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Google’s Home Mini was recently caught recording a lot of data and transmitting it back to the search engine giant. The company has now decided to “permanently remove” the feature that led to constant recording. They stated that this problem affected a “small number” of Home Mini units that were recording thousands of times a day without the user triggering the function.
In a statement released today, the company said that “we want people to have complete peace of mind while using Google Home Mini.” The feature Home Mini shipped with let owners activate Google Assistant and control music by tapping the top of the speaker. Turns out that some of the units had an issue: touches were being registered without the user not even being there. This means that the Home Mini unit was recording all the time.
Thanks to Android Police for identifying the issue in their review unit and bringing it to our attention. Because of this, Google saved itself from another potential PR nightmare. They were able to correct this issue before units started shipping out to customers.
The software fix is expected to rollout October 15th, a few days before the Mini ships. Originally, the company hoped to return the now-disabled feature in the future, but it is now permanently removing it from the device. Google wants to give customers a peace of mind when using the Home Mini and this is a step in the right direction.
