Google Drops Support for its 1st-Gen Chromecast
- Laurent Giret
- May 31, 2023
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Google has quietly dropped support for its 1st-gen Chromecast HDMI dongle released back in 2013. A recent update on an official support page (via 9to5Google) indicates that the first Chromecast will no longer receive software or security updates. Moreover, Google said that “users may notice a degradation in performance.”
The 1st-gen Chromecast allowed users to easily turn their dumb TVs into smart TVs, though it required using a smartphone as a remote. The device received its last software update in November 2022, which was the first update the digital media player received in over 3 years. Overall, 9 years of updates is still decent for a device that came with just 512MB of RAM and 2GB of storage.
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Between 2015 and 2018, Google launched a 2nd-gen and 3rd-gen Chromecast, as well as a 4K-capable Chromecast Ultra. However, facing increased competition from cheap HDMI sticks from Amazon and Roku that come with a remote and let users install apps, Google eventually had to change its strategy. Most smart TVs also now support the same Google Cast functionality that the original Chromecast introduced 10 years ago.
Back in 2020, Google launched its Chromecast with Google TV, which comes with a remote and runs Android TV with a new Google TV interface. The company released a more affordable HD version last fall, which is priced at $30.
These two Chromecast with Google TV models receive regular software updates. In April, Google started rolling out a new live TV experience that lets users browse more than 800 free TV channels across multiple providers.