We know them today as smart TV dongles that allow you to stream your favorite shows and movies through Google TV, but Chromecasts had a much simpler beginning. The device that started it all, launched in 2013, is quietly being killed off after a long 10-year run.
As quietly announced by Google, the original Chromecast is not supported anymore. The company put up a notice on several of its support pages saying that “support for Chromecast (1st gen) has ended.” The notice itself reads that “these devices no longer receive software or security updates, and Google does not provide technical support for them. Users may notice a degradation in performance.” Essentially, they’re completely unsupported by Google as of the time of writing.
To be fair to Google, this device enjoyed an exceptionally long lifespan. Then again, it was a barebones device, resembling a thumb drive, that only allowed you to stream video and content from your smartphone to your TV from your phone, right when streaming started to catch steam. The concept of the Chromecast changed over the years, eventually becoming what they are today. But before this happened, they were pretty simple in nature.
If you own one, it won’t immediately stop working, but you should not expect to get updates anymore, or active support from Google. You can get one of the newer Chromecasts, which will likely provide you with a more comfortable experience anyway.
Source: 9to5Google
Via: The Verge
