Pixies' timeless classic "Where Is My Mind?" famously opens on Kim Deal's keening "Oooh!" before Frank Black cuts her off with a (very clear, unmistakable) "Stop!" — great way to start a song, but apparently not the best choice for starting your day if you're a Google phone user.
Last year, Google introduced a new feature that allows users to turn off alarms and timers on devices with the Assistant software by saying "Stop" out loud. As reported by Android Police, the iconic Surfer Rosa track has accidentally been messing with the Google phone alarm system, with Black's "Stop!" being interpreted as a voice command and turning off the alarm before it has the chance to wake you up.
One such Google Pixel user took to Reddit to explain their own alarm mishap involving the song:
For the past few months, I could not figure out why on random days, with seemingly no reason, sometimes my alarm would either not go off, or turn itself off very quickly. Maybe once every other week or so, I would wake up 30 minutes later on my backup alarm, with no indication as to why the first shut itself off.
Well this morning, I woke up about 5 minutes before my alarm went off, and I have cracked the code.
The alarm is set to play a Spotify playlist, and one of the songs on that playlist is "Where i\Is My Mind" by the Pixies. If you know the first line of that song, you may know where I'm going with this…
The first line in the song is "Ooohhh STOP," with the word "stop" said very clearly. My Pixel has been hearing that "stop" and turning the alarm off. Since it's a playlist on shuffle, it only comes up every once in a while, so it's not happening every morning.
Apparently, all "stops" aren't created equal, as Android Police and other Redditors weren't able to replicate the issue with other songs that feature a prominent "stop," including the Supremes' "Stop! In the Name of Love," the Hollies' "Stop Stop Stop," Jane's Addiction's "Stop," Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now," and "U Can't Touch This" and "Ice Ice Baby."
Android Police also shared a video of "Where Is My Mind?" turning off a smartphone alarm, which you can check out at the bottom of the page.
If you're looking for a good Pixies-adjacent wake-up song, might we suggest the Breeders' 2018 song "Wait in the Car," which opens with Kim Deal shouting "Good Morning!" — a solid way to jumpstart your day.
Pixies caught wind of the story and tweeted a link to the Android Police article earlier this morning, writing, "Sorry about that!"
Last year, Google introduced a new feature that allows users to turn off alarms and timers on devices with the Assistant software by saying "Stop" out loud. As reported by Android Police, the iconic Surfer Rosa track has accidentally been messing with the Google phone alarm system, with Black's "Stop!" being interpreted as a voice command and turning off the alarm before it has the chance to wake you up.
One such Google Pixel user took to Reddit to explain their own alarm mishap involving the song:
For the past few months, I could not figure out why on random days, with seemingly no reason, sometimes my alarm would either not go off, or turn itself off very quickly. Maybe once every other week or so, I would wake up 30 minutes later on my backup alarm, with no indication as to why the first shut itself off.
Well this morning, I woke up about 5 minutes before my alarm went off, and I have cracked the code.
The alarm is set to play a Spotify playlist, and one of the songs on that playlist is "Where i\Is My Mind" by the Pixies. If you know the first line of that song, you may know where I'm going with this…
The first line in the song is "Ooohhh STOP," with the word "stop" said very clearly. My Pixel has been hearing that "stop" and turning the alarm off. Since it's a playlist on shuffle, it only comes up every once in a while, so it's not happening every morning.
Apparently, all "stops" aren't created equal, as Android Police and other Redditors weren't able to replicate the issue with other songs that feature a prominent "stop," including the Supremes' "Stop! In the Name of Love," the Hollies' "Stop Stop Stop," Jane's Addiction's "Stop," Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now," and "U Can't Touch This" and "Ice Ice Baby."
Android Police also shared a video of "Where Is My Mind?" turning off a smartphone alarm, which you can check out at the bottom of the page.
If you're looking for a good Pixies-adjacent wake-up song, might we suggest the Breeders' 2018 song "Wait in the Car," which opens with Kim Deal shouting "Good Morning!" — a solid way to jumpstart your day.
Pixies caught wind of the story and tweeted a link to the Android Police article earlier this morning, writing, "Sorry about that!"