Troubles mount for Google Home speakers as recurring malfunctions escalate, with a pending legal action on the horizon.
In recent times, users of Google Home devices have been encountering a series of issues that have led to misheard commands, delayed or failed responses, and broken functionality in controlling smart home devices like lights and routines. These problems seem to have escalated significantly, causing a decline in the devices’ reliability and overall performance.
The root cause of these issues appears to be the ongoing phase-out of Google Assistant, the current voice assistant for Google Home, as Google prepares to replace it with its new AI, Gemini. Despite Google acknowledging these problems and promising "major improvements," users continue to experience malfunctions, leaving many frustrated.
Legal action is a potential outcome in this situation. The US law firm Kaplan Gore has announced that it is investigating a possible class action suit against Google due to the widespread and increasing failure of Google Home devices to perform as promised. They cite that instead of fixing these problems, Google is allegedly allowing issues to worsen nationwide.
In a move to gather user reports, Kaplan Gore is asking affected customers to fill out a form to explain their problems with Google Home, which could help the firm decide if it has grounds for pursuing a lawsuit.
Google has addressed these concerns publicly, with Aniah Kattukaran, Chief Product Officer for Google Home Nest, acknowledging the problems and promising improvements. An official Google moderator for the Google Home subreddit on Reddit has also responded to complaints about the voice control issues.
As the situation remains dynamic, more updates are expected from Google later in the year regarding improvements. Meanwhile, users are encouraged to follow Tom's Guide for more information on the best smart home devices available currently, updates on Google's AI overviews on Discover, and up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in Google News.
It's important to note that separate privacy-related lawsuits have been filed concerning Google Assistant’s unintended recording of conversations, though this is a distinct issue beyond device functionality.
[1] Google Home users report ongoing issues with voice control. (n.d.). TechRadar. Retrieved from https://www.techradar.com/news/google-home-users-report-ongoing-issues-with-voice-control [2] Google Home users are angry about voice control problems. (n.d.). Tom's Guide. Retrieved from https://www.tomsguide.com/news/google-home-users-are-angry-about-voice-control-problems [3] Google Home users frustrated by voice control issues. (n.d.). The Verge. Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/2/22955180/google-home-users-frustrated-voice-control-issues-gemini-ai-lawsuit [4] Google Assistant privacy lawsuit filed in California. (n.d.). Ars Technica. Retrieved from https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/03/google-assistant-privacy-lawsuit-filed-in-california/ [5] Google Home users report issues with voice control. (n.d.). CNET. Retrieved from https://www.cnet.com/tech/home-entertainment/google-home-users-report-issues-with-voice-control/
- The ongoing malfunctions with Google Home devices' voice control features, despite promises of improvements from Google, have led beneficiaries of these smart-home gadgets to consider filing a class action suit for business loss due to technology failures, as Kaplan Gore is currently investigating.
- As the finance landscape continues to be impacted by the legal issues surrounding Google Home's voice control performance, users are advised to stay informed about the best alternative smart-home devices available on the market, as reported by TechRadar, Tom's Guide, The Verge, CNET, and other technology news sources.
