Incident: Google Home and Google Home Mini Firmware Update Failure

Published Date: 2019-10-25

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident with Google Home and Google Home Mini devices happened at the end of last month [91498]. Estimation: Step 1: The article mentions that users have complained of bricked Home devices since the end of last month. Step 2: The article was published on 2019-10-25. Step 3: The incident occurred at the end of September 2019.
System 1. Google Home and Google Home Mini devices [91498]
Responsible Organization 1. Google - Google was responsible for causing the software failure incident that affected Google Home and Google Home Mini devices [91498].
Impacted Organization 1. Google Home users [91498]
Software Causes 1. Firmware update caused the Google Home and Google Home Mini devices to stop working, leading to the failure incident [91498].
Non-software Causes 1. Firmware update: The issue with the Google Home and Google Home Mini devices was caused by a firmware update that broke many devices [91498].
Impacts 1. Many Google Home and Google Home Mini devices were bricked, causing them to stop working [91498]. 2. Users experienced a lack of responsiveness from their devices, with all four lights showing, leading to frustration and inconvenience [91498]. 3. Google had to replace all affected units of the smart home devices, regardless of warranty coverage, to address the issue [91498]. 4. The incident resulted in a delay in providing a fix, with users waiting for nearly a month before receiving an update on the firmware update causing the problem [91498].
Preventions 1. Implementing thorough testing procedures before releasing firmware updates could have prevented the software failure incident [91498]. 2. Conducting beta testing with a diverse group of users to identify potential issues before a widespread release could have helped prevent the issue [91498]. 3. Improving communication channels with customers to provide timely updates and information about ongoing issues could have mitigated the impact of the software failure incident [91498].
Fixes 1. Google is working on a fix for the firmware update issue that caused the Google Home and Google Home Mini devices to stop working [91498]. 2. Google will be replacing all affected units of the smart home devices regardless of warranty coverage [91498]. 3. Google will start rolling out a fix 'soon' to prevent the issue from happening on other devices in the future [91498].
References 1. Google's official statement provided to 9to5Google [Article 91498] 2. Google community forums where users complained about the issue [Article 91498]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident has happened again at one_organization: The article mentions that Google had to replace affected Google Home and Google Home Mini devices due to a firmware update that caused them to stop working. This incident indicates a software failure within Google's products [91498]. (b) The software failure incident has happened again at multiple_organization: There is no specific mention in the provided article about similar incidents happening at other organizations or with their products and services. Therefore, it is unknown if this software failure incident has occurred at multiple organizations.
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident in the article is related to the design phase. Google Home and Google Home Mini devices were affected by a firmware update that caused the devices to stop working. This issue was attributed to the firmware update, indicating a failure introduced during the system development or update process [91498]. (b) The software failure incident in the article is also related to the operation phase. Users complained about the lack of responsiveness from their Google Home devices, which were stuck with all four lights showing. This indicates a failure introduced by the operation or use of the system [91498].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident with Google Home and Google Home Mini devices was caused by a firmware update issued by Google. This update led to the devices becoming unresponsive, with users reporting that the devices were stuck with all four lights showing. Google acknowledged the issue and mentioned that they are working on a fix to address the problem [91498]. (b) outside_system: There is no specific mention in the article about the software failure incident being caused by contributing factors originating from outside the system.
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions, human_actions (a) The software failure incident in this case was attributed to a firmware update that caused Google Home and Google Home Mini devices to stop working. Users complained about their devices being bricked and unresponsive after the update, indicating a failure due to contributing factors introduced without human participation [91498]. (b) On the other hand, human actions were involved in responding to the incident. Google apologized to its customers, acknowledged the issue, and stated that they are working on a fix. The company also mentioned that they will replace all affected devices regardless of warranty coverage, showing a response from human actions to address the software failure incident [91498].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware, software (a) The software failure incident in this case seems to be related to hardware issues. Users complained about their Google Home and Google Home Mini devices being bricked after a firmware update, indicating a problem with the physical devices themselves [91498]. Google acknowledged the issue and mentioned that affected units would be replaced regardless of warranty, suggesting a hardware-related failure. (b) The software failure incident is also related to software issues. Google mentioned that a firmware update caused the devices to stop working, indicating a software glitch [91498]. The company stated that they are working on a fix and will roll out an update to prevent the issue from occurring on other devices in the future, highlighting a software-related issue that needed to be addressed.
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident related to the Google Home and Google Home Mini devices was non-malicious. The issue was caused by a firmware update that broke many devices, leading to them becoming unresponsive and displaying all four lights continuously. Google acknowledged the problem, apologized to customers, and stated that they are working on a fix to prevent the issue from occurring on other devices in the future. They also announced that they would replace all affected units regardless of warranty coverage [91498].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) accidental_decisions (a) The software failure incident related to the bricked Google Home and Google Home Mini devices was not due to poor decisions but rather an accidental decision. Google released a firmware update that unintentionally caused the devices to stop working, leading to customer complaints and the need for replacements [91498].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) development_incompetence, accidental (a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article as Google released a firmware update that caused many Google Home and Google Home Mini devices to stop working [91498]. This indicates a failure due to contributing factors introduced due to a lack of professional competence by the development team at Google. (b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is also apparent in the article as Google acknowledged that a firmware update broke many devices unintentionally, leading to the need for replacements and a fix to prevent the issue from happening on other devices in the future [91498]. This indicates a failure due to contributing factors introduced accidentally.
Duration temporary The software failure incident related to the Google Home and Google Home Mini devices was temporary. Users complained about their devices being bricked since the end of the previous month [91498]. Google acknowledged the issue caused by a firmware update and mentioned that they are working on a fix to prevent the problem from occurring on other devices in the future. Additionally, Google stated that they will replace all affected units regardless of warranty coverage, indicating a temporary failure that can be rectified through a fix and replacement of affected devices.
Behaviour crash, omission, value, other (a) crash: The software failure incident described in the article can be categorized as a crash. Users complained that their Google Home and Google Home Mini devices were bricked, showing all four lights and becoming unresponsive, indicating a failure where the system stopped working and lost its state [91498]. (b) omission: The software failure incident can also be related to omission. Users reported that their devices were not responding and were stuck with all four lights showing, indicating a failure where the system omitted to perform its intended functions at that instance [91498]. (c) timing: The timing of the software failure incident is not explicitly mentioned in the article. (d) value: The software failure incident can be associated with a value failure. Users complained about the lack of responsiveness from their devices, suggesting that the system was performing its intended functions incorrectly [91498]. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident is not described as exhibiting byzantine behavior in the article. (f) other: The software failure incident can be categorized as a firmware update issue that led to the devices becoming unresponsive and bricked, which could be considered as a specific type of failure behavior not covered by the options provided [91498].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence property, non-human The consequence of the software failure incident described in the article is as follows: (d) property: People's material goods were impacted due to the software failure. Users complained of bricked Google Home and Google Home Mini devices, which essentially rendered the devices non-functional [91498].
Domain information (a) The failed system in this incident is related to the information industry as it involves Google Home and Google Home Mini smart devices that are used for various information-related tasks such as voice assistance, smart home control, and information retrieval [91498].

Sources

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