First firmware update for the new Google Home Speaker improves network traffic

The brand new Google Home Speaker just recently started arriving for new purchasers, but Google is pushing out its first post-launch software patch.According to a new report from 9to5Google, Google is actively rolling out a new production firmware update across its smart speaker ecosystem. While the spotlight is on the newly released Google Home Speaker, the update is also making its way to older hardware, including the Nest Audio, Nest Mini, Home Mini, and the original Google Home.

A highly specific network fix

Usually, when these background firmware updates roll out, the release notes are incredibly vague, relying on the classic “Bug fixes and improvements” boilerplate. This time, however, Google is being very specific. The new firmware version (jumping to 3.78.5.40761) officially notes that it “Improves network traffic.”

While a network traffic optimization might sound a bit dry, it is likely addressing a highly annoying bug that some early adopters have been dealing with. Over the last week, some users reported their new Google Home Speakers were repeatedly dropping and reconnecting to their routers, triggering back-to-back “joined your Wi-Fi network” notifications in the middle of the night. This patch appears to be the direct fix to keep those network connections stable and your notification tray clean.

How to check your firmware version

Google is bypassing the usual Preview Program track for this release, meaning it is actively rolling out to all standard production devices right now.

Because Google handles smart home updates completely in the background, you don’t actually need to press a button to initiate the download. However, if you want to verify that your speaker has successfully pulled the patch, you can check its current status directly from your phone:

• Open the Google Home app and tap on your specific speaker.
• Tap the settings gear icon in the top-right corner.
• Tap Device information, and then check the version number listed under Technical information.

If you haven’t seen the .40761 version number hit your device just yet, sit tight. These rollouts can sometimes take a few days to hit every region, but your speaker should automatically update itself while idle very soon.