Google Maps ‘Ghost’ Keeps Talking To Users, App Vows To Bust It
Image via BigTunaOnline / Shutterstock.com
There are sleep paralysis demons, and now, a Google Maps “ghost” that’s haunting people in their waking life.
With Halloween still more than a month away, users were spooked to hear an intermittent voice change from their Google Maps app. The tool would start off speaking in its default voice, before suddenly switching to a male version with a slight East Indian accent, BGR details.
“On my trip home today, it was mostly the woman voice, then suddenly for one instruction, it talked in what sounded like a deep man’s voice with a slight Indian accent,” one person reported on Reddit.
One Twitter user noted that the mysterious voice would keep possessing their voice assistant. “My Google Maps voice keeps going in [and] out of an English woman voice… I don’t know how to fix this or why this has happened… please send help.”
Some expressed feeling “weirded out” and were concerned about their app possibly being hacked. “Nobody would believe me,” said a witness.
Google maps have issue😂 My voice selection is always default (US lady voice).Since yesterday, US lady voice and Indian guy voice navigate on my google maps. I've checked google map setting but it's not my problem! I've found some people have same issue!#googleMaps #issue pic.twitter.com/4yTUj5Mjwh
— 🇯🇵ユニボン🇨🇦 (@Churro_Can) September 15, 2021
While the issue seems to only affect a small group, one Redditor lamented that their “whole work crew noticed it.”
Google is aware of the bug and says a fix is on the way. However, it did not elaborate on what is causing the voice switch. “The team is working on a fix and it will be rolled out soon. Thank you for your patience,” it responded last Thursday.
Have you been followed by the “ghost” of Google Maps? In related news, here’s what’s been following Google Street View to be able to snap photos of places around the world.
My google maps voice keeps going in an out of a English women voice to an Indian man, idk how to fix this or why this has happened pls send help 😭
— Abira (@Abira_r) September 15, 2021
WHY DID MY GOOGLE MAPS VOICE RANDOMLY TURN INTO AN EAST INDIAN MAN TO GIVE ME THE WRONG DIRECTIONS THEN CHANGE BACK INTO THE LADY
— yamy (@amyaliece666) September 14, 2021
So this is weird...while driving with Google Maps giving me directions in a feminine voice with a generic North American accent, it randomly switched to a masculine voice with some sort of South Asian accent...MULTIPLE times? Does this happen to anyone else? Why is it doing this?
— Benjamin Cheung | 張煦 | 장후 (@UBCDrBenCh) September 14, 2021
Am I the only one that has an East Indian voice intermittently jumping in for @GoogleMaps directions lately? #yegtraffic #canada
— Lincoln Ho | Yegventures 🇻🇦🇨🇦🇭🇰 (@yegventures) September 15, 2021
[via BGR, cover image via BigTunaOnline / Shutterstock.com]
