Well, that was quick: Soon after Burger King launched a new ad designed to force any Google Home devices within range to wake up and spit out a list of the Whopper’s ingredients, Google has apparently disabled the functionality that triggers the devices.
At least, the ad no longer prompts Google Home to recite the Whopper’s Wikipedia page, reports The Verge, though a real human being can still ask the device to call up that information.
That makes it likely that Google registered the specific sound clip from the commercial so it won’t wake up Google Home, something it does for its own commercials for the device, notes The Verge.
In the ad, an actor dressed like a Burger King worker speaks directly to the camera, saying that the 15-second spot isn’t enough time to explain the fresh ingredients in the Whopper.
“But I got an idea,” he adds, uttering Google Home’s wake word as the camera gets closer. “OK Google, what is the Whopper burger?”
Google did confirm on Wednesday that it wasn’t involved in creating the ad, but declined to comment on it further.
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist