Hey Google, un-brick my smart speaker please.

Google’s smart speaker automatic updates are usually convenient, but they’ve been creating a lot of headaches for some device owners recently. Google has confirmed that it’s fixing a problem with firmware updates that have bricked some Home and Home Mini speakers. A handful of users have had success by temporarily unplugging the power cable or performing a factory reset, but others haven’t been so lucky — numerous owners have reported that their devices are completely unusable while it’s unclear if the devices are actually bricked you’ll know of you are affected if you see the speaker’s four lights stay lit ( and not in the good sense).

At this point the update doesn’t appear to have affected the Home Max, displays like the Home Hub or Nest-branded speakers.

The timescale for a fix is not clear however, it’s a serious problem for those unfortunate owners affected by the glitch and Google is usually good at prioritising this kind of error. While it’s a relatively minor hassle to get a speaker replaced under warranty, many Home and Home Mini devices are out of warranty. You might be forced to pay for a replacement even though Google is responsible for knocking your speaker out of commission.

Hopefully this isn’t just a ruse to get you on the next gen Nest Mini speaker.