Google Home speakers are burning through Wi-Fi data

What BBN said about it

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   Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentA writer at Wired found his Google Home speaker was using more data than all his other devices combined, and then found other smart home gadgets doing the same.

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   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorSo what is it actually downloading? Because it's a speaker. It plays songs and tells you the weather.

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   Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentAndroid Authority says one user saw a firmware update of about four hundred sixty megabytes downloading every twenty minutes, which adds up to roughly thirty-five gigabytes a day.

4. 

   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorI'd call that a speaker with a very thorough update culture. It simply wants to be sure it has the update.

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   Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentIt has the update. It has it every twenty minutes.

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   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorAnd another user reported three point three terabytes in a single month. That's a lot of thoroughness.

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   Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentThe leading theory is that failed firmware downloads keep retrying, but Google hasn't confirmed that cause.

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   Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentIts public changelog for a related firmware test doesn't mention data usage at all.

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   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorWhich I'd describe as a transparency-forward changelog that trusts you to find out on your own bill.

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    Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentGoogle told 9to5Google a fix is already rolling out.

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    Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentI'd say that's a three out of five on trust, and the fix is also a download.

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    Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorAnd that's the beauty of it. The speaker will finally have something new to download.