15+ Times Gadgets Went Completely Off the Rail (2025)

• Myparents have asmart speaker inthe kitchen. Mymother was embroidering one night with amovie playing inthe background. Anactress said emotionally, “Listen, Lora, you’re getting married, aren’t you?” And then mom got really scared because she heard someone else’s voice answered from somewhere behind her, “Really? Towhom?” Acouple ofseconds ofhorror. Mom turns round, there’s noone inthe kitchen and only the smart speaker isglowing.©Ziraiel/ Pikabu

• SomyAlexa calledme, onmyphone itshowed upasnocaller ID. Ithought some random person was calling, soI didn’t answer. Itrecorded amessage ofmysister andI, just talking, and showed upasavoicemail onmyphone. @ babyodie/ Reddit

• Mymom isblind, soAlexa isvery helpful toher. Myhusband andI got her aNest thermostat that she controls using Alexa tomake things easier for her. One night, she was warm and asked, “Alexa, what’s the hallway temperature?” Noanswer. She asked again, “Alexa, what’s the hallway temperature?” Alexa responded with, “When Ido not answer, itisbecause Iam playing agame.” @ Damsell/ Reddit

• Ialways laughed atpeople who give names totheir appliances. All myfriends’ robot vacuums have names. But I’m anormal person, I’m not naming avacuum.
  Itlived without aname for aweek. Then heripped out the modem wire, found some bag, rustled itinthe corridor for along time, finally somehow got inside, got tangled upand started screaming. And that’s it, now it’s Kitty! ©Overheard/ Ideer

• Myhusband was away for the weekend andI had agirlfriend over towatch scary movies. Right atthe scariest climax ofthe movie, every single light inmyhouse turned on100%, then everything went completely black. Sothere wewere, too scared tomove, while myhusband halfway across the country was showing off “Look, Ican control the lights inmyhouse from myphone.” @ hulagirl4737/ Reddit

• Ijust got myfirst echo dot amonth ago. Italerted metoday whenI just opened the door tolet meknow 2Amazon packages have arrived... Also, Ican besitting inthe other room, and itwill start talking completely unprovoked. Ihaven’t been able tohear what itsays and whenI ask ittorepeat itself itrepeats stuff from days ago.... @ InsertBluescreenHere/ Reddit

• The washing machine has been acting uplately. Itwon’t start the washing, saying the door isnot closed. You can stand and push the start button for along time, you never know when itdecides tostart. But mywife quickly found anapproach toit.
  After the machine’s second refusal, she says loudly, “Don’t lie. Your door isclosed.” Italways works 100%, but only for her. When Idon’t have time tomess with the robot, Ialways call mywife for help, and sometimesI even phone her and put her onspeakerphone.©Overheard/ Ideer

• Icouldn’t find myphone and need tocall myhusband quickly. Isay, hey google call (husband) silence again, hey google call (husband) silence again soatthis point I’m desperate, soIshout, Hey Siri! (Looking for myphone) and google says “I’m not Siri, butI really like her, infactI wrote apoem about her” and proceeds totell mearoses are red violets are blue type poem about Siri. @ c_llie/ Reddit

• Athome, strange sounds began tooccur atregular intervals— along inhale oraslight hissing exhale. Itwas especially creepy tohear itinsilence oratnight. Ishared itwith afriend, who told meall sorts ofhorrible things.
  Itwent onfor acouple ofweeks, Iwas going crazy. Myhusband heard ittoo, but hehas strong nerves and ahealthy sleep. Isearched the whole room, every corner. And then one day, once again looking inevery nook and cranny, Iheard the hissing sound again.
  Right infront ofmeonahigh shelf was anaroma lamp. Mydaughter gave ittome, andI moved itafortnight ago, and apparently something started upthere, and itstarted togooff periodically, soI heard this hissing sound.©Lanalana/ Dzen

• Afriend ofmine was inbed with his girlfriend, and they were both falling asleep, soitwas totally quiet and dark. Out ofnowhere, Siri starts talking from his phone onthe nightstand and says the single most upsetting thing she could have possibly said: “There’s aman inthe room.” They freaked out and turned the lightson, and noone was there, and the phone didn’t say anything else. @ kjvp/ Reddit

• Stayed atthe house ofafriend and his heavily pregnant wife. They have integrated Alexa into their house inaserious way. She controls the music, the lights, the curtains and the window shutters. Ithink she can even open and close the front door. It’s getting late and myfriend’s wife goes upstairs tobed.15minutes later, wecan hear her yelling from the bedroom. Wegoupand find her inthe bed, yelling because the Wi-Fi inthe house isdown, soshe can’t turn off the lights togotosleep. Ittook meaminute torealize they had disconnected all the physical light switches during the automation process. @ HandsomeLakitu/ Reddit

• Iwas listening tomusic onGoogle Home while talking tomyfriend inmyliving room asI watered myplants. Itwas getting late andI was going toturn inand asked her tostop playing the music. She obliged and then said, “Let meknow ifyou’re ever inneed ofany horticulture tips!” @ yougottamovethisss/ Reddit

• This happened 20years ago, when westill used CDplayers. Itwas winter. Myhusband left for his night work. Icome out ofthe bathroom and suddenly hear whispering-singing inanincomprehensible language.
  And it’s quiet, like inahorror movie. And I’m wrapped inthe towel inthe dark. Iswitched onthe light and there was nobody there.
  And then Irealized: myhusband was vacuuming before heleft for work, and listening toEnigma onthe record player. Then heturned down the volume and left, but didn’t turn off the music completely. The effect, ofcourse, was inexpressible. Idon’t know howI didn’t have aheart attack.©Tanya Baranova/ Dzen

• Igot arobot vacuum with awet cleaning function. Atnight, Iprogram the cleaning, fill the tank, and inthe morningI see apuddle under the vacuum: the water that hasn’t been used during the wash isjust released tothe floor.
  Ipick ituptowipe underneath, and ityells, “Look, everybody! Ican fly!” Not even my3-year-old son behaves that arrogantly when hemakes apuddle.©Alexander Novoselov/ Dzen

• Wegot our echo alittle over amonth ago and had been playing withit. There was noone home except meand myinfant daughter (and the dog) and wewere upstairs. All ofasudden, from the main floor, Christmas music starts BLARING! Iwasn’t even talking toour daughter. Turns out myhusband was trying touse the Alexa app atwork toplay Christmas music athis desk and itcontrolled our home Alexa! @ alnono/ Reddit
  

• Myfuture husband andI came tothe registry office toget married. And hehas aphone app that determines the age. Wetook aselfie. The camera shows that heis35, Iam 39. But we’re really 38and 40. Welaughed.
  Wegoout after the registration, take aselfie again, and the phone shows 40and 36. Husband, “Well, 15minutes ofmarriage, and I’m already 5years older. It’s all you, you drank myblood, that’s why you have minus 4years.” ©Elena Rrrrrrr/ Dzen

• Ihave arobot vacuum. Sometimes itscaresme. But the scariest moment was yesterday whenI was watching ahorror movie, and ithit myfoot incomplete silence! Myhorror atthat moment cannot bedescribed.©Overheard/ Ideer

• Webought anair freshener for the bathroom. Atnight, the cat comes uptomeand starts shrieking. Idragged after him into the kitchen. There’s food, there’s water.
  And hetakes metothe bathroom. Ithought itwas rats. Welive onthe ground floor. And thenI hear a“psst, psst, psst.”
  The cat screams and climbs ontop ofme. And that’s the air freshener timer goes off. You can’t hear itduring the daytime, there are alot ofother noises.©Wilena/ Dzen

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Ziraiel / Pikabu