ban" and that such changes "could sacrifice the consumer experience."

Instead, it asked Google to pay royalties for the features, but the search giant apparently chose the former option regardless of user response.

Many owners of Nest Audio and Google Home devices will likely not be affected. Nonetheless, users who purchase more than one are, by definition, the company's most dedicated customers, and this decision risks angering them.

As of this writing, the post announcing the change has received 179 comments, the overwhelming majority of which are not sympathetic to this situation." The highest rated comment is "completely negates the reason I purchased Google Speakers for my home." It continues, "I believe a rebate is in order and your device no longer works as advertised or sold.

"Either hire better lawyers and win the lawsuit, pay Sonos royalties, or start refunding customers," echoes another comment.

Because this post is on the Google Nest Community blog, anyone can add tags to the post, and as of this writing, 12, including "BaitAndSwitch," "Cheapskates," and "False Advertising" undesirable terms have been added by disgruntled users.

While consumer backlash is almost always greater online than in the real world, it is clear that some of Google's most loyal customers are upset and looking for alternatives. Amazon could see this as a real opportunity to turn them into one of the best Alexa speakers instead.