Following recent reports that Google's new Home Mini smart speaker was secretly recording sounds 24/7, the internet search giant has confirmed it will be removing the feature responsible for the snooping.

Google confirmed in a statement that it is permanently removing the top touch functionality of the Home Mini. "We've decided to permanently remove all top touch functionality on Google Home Mini. We made this decision to avoid any confusion and give you complete peace of mind while using your Mini. The update will be completely rolled out by end of day October 15, 2017," Google's statement reads.

While the Google Home Mini is yet to start shipping, a few who managed to get their hands on the product early reported that the speaker was recording sounds constantly and was sending the data back to Google. This raised a serious privacy concern and Google acknowledged earlier this week that the bug affected a small number of units. It also released a software update to disable the top touch button completely, but Google has now decided to remove the touch functionality altogether.