Google discontinues beloved TV gadget after more than 10 years despite fans saying it’s ‘their best product’
GOOGLE has revealed that it’s the end of the line for the popular Chromecast device after more than ten years.
The tech giant is to stop making the cheap dongle which has been used by millions across the globe to beam content from their phone to their TV.
Chromecast burst onto the scene in 2013 and several versions have followed since.
More than 100million Chromecast devices have been sold.
The company has warned that its most recent Chromecast products, Chromecast with Google TV 4K and HD, will remain on sale but stock won’t be replenished once they’re gone.
“It’s like their best product. Why?” one user wrote on Reddit.
“Are they doing this to try and push us all to smart TVs?”
Another wrote: “You’re a fool to buy any Google product these days.
“It’ll likely be bricked, unsupported, and useless inside a few years.”
The good news is, the firm has committed to continue supporting existing Chromecast gadgets with ongoing updates, so existing users won’t be left with a useless gizmo.
Fans jumped to the company’s defence, saying: “I mean my 10 year old Chromecast continues to work and so does my 8 year old nest thermostat.”
“I’ve been using an unsupported Chromecast for about 8 years, definitely something that simply doesn’t matter.”
But it’s not the end of Google’s TV journey – while Chromecast is disappearing a new device is taking its place.
“The time has now come to evolve the smart TV streaming device category — primed for the new area of AI, entertainment and smart homes,” Google said.
“With this, there are no changes to our support policy for existing Chromecast devices, with continued software and security updates to the latest devices.”
The new Google TV Streamer is billed as a “more premium device built for the new era of entertainment and smart home needs”.
Inside the infamous 'Google Graveyard'
Google has earned a reputation for killing features and projects, sometimes before their official release
According to the Killed by Google website, the company has pulled the plug on 295 devices at the time of writing.
Here are some well-known services and devices that have disappeared:
VPN by Google One – the virtual private network service encrypted users’ data and network activity and allowed them to mask their IP address. (2020-2024)
Google Podcasts – the podcast hosting platform doubled as an Android podcast listening app. (2018-2024)
Google Stadia – the cloud gaming service allowed users to stream gameplay through web browsers, TV, mobile apps, and Chromecast. (2019-2023)
YouTube Originals – the Google-owned company shuttered the program, which produced original content including scripted series, educational videos, and more. (2016-2022)
Google Hangouts – the cross-platform instant messaging service posed as a challenger to Microsoft’s Skype. (2013-2022)
YouTube Go – the app was aimed at making YouTube more accessible on mobile devices in emerging markets, with features like downloading video on Wi-Fi to view later. (2017-2022)
Google Duo – the video calling app allowed users to call anyone from their contact list. (2016-2022)
Cameos on Google – the tool allowed public figures to record video responses to the most common questions asked about them, which would display in Google Search results. (2018-2022)
Backup and Sync – the desktop software tool for Windows and macOS enabled users to sync files from Google Drive to their local machine. (2017-2021)
Google My Maps – the Android application allowed users to create custom maps for personal use or sharing on their mobile device. (2014-2021)