US — The Verge
Some Google Home Speakers caught downloading hundreds of gigs of data
Devices1 min read
Some Google Home Speaker owners say their devices are downloading huge amounts of data in the background. Google says a fix is already rolling out.
What happened
Some owners of Google Home Speakers found that their devices were quietly downloading hundreds of gigabytes of data. The problem was first reported by the tech site 9to5Google and several Reddit users. One Reddit user saw his speaker use more than 200GB in a single day. Google says it knows about the problem and that a fix is on the way.
Key numbers
- One owner's speaker used more than 200GB in one day.
- A Home Speaker in a different home downloaded just 2GB in the past month.
- An affected device used 132GB over the same month.
- Tom Warren, a colleague of the article's writer, says his speaker is not affected.
What might be causing it
The bug may happen when the speaker fails to download and install a firmware update. Firmware is the basic software that runs a device. Most of the reports involve the new Google Home Speaker model, but it is not clear how many devices are affected.
Why it matters
People with a limited data plan could run out of their monthly data without knowing. They would only notice if they often check how much data their devices use. Google's quick fix should help, but owners with limited plans may want to check their usage now.
What to watch
- Whether Google's fix stops the extra downloads.
- Google's answer about what caused the bug.
- How many devices are affected.
- Whether Google shares more details about the impacted models.
Glossary
- Google Home Speaker
- A smart speaker from Google that you control with your voice and that connects to your home devices.
- firmware
- The basic software built into a device that tells its hardware how to work.
- 9to5Google
- A website that reports news about Google products and services.
- data plan
- A monthly phone or internet package that gives you a set amount of data to use.