- Google Home devices keep on failing
- A smart light voice control bug has been acknowledged
- Now Google might face a lawsuit
Last week, we reported on a growing number of complaints about Google Home devices, with the smart home gadgets failing to deal with commands properly or throwing up other bugs. This week, it seems the problem is getting worse rather than better.
Google did respond to the initial wave of reports by saying that fixes and upgrades are on the way. However, Android Police spotted a Reddit thread saying that voice controls for smart lights were now completely broken and not working at all.
The fact that the official GoogleNestCommunity account on Reddit acknowledged the problem shows it's a real issue, which isn't something you want to see when Google has already promised to take action to remedy the situation.
Have a browse through the whole Google Home subreddit, and you don't have to scroll far to find reports of bugs – in fact, most of the posts are about malfunctions across doorbells, thermostats, smart speakers, and just about every other device type.
This could mean a lawsuit
The situation has gotten so bad that there are rumblings of a lawsuit, because Google clearly isn't delivering the smooth and integrated smart experience you might expect if you've picked up one of its Google Home or Google Nest devices.
US law firm Kaplan Gore has announced it has "begun investigating a possible class action" against Google, because so many users are now reporting broken functionality – despite most of these devices having worked fine in the past.
"Reports further indicate that, rather than fixing these issues, Google is allowing the issues with Google Home to increase in scale and frequency nationwide, and is not providing the service it promised users," says Kaplan Gore.
Kaplan Gore is now asking affected users to fill out a form explaining the problems they're having with Google Home, as it explores possible grounds for a lawsuit. It seems Google's neglect of its smart home ecosystem might come with a significant price to pay.
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