Neato Robot Vacuums Return to Dumb Mode After Company Cuts Cloud Services

do you know Not a pure vacuum. According to an email sent by users that was received The VergeNow-defunct Neato Robotics’ popular robot vacuum will go offline permanently following its parent company’s decision to shut down its cloud services, making the app no ​​longer functional and, by extension, the robots significantly less useful.

Neato vacuum owners don’t have to go completely without the support of their robo floor sweeper, but functionality will return to fully manual mode. This means users will no longer be able to activate or control Rovac remotely via the MyNeato app. This means that they won’t be able to set custom routines or schedule regular cleanings. The only way to set the vacuum to run is to manually press the physical power button on the machine, allowing the device to bounce between rooms for a while.

This day was finally coming for Neato vacuums Its doors were closed in 2023 “After failure to meet economic targets” by German parent company Vorwerk Group. At the time, Vorwerk promised it would keep the cloud online for less than five years, ensuring owners of a Neato vac could keep their floors clean for half a decade.

Turns out that wasn’t a firm commitment.

In an email sent to Neato robot vacuum owners, Vorwerk explained the decision: “Since Neato ceased operations in 2023, Vorwerk has continued to maintain the Neato Cloud Platform to honor the original five-year service commitment. However, cybersecurity standards, compliance obligations, and regulations have not made it possible to operate this securely and make it no longer possible. Legacy legacy system.”

Vacuums will still technically work, at least, so they’re not completely useless, but that’s the way the internet-connected appliances trend. Google earlier this year announcement That it will drop support for the first generation of its Nest Smart Thermostat, turn off cloud support and render it a standard, manually-operated one. Belkin also had fun with the bricking functionality, saying That it will stop supporting most of its Waymo products, including smart light switches, plugs, cameras and other devices.

Regardless of the overpriced internet connection on the devices, it binds the consumer more tightly to the company’s wishes. If they decide the cost of continuing to put a product online is greater than what they’re getting from that device, they can shut it down. After all, they’ve already got your money.