Google Home Speakers Trigger Massive Background Data Downloads
AI-generated image · US National Wire
A firmware update glitch is causing some new Google Home Speaker models to consume hundreds of gigabytes of data.
Some owners of the new Google Home Speaker model are reporting a bug that triggers continuous, massive background data downloads, as The Verge first reported. Reports from Reddit users and 9to5Google indicate that the issue may stem from the devices failing to properly download and install a firmware update.
The scale of the data consumption varies significantly by device. 9to5Google reported one impacted speaker used 132GB over a month, while an unaffected device in a different household used only 2GB in the same timeframe. A user on Reddit noted that their own device was using over 200GB of data daily.
Google confirmed the issue in a statement to 9to5Google, noting that a fix is currently rolling out to address the problem. While the issue appears tied to the newest speaker model, it remains unclear how many devices are affected. The Verge noted that users on limited data plans are particularly at risk, as the bug can exhaust data allotments without the user's knowledge unless they actively monitor device usage.