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The once-popular Google Home Mini, known for its affordability and Google Assistant integration, is facing a potential issue that has left some users with bricked devices. The reason is reportedly a recent firmware update.
Over the past few weeks, users on Google’s forum and Reddit have shared their experiences of the Home Mini suddenly failing to turn on, even after attempting a hard reset. The four lights on the device illuminated, but it didn’t go any further, rendering the speaker non-operational. While the problem is related to a recent firmware update, it’s important to note that the update didn’t affect all units.
According to a Google community manager, the company is investigating the problem. Affected users can to submit feedback reports with the “Send device usage data and crash reports to Google” option enabled to help Google diagnose the issue. Some users have reported a temporary resolution where their bricked units started working after being plugged in overnight. However, it’s not consistent for all affected devices.
Users with a working Google Home Mini may prevent installation of the firmware causing the issue until it gets a fix
As the Home Mini is now a few years old, users facing this issue are ineligible for replacements through Google’s support, as the standard one-year warranty has expired. This leaves affected users in a somewhat precarious position, dependent on Google’s efforts to resolve the bug and issue a corrective update.
This isn’t the first time Google has faced a firmware-related problem with the Home Mini. A similar incident occurred in September 2019, leading to Google offering free replacements to affected customers. However, the current situation is unique as the Home Mini is no longer officially on sale. Users may disconnect their working Home Mini units from the internet to prevent automatic updates that might trigger the reported bricking issue until Google provides a resolution.
We will update the story as Google shares more information or hopefully a fix. Affected users and the broader tech community will observe Google’s response to this issue, especially considering the device’s age.
