Users report that opening the Google Home app on iPhone and iPad triggers connected smart lights to turn on instead of remaining off, highlighting a broader instability in Google’s smart-home software exclusive to iOS devices.
Opening the Google Home app on iPhone and iPad is reportedly doing the opposite of what users want: turning connected smart lights on. Reports gathered by Android Authority say the behaviour affects a range of devices, including bulbs, dimmers and LED strips from brands such as Govee, Philips Hue, Tapo and Kasa, and that the fault appears confined to the iOS version of the app. Android and the web interface are said to be unaffected.
The most troubling part for users is that manual controls do not seem to hold. According to complaints cited by Android Authority, lights switched off through the app can come back on within seconds, leaving some owners to resort to force-quitting the app, unlinking third-party accounts or unplugging lights entirely. The reports also suggest that hub-based setups are not immune.
The problem lands alongside a separate wave of Google Home complaints about lights showing as offline or not responding. TechRadar, T3 and 9to5Google have all reported that Google has acknowledged that issue and is working on a fix, while Android Authority has previously covered related bugs affecting lights and switches in the Home app. Taken together, the reports point to a broader instability in Google’s smart-home software rather than a single isolated fault.
For now, there is no confirmed workaround for the iOS lighting bug beyond avoiding the app or disconnecting affected devices. Google has been contacted for comment on the automatic power-on behaviour and on when a repair might arrive, but no public fix has been announced in the reports reviewed here.
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