[Updated] Google Home not broadcasting latest BBC News, stuck on old feed

Update (August 14):

Google is looking into the issue.

https://twitter.com/madebygoogle/status/1029166471379730432
https://twitter.com/madebygoogle/status/1029168735590862849

Original story:

The title says it all. Google Home users are now reporting an issue related to news broadcast, specifically for BBC News, wherein Google’s smart speakers are stuck and repeating last Thursday’s (i.e. August 09) news feed/report instead of the updated one.

The complainants say:

When I ask my Google Home to play me the latest news, it insists on ‘resuming’ a BBC broadcast from last Thursday. How do I get it to reset so that it always just plays me the most up-to-date news from the beginning.

Every morning when I get up I say “good morning Google” and enjoy listening to the weather, the day I have planned and the BBC news headlines and BBC world news, but since Thursday, Google seems to have decided that there is no new news. It’s been playing the same news reports from 1pm on Thursday 9th August. It’s currently Sunday 12th August and there has been plenty of news since then on the BBC feeds! I tried removing and readding the news steams, and rebooting all my devices, but I get the same news on all on my devices (three Google Minis and one Google Home and my phone is a Pixel 2). How do I get Google Home to notice the newer updates? It’s driving me mad hearing the same stuff about Boris Johnson over and over.

Having the same problem here – the BBC are putting out updates through their website (the latest being from four hours ago) with news clips from today so I’m not entirely sure what’s causing the google feed to not update.

Not only users, even Google’s Top Contributors (on Google Home Help forum) are also encountering the same issue.

Apart from the official help forum (1,2), complaints can be seen across micro-blogging site Twitter and online discussion forum Reddit as well.

As can be seen in the top contributor’s post, they promised to escalate the matter. But there was no follow up after that.

On the other hand, here’s what @madebyGoogle told one of the complainants lately on Twitter:

Though the problem is yet to be officially acknowledged, apparently it has been brought to Google’s notice. We hope they take a look into whatever is preventing BBC News broadcast from updating, and do the needful to fix things up soon.

Meanwhile, we are keeping an active tab on the matter and will keep you posted in case any further development takes place.

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