Google Begins Rolling Out Fix for Bricked Home Speakers

You can start downloading it as early as now.

A few days ago, some Google Home users reported that their smart speakers were no longer functioning properly. The culprit was pinned on a faulty software update, but Google has since gotten around to providing an appropriate fix.

The users affected were mostly from Google’s Preview Program, which provides feature updates before the general public gets them but aren’t labeled beta builds. This made it easier for Google’s software team to pinpoint the source of the problem and roll out a solution just two days after the reports broke out.

No Time to Waste

The good news came from a statement sent to Android Police. The Google spokesperson had this to say:

However, this doesn’t help those who can’t turn their Home smart speakers on in the first place. This only covers users whose units are still able to connect to the internet and download software updates.

This only covers users whose units are still able to connect to the internet and download software updates.

While Google hasn’t gone beyond this statement, the company has offered replacements when firmware updates would brick certain Home models in the past. It wouldn’t be surprising if the search giant applied the same remedy to the few affected this time around.

Taking Matters into Your Own Hands

If the update hasn’t reached your unit yet or it simply can’t accept the new firmware, you could try this potential solution from one affected user on Reddit for now:

The “top comment” being referred to suggested turning everything off (including your home Wi-Fi), factory resetting the smart speaker twice, and setting them up from scratch. Multiple users stated that this method worked for them too. Sadly, another user had to go through the burden of ordering a replacement.

In summary, if you hit a wall in fixing your Google Home, call customer support and hope for the best.