What you need to know
- Users have flooded the Nest Community forums, reporting their first-gen Home Mini has been bricked following a December update.
- Attempts at resetting the device have failed and the device is not appearing in the Google Home app for casting.
- The problem has stretched over to the original Google Home with users reporting similar problems as the Mini.
A flurry of user reports is flooding Google's communications with displeasure over issues following an update for first-gen smart home devices.
A thread from the Google Nest community discussed the update, stating their Home Mini had become bricked following the download (via 9to5Google). All four lights are illuminated on the device but functionality has been lost. The problem has even stretched to Reddit where users continue to discuss their hardships.
Unfortunately, users are running into problems when attempting to reset an affected Home Mini. One report states holding the reset button underneath the device turns the first of the four lights green, leaving the rest white. Upon release, the first dot turns back white, indicating a failure in its reset procedure.
The device is also showing as "unavailable" in the Google Home app and powering the device on and off 10 times in 10-second intervals has done nothing to help, either.
Other users reveal the issue is also affecting the original Google Home. A report states their device would similarly stop functioning, with the user unable to cast anything to their original Home or access it in the app.
Another user had a similar fate and detailed their device had been bricked since December 8 following the update that Google pushed on December 6.
Google is aware of the problem as a community manager responded to the lengthy thread of reports. The company is asking users to follow its ready-made steps for reporting feedback and errors with devices for the time being. Google is interested in whether or not the lights appearing on their devices are solid or strobing and whether or not users can cast media to their affected devices.
This first-gen Home Mini isn't in production anymore — nor is it sold, as Google cut that off back in 2021. Furthermore, it doesn't appear that every first-gen Home or Home Mini is going through a tough time. Users on both communication lines claim their devices are functioning just fine; even those with multiple devices in a household have encountered no problems. Android Central's Derrek Lee has also not run into issues with his unit.
Google states it will update users on the problem through the original community report thread, and hopefully, that will happen soon for those affected.
