Okay, let me set the scene. It was July 2021, and InnerSloth decided to drop a patch so gloriously petty toward Impostors that I still think about it in 2026. Among Us on mobile, PC, and Nintendo Switch got a new vent cleaning task, and it instantly turned every crewmate into a part-time pest control expert. I was equal parts thrilled and terrified, because I knew all my favorite vent-camping spots were about to become crime scenes.
Before this patch, vents were sacred hideouts. You could pop in there, cackle to yourself, and wait for the perfect moment to leap out and frame someone. But now? Nope. If you are a Crewmate and you are assigned the new Vent Cleaning task, you stroll up to a vent, get your cleaning gear ready, and scrub away. If an Impostor is already hiding inside, the game boots them out with a dramatic sound, and you see exactly who it is. Surprise! I can only imagine the panic—one second you are invisible, the next you are standing next to a very confused janitor who has opinions about your life choices.
And the best part? Once a crewmate starts cleaning a specific vent, any Impostor who jumps in after that moment cannot pop out at that vent. That vent becomes a one-way ticket to awkwardness. Other vents still work, and once the cleaning is done, the vent goes back to normal, but for those precious seconds, that vent is basically a mousetrap.
The patch notes themselves were a goldmine. InnerSloth has always had a way of writing patch notes like a group chat after three energy drinks, and this update was no exception. Here is a quick rundown:
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New vent cleaning task: Prevents Impostors from using that specific vent while it is being cleaned. If someone is already camping inside, they get ejected with drama and zero dignity.
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New languages: Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Irish localization were added. Major shoutout to Úna-Minh, Brian, Cormac, and Mike for the Irish translations. Now I can accuse my friends in multiple languages, which is a skill nobody asked for.
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Fixed getting stuck in place after a meeting: This was the biggest issue, and InnerSloth basically yelled to be free beans. So dramatic, but honestly relatable.
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Fixed scaling on the SHH screen: Apparently the SHH screen received so much hate that it needed three tubs of ice cream to recover. I respect the honesty.
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Geoff eyepatch became a mask again: Sadly. I know, the eyepatch had personality, but the mask era returned.
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Clouds in the Airship no longer move the wrong direction: No more backward progress. Onward!
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Upload Data phone colors fixed: No clever caption, just bless the QA team.
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All major buttons localized: They ran out of fun ways to make patch notes interesting. Mood.
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Android black screen fixed: This was already hotfixed in version 2021.6.16, but if you missed it, now you are covered.
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iOS startup crash fixed: Another hotfix that finally got its moment in the official notes.
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Other minor visual and localization fixes: Please give the programming and QA team a psychic high five.
Let me also pour one out for the ongoing bugs. Here is the situation in a tidy little table because my brain likes tables:
| Bug | Status | My Take |
|---|---|---|
| Wizard hat | Still missing | Casting an invisibility spell, which is very on-brand |
| 4:3 resolution | Needs scaling | InnerSloth promised to address it |
What made this update extra exciting was not just the bug fixes or the vent cleaning chaos—it was the roadmap. Around that time, InnerSloth teased future goodies like new visor cosmetics, achievements, new roles, brand-new ways to play, and even a whole new map. For a social deduction game that had already taken over the world, this felt like the opening act of something even bigger.
Looking back from 2026, the Vent Cleaning update is one of those patches that quietly rewired the meta. It gave Crewmates a new tool for sniffing out liars, made Impostors think twice before diving into vents, and turned ordinary cleaning duty into a horror-comedy moment. If you never got to experience it live, trust me: you missed some of the funniest betrayal reactions in Among Us history. And if you are still playing today, just remember—if someone is scrubbing a vent, maybe do not hide in there. Unless you enjoy being ejected with dramatic sound and public shame.