Google's fix for the weird Chromecast and Google Home glitch that broke WiFi networks will be released on January 18

electrical power line worker repair

Justin Sullivan / Staff / Getty Images

A weird glitch that caused WiFi networks to temporarily break down for certain Chromecast and Google Home users is getting a fix on Thursday January 18.

It was previously thought that Google's casting devices, like the Chromecast and Google Home, were the culprits. But a short blog post on Google's support site on Wednesday said the issue was actually isolated for Android smartphone users.

The glitch was caused by Android phones running Google's casting software, which casts music to the Google Home and video streams to Chromecast devices from Android phones.  

In certain cases, the Google Cast software inside Android smartphones would malfunction and overwhelm home WiFi routers with too much information at very high speeds. It could cause some internet speed slowdowns every so often, or cause a WiFi router to reboot entirely, causing a temporary disruption. 

The company said that Android users should look out for a Google Play Services update on their Android phones on Thursday January 18. It also suggested Android users reboot their phones and check to make sure their WiFi routers are running on the latest firmware.

NOW WATCH: A guy who reviews gadgets for a living spent a week with the iPhone X and the Pixel 2 — the winner was clear

See Also:

• A weird glitch is making Google hardware devices get stuck in sleep mode and then overload WiFi networks with data

• How to use Google's mega-hit viral app, which compares your selfies to famous works of art

• Amazon's Echo vs Google's Home: Here's how the two families stack up

SEE ALSO: The technology that hides fingerprint sensors underneath displays will make the dreaded smartphone bezel extinct