AllYouCanTech

When you purchase a smart home gadget that depends on an internet connection or cloud services for operation, a countdown begins. These gadgets won’t function indefinitely, as the manufacturers will eventually opt to stop supporting them. Certain smart home and Internet-of-Things devices may endure longer than anticipated, while others may be rendered obsolete much sooner than users expect.

Devices linked to the internet will ultimately be phased out — this is unavoidable. What follows remains unclear. Some brands leave their customers stranded with inoperable hardware, while others provide refunds or store credits to facilitate upgrades to newer (supported) models.

The optimal choice, however, is for smart home manufacturers to open-source the software behind discontinued devices. This approach allows the community to intervene and maintain their smart home devices for an indefinite period. Once the software is open-sourced, users can self-host their smart home systems, integrate with platforms like Home Assistant, and utilize community-driven projects to prevent hardware from ending up in landfills.

A few months back, Bose revealed that its SoundTouch speakers were entering their end-of-life phase, ceasing official support in February 2026. What transpired afterward serves as a model for how smart home companies should engage with their customers when it’s time to gracefully retire products they can no longer support.

Bose initially faltered but then corrected its course

Speakers should ideally last indefinitely, but with the addition of smart functionalities, assumptions can’t be made. Bose’s SoundTouch range of home audio speakers and soundbars featured “smart” technology relying on cloud capabilities for music streaming and multi-room audio. Their cost was also significant, with some variants exceeding $1,000.

In its initial announcement in October 2025, Bose declared that as of February 18, 2026, it would cease cloud support for all SoundTouch offerings. The hardware would stop receiving security updates, the app would be discontinued, and features such as Spotify/TuneIn integration and multi-room listening would vanish.

Naturally, this news didn’t sit well with customers, who expressed their discontent on Reddit regarding their smart speakers becoming non-smart. According to the initial plan, SoundTouch speakers would still be able to stream music via Bluetooth, Aux, or HDMI, but that was the extent of it.

Don’t let anyone convince you that collective dissent is ineffective, as Bose altered its approach last week in light of customer feedback. An updated email from the company stated that Bose has “been listening closely” to SoundTouch users and is adjusting its plans accordingly.

Specifically, the end date for cloud support has now been pushed to May 6, 2026, the SoundTouch app will remain accessible for local control after the shutdown, and the SoundTouch API will be open-sourced for community use.

This is about as significant a victory as Bose SoundTouch owners could have hoped for. While cloud support will eventually be discontinued, AirPlay and Spotify Connect “should continue to operate,” according to the company. When the cloud services are deactivated, the SoundTouch app will be updated to a local variant, allowing users to set up, configure, control remotely, and group their systems.

Although some functionalities, like cloud music services and presets, will be eliminated in May, they may not be gone for good. Bose’s consumer-friendly choice to open-source the SoundTouch software presents the community with an opportunity to restore lost features.

Open-sourcing smart home technologies benefits all involved

Open-sourcing the SoundTouch software always appeared to be the wisest path for Bose. It serves everyone’s interests. Bose can safely deactivate the cloud infrastructure supporting SoundTouch systems, reallocating those resources to new product lines. In the meantime, consumers can continue to access most of their speakers’ functionalities, and the open-source community can assist them in reclaiming — or even exceeding — lost features.

This stands in stark contrast to how other companies have addressed the phasing out of older hardware. Last year, Google withdrew support for the first and second-generation Nest Learning Thermostat models. This action effectively disabled their most valuable features, reducing them to “dumb” thermostats. Does that sound familiar? It’s a similar opening to Bose’s handling of SoundTouch speakers.

However, Google only offered owners of affected Nest Learning Thermostats a $130 discount on a new fourth-generation model. It made no attempt to restore essential functionalities or open-source the software for community access.

As is often the case, the open-source community found a way forward nonetheless. One developer, Cody Kociemba, reverse-engineered the Nest API to restore certain features of the Nest Learning Thermostat in a project named NoLongerEvil Thermostat.

The end result is arguably similar — both Bose and Google Nest users have a makeshift workaround to prolong their devices’ functionality — but the public sentiment diverges. Bose appears open to feedback and demonstrates concern for its customers, while Google’s approach seems more anti-consumer.

Major companies like Google, Amazon, and Samsung should take notes.

Rarely do companies imitate Bose’s actions from last week. It is uncommon for a business to take steps,

Pixel 10 users have faced challenges in recent months, but Google is rolling out solutions to assist.

What you should be aware of

– The January patch from Google is now available, bringing GPU solutions for the concerns Pixel 10 users have encountered.
– The announcement indicates that “general performance” enhancements are included for the GPU, in addition to fixes for touchscreen sensitivity, battery drain, and other issues.
– In October, Pixel 10 owners reported lag and freezes during gaming, compelling the company to promise ongoing GPU updates.

Google is commencing the week on a high note, as its monthly security patch is being distributed to Pixel devices with a significant fix that has been eagerly anticipated.

Earlier today, Google shared the details of its January 2026 security patch on its Pixel community forum. This patch is being issued for devices from the Pixel 7a through the Pixel 10 series. All devices are gearing up for the update designated as vBP4A.260105.004.E1. The primary focus of this patch is the introduction of a fix for various GPU-related problems that have affected many Pixel phones.

The announcement specifies, “General enhancements for GPU performance in specific situations” are rolling out today (Jan 12).

Naturally, these concerns mainly involve the Pixel 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL, and the 10 Pro Fold. Additional display fixes for this month include yet another patch for the AOD (always-on display) addressing “flickering in specific scenarios.” This was an issue the Pixel 10 series frequently encountered in December, following the previous update. Furthermore, editing images in Adobe Lightroom on the Pixel 10 occasionally led to “noisy line flashes,” which has also been resolved.

Interestingly, Google mentions it is deploying a fix for the touchscreen issues within the Pixel 10 series, as some users reported it would occasionally stop responding. This should no longer be an issue after installing this update, but as always, remain attentive.

The rest of the January 2026 patch includes:

– Resolution for noisy ringback tones during Webex calls under certain circumstances
– Resolution for battery drainage issues in certain scenarios
– Resolution for an issue where removing a Live Universe wallpaper could sporadically render the Wallpaper and style app unusable until a device reboot

Addressing the challenges

The Pixel 10 has been grappling with its GPU since its release, with Google providing minor updates since September and October. It is expected for the series to utilize the Tensor G5 chip internally; however, Google’s proprietary chip still lags in performance, often disappointing users with high-end gaming. In October, users reported lag and freezes during games, resulting in dissatisfaction.

Google has allegedly committed to enhancing and updating the GPU in its Pixel 10 series, which is becoming evident in January.

It is also important to note that some of the fixes in the January patch were initially highlighted in December, including touch concerns and battery drain. Pixel 10 users faced display unresponsiveness and troublesome touchscreen problems, prompting the critical mid-December update. Nonetheless, it appears users are still contending with persistent issues. The January patch will gradually start to circulate, and hopefully, this marks the resolution of these complications.

The Galaxy S26 Plus, Samsung’s forthcoming flagship device, seems to be almost identical to its predecessor, the S25 Plus. Reports indicate that the S26 Plus will keep the 6.7-inch display, 4,900mAh battery, and 45W wired charging inherited from the S25 Plus. A significant enhancement is the addition of Qi2 support, which could improve wireless charging speeds past the earlier 15W limit. Production for the S26 Plus is scheduled to commence this month, following the Ultra model, which began in December. Initially, Samsung contemplated substituting the Plus model with a sleeker Galaxy S26 Edge but reverted to the Plus due to market dynamics and underwhelming sales of the S25 Edge. The S26 Plus will feature a 6.66-inch AMOLED QHD+ screen, akin to the S25 Plus. While the Plus model stays mostly the same, the standard Galaxy S26 is predicted to experience a minor increase in screen size to 6.27 inches. Although there are no major hardware changes, escalating component expenses may result in a price hike. The Galaxy S26 series is expected to be announced at an Unpacked event on February 25, with retail launch in March.