Google Home Mini off to a bad start as Google disables feature which turns them into persistent listening devices

One of the reasons people are nervous installing a Google Home device is the persistent feeling the search giant may be spying on them.

In that light the discovery that their new and cute Google Home Mini is uploading snippets of sounds thousands of times per day was not too well received, resulting in Google permanently removing the feature which would allow you to activate listening mode with a long touch.

On their support site they write:

We’ve decided to permanently remove all top touch functionality on Google Home Mini. We made this decision to avoid any confusion and give you complete peace of mind while using your Mini. The update will be completely rolled out by end of day October 15, 2017.

This has the interesting knock-on effect that the only way to activate the Google Home Mini is by voice, as Touch no longer works, meaning for it to do anything it has to be listening constantly…..

The Mini’s left and right buttons will continue to work for adjusting the volume, and presumably, Google will fix the issue which alerted users that the device was constantly uploading sound clips to the My Activity page.

via The Verge