Google has acknowledged an ongoing issue affecting various smart home products that appear offline in the Google Home app, regardless of whether they’re on or off. Google is working on a fix, but there’s no estimate of how long the outage will last.
As Android Authority reports, a number of Reddit posts over the past 48 hours complain that a range of smart home products are not functioning properly in the Google Home app, including light switches, outlets, power modules, bulbs, and air purifiers. Users report that the devices respond to voice control via Gemini and that native applications still appear to have access to them, so this is clearly a Google Home issue. Some users say that their cameras, smart speakers, and displays all seem to be working fine.
“We are aware of an issue causing some devices to show offline in the Google Home app. We are working to resolve this ASAP and will circle back when the fix rolls out,” a Google spokesperson said in the Google Home subreddit.
(Credit: Patrick Fallon via Getty Images)
According to Downdetector, Gemini saw a spike in connection trouble around 10 a.m. yesterday. It leveled off and then started to climb again this morning.
Some suggested fixes from community members include signing on to a VPN, connecting to Google Home, removing the problematic devices from Google Home, and re-adding them.
Those keen to point fingers have suggested that Google’s transition from the Google Assistant to Gemini may be the culprit, but Google has not confirmed anything. Others say this issue has cropped up intermittently over the past few months.
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Google has not been endearing itself to the smart home community lately. Ending support for early-generation Nest thermostats annoyed fans so much that a community project popped up to re-enable the suddenly dumb devices.
Disclosure: Downdetector is owned by PCMag parent company Ziff Davis.
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Jon Martindale is a tech journalist from the UK, with 20 years of experience covering all manner of PC components and associated gadgets. He’s written for a range of publications, including ExtremeTech, Digital Trends, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, and Lifewire, among others. When not writing, he’s a big board gamer and reader, with a particular habit of speed-reading through long manga sagas.
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