Latest news with #techissues
Android Authority
24-07-2025
- Android Authority
Survey: 7 in 10 Google Home users say their devices are no longer reliable
A few days ago, we highlighted a Reddit thread packed with complaints about Google Home speakers and hubs. A clear theme emerged: Google's smart home devices are no longer working as they should. Users are increasingly frustrated as core features like controlling lights, running routines, and using speaker groups have become unreliable. Simple voice commands that once worked flawlessly now frequently fail. While the Reddit thread gave us a strong sense of the widespread frustration, Google eventually acknowledged the issues, apologized for the degraded experience, and promised major improvements this fall. To gauge just how far-reaching the problem is, we also ran a poll on our website asking readers whether they have also noticed a decline in performance. The results are in and, unsurprisingly, they paint a troublesome picture. Google is facing a serious issue. If it doesn't deliver on its promise to fix things soon, it risks losing even more users, many of whom have already given up and left the ecosystem altogether. Are your Google Home or Nest speakers and hubs still working as expected? The question we asked our readers was simple: Are your Google Home and Nest speakers and hubs working as expected? The overwhelming response was a resounding no. Of nearly 10,000 voters, 55% reported frequent glitches and failed commands, while another 16.5% said their devices have become nearly unusable. Combined, that's 71.5%, or roughly 7 out of 10 users reporting serious issues. And in saying that, we're not considering the 19.8% of voters who said they're experiencing minor issues. One survey participant told Android Authority: Yea I have a lot of Google smart home devices and they're all over the place. Lights randomly turning down to 1% brightness, not turning on when asked, turning random colours, light routines not running as expected… asking to play a certain album or artist generates random responses & more 'Sorry it looks like that device hasn't been set up yet' responses than I can count. This kind of frustration could be heard across hundreds of responses. Another user commented on a broader issue with Google's direction for its smart home ecosystem: The entire Google Home ecosystem has stagnated. They no longer appear to be serious about improving the smart home as much as shoveling AI into everything… My intention is to replace [Google devices] with open source hardware solutions as they improve. That growing sense of abandonment is evident in many longtime users who once swore by the platform: I used to be such a fan. I think I own 8 or 9 Google smart home devices. They have gotten so much worse… Now, at least half the time, I'm forced to go to my phone or desktop for information or controls. My guess is sabotaging Assistant to improve the perception of Gemini. Ryan Haines / Android Authority Surprisingly, only 4% of respondents said they've completely stopped using their Google Home devices. While it's likely that some who reported degraded performance have also reduced usage or switched to alternatives, the fact of the matter is that many users have heavily invested in the ecosystem over the years and now feel stuck. 'Google are happy to flush all their customers and all the goodwill we once had. I will never buy another Google product, and suggest that we all do the same. My house full of 'home' products that are basically useless now. I'm not happy, I'm angry,' a user noted. Another user shared a similar frustration, saying, 'I'm done with Google for smart home products, just a rapidly accumulating crate of e-waste as I'm replacing everything. Just a few smart speakers and one useless Nest floodlight camera left to replace.' Comment after comment echoed the same sentiments. Perhaps most concerning is how many users described years of reliable performance before things began to fall apart. 'Today is the worst it's ever been. I have 11 lights, a smart thermostat, and a smart door lock — all supported and controlled by Google Home. Things have been working nearly perfectly for years, but in the last few months, controlling these items has become almost futile… And this whole house of cards is crashing down lately,' a long-time user noted. The data from our survey and the flood of personal stories paint a grim picture for Google's smart home products. Despite the company's acknowledgment of the issues and a promise of improvements, trust has already been eroded. Users aren't just experiencing bugs, they're questioning whether Google is still committed to the smart home space. And with many already replacing their devices or considering alternatives, the company is quickly running out of time to turn things around.
Daily Mail
06-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
NatWest app is down: Thousands of frustrated customers are unable to send payments
Natwest customers have been unable to make payments as the bank's and online services have been hit with technical issues. More than 3,000 customers had complained about the issue by 10am this morning, outage monitoring site DownDetector recorded. The site showed a surge of complaints in the early morning, from shortly before 9am. Natwest customers have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to air their frustrations, with droves of users complaining about the bank's online services. One user wrote: 'My Natwest app isn't working. Your service status page says 'service working normally' where it clearly isn't. My internet works perfectly fine hence this tweet from the same device.' Another fumed : 'NatWest Mobile Banking App is down … BUT WHY do they make you check whether it's a fault at your end and their status page makes out everything's ok when it isn't? They've shut all the branches forcing travel to the big cities WHATS THE POINT.' While a third added: 'Anyone else having trouble accessing the NatWest online banking app? @Natwest_Help it's not ideal to lock people out of their accounts during a cost of living crisis.' Someone else said: 'Another day another service outage.... Starting to get used to bad service to be honest. Now might be the best time for me to switch banks.' A statement on the mobile app reads: 'We're sorry, some kind of error has occurred when trying to establish a connection between your device and ourselves. Please close the app and try again' Replying to one begrudged account holder, a Natwest spokesperson said: 'Thanks so much for reaching out to us regarding this issue. 'We're aware of an issue with our mobile app that's affecting some of our customer. 'I appreciate this isn't ideal but rest assured this is something our team are aware of and working quickly to resolve.' A statement on the mobile app reads: 'We're sorry, some kind of error has occurred when trying to establish a connection between your device and ourselves. Please close the app and try again.' The bank has an estimated 19 million customers. MailOnline has approached Natwest for comment. How do I check the status of NatWest? You can check the bank's service status page to see how NatWest is performing. The page contains information about mobile banking, online banking and card transactions. NatWest also regularly updates the page to keep customers informed about issues or planned maintenance. Keep returning to this page to check for any updates and confirmation of the issues being resolved. Generally, the provider will also give updates on its service via its social media channels. How can I contact NatWest? If you are experiencing issues with NatWest, you can visit your nearest local branches, fill in an online complaint form, call by phone or speak to a virtual assistant.
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Eurovision semi-final plunged into chaos as live show suffers tech issues and camera malfunctions
Eurovision 's 2025 semi-final was plunged into chaos as Tuesday night's live show suffered tech issues and camera malfunctions. During host Switzerland's performance, viewers at home struggled to focus on Swiss singer Zoë Më. As the 24-year-old took to the stage for a special exhibition performance ahead of the final, she was upstaged by camera faults. The single camera on Zoë dramatically froze and became glitchy, leaving watches at home confused. After the song BBC hosts Rylan Clark and Scott Mills addressed the issue, while viewers at home demanded 'justice' for the act. Rylan said: 'Gorgeous song there from Zoë, she's like a young Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games. 'We should say there as well, I think there was a couple of little tech problems with that one single shot camera.' Fans on X fumed: 'now how does switzerland mess up their own camerawork for their own song.. they better fix that for satuday because that was SO BEAUTIFUL', 'Despite the great performances, tonight was quite a mess with technical errors. Between broken LED cells, faulty lighting beams and camera glitches it really shouldn't be happening during the live shows Let's hope they won't be a common for the last 2…', 'Oh no Switzerland staging is really cool but they had some problems with the cameras #Eurovision', 'not the switzerland camera breaking down #ESC2025 #Eurovision', 'HELP WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE CAMERA?????? switzerland omgggg I AM SORRY', 'Did Switzerland just experienced technical difficulties? Camera frozed? #ESC2025'. MailOnline has contacted Eurovision for comment. 10 acts qualified for Saturday's grand finale during Tuesday night's semi-final, including Swedish entrants KAJ, with song Bara Bada Bastu. As well as Sweden, Norway, Albania, Iceland, Netherlands, Poland, San Marino, Estonia, Portugal, Ukraine made it through to the final. Booting Azerbaijan, Belgium, Cyprus, Croatia and Slovenia's out of the competition. At the end of the show, Celine Dion left fans in floods of tears as she made a rare appearance via video call. The single camera on Zoë dramatically froze and became glitchy, leaving watches at home confused and demanding 'justice' for Zoe The singer, 57, famously won the contest for Switzerland in 1988 with the winning number Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi. And making an emotional return to the song contest, Celine shared some advice ahead of the anticipated final. The songstress also seemingly ruled out an appearance in this year's final after speculation she would be performing amid her battle with stiff person syndrome. She said: 'I'd love nothing more than to be with you. Switzerland will forever hold a special place in my heart. 'It's the country that believed in me and gave me the chance to be part of something so extraordinary. 'Winning the Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland in 1988, it was a life-changing moment for me and I'm so thankful for everyone who supported me. 'Now, 37 years later, I know. It's so beautiful and emotional to see Switzerland winning and hosting this incredible event once again. 'To the people of Switzerland, thank you for your love. This night is yours and I hope you feel as proud as I do.' Fans were left devastated as Celine confirmed she would not be performing or attending this year's final in Switzerland. 'That was beautiful. Celine Dion's song is actually one of my favourite Eurovision songs', 'This tribute to Celine Dion's #Eurovision win in 1998 is emotional and beautiful. Well done #ESC2025 Proper respect to a legend', 'Little tears in my eyes Celine Dion ily', 'What a true legend you are Celine Dion!', The songstress also seemingly ruled out an appearance in this year's final after speculation she would be performing She said: 'I'd love nothing more than to be with you. Switzerland will forever hold a special place in my heart' 'Celine Dion being unable to make it to Switzerland due to her health condition but still giving her love', 'The Queen Celine Dion being back I can't', 'It's so sad Celine Dion couldn't attend Eurovision', The singer was diagnosed with the incurable stiff-person syndrome in December 2022. She made her comeback at the 2024 Paris Olympics after fearing she would never perform again. The rare disorder rare has side affects that appear as muscle spasms and can impact her singing ability. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the disease affects one to three people per million and ultimately leaves sufferers as 'human statues' as it progressively locks the body into rigid positions, leaving sufferers unable to walk or talk. The star previously described the condition to NBC News as feeling like 'someone is strangling you,' pointing out the severe muscle spasms and rigidity the disorder causes. Despite the All by Myself singer's obstacles, she remains committed to finding her way back to preforming — undergoing rigorous physical and vocal therapy five days a week. The singer, who was diagnosed with the incurable stiff-person syndrome in December 2022, made her comeback at the 2024 Paris Olympics after fearing she would never perform again (pictured in 2019) At the time, the star took to Instagram to address fans in a tearful Instagram post revealing that the incurable disease would postpone her European tour at the time. She said in the clip, 'I've been dealing with problems with my health for a long time, and it has been really difficult for me to face my challenges and to talk about everything that I've been going through. 'Recently, I've been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the stiff person syndrome, which affects one in a million people. 'While we're still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what's been causing all the spasms I've been having.' Detailing the impact, Celine added: 'Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I'm used to.'
