{
  "id": 15737262,
  "title": "Google Home speakers are quietly downloading hundreds of GBs of data",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/google-home-speakers-are-quietly-downloading-hundreds-of-gbs-of-data",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-20T11:05:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Android Police",
    "slug": "android-police",
    "url": "https://www.androidpolice.com/google-home-speakers-are-downloading-gbs-of-data/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Google Home smart speakers are quietly consuming hundreds of gigabytes of data in the background, potentially causing users to exceed their limited internet data plans and face unexpected overcharges. Most users will likely remain unaware of this issue, as it can only be detected by examining router settings and monitoring data usage. Many users on Reddit have reported this problem, with some experiencing up to 200GB of data downloaded daily. The first post about this issue appeared about a week ago, followed by posts detailing 35GB and 200GB of daily data usage, respectively.\n\nThe root cause of this data consumption appears to be a stuck update that downloads multiple times a day. Certain models of Google Home speaker, including the , seem to be more susceptible to this issue than others. It is recommended that users check their internet logs to ensure they are not affected by this bug. In case of a problem, users can alleviate the issue by unplugging their Google Home speaker for a few days. Google has acknowledged the issue and is working on a fix, providing relief to users experiencing excessive data consumption.",
  "summary": "Check to make sure your device isn't sapping your usage",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Android Authority",
        "title": "Some Google Home Speakers are downloading hundreds of gigs of data for no reason",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/some-google-home-speakers-are-downloading-hundreds-of-gigs-of-data",
        "published": "2026-10-20T07:36:48.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}