Logitech Will Intentionally Brick Harmony Link Devices In Early 2018 Drawing Wrath Of Customers
The Harmony Link was first introduced back in 2011 and was a popular add-on for those that bought into the Harmony family of universal remote controls. The Harmony Link allows customers with smartphones and tablets to control their TVs, consoles, and audio systems (among thousands of other devices).
Logitech Harmony Link
Customers that currently use the Harmony Link have begun receiving emails stating, “On March 16th, 2018, Logitech will discontinue service and support for Harmony Link. Your Harmony Link will no longer function after this date.”
Logitech has since released the following statement, via company representative Will Wong, with more detail on the situation:
We just updated our Harmony Link application to inform customers of this end of life. As we previously communicated to affected customers via email, Logitech Harmony Link services and support will no longer be available to users effective on March 16, 2018.
I want to make sure those within warranty redeem their free Harmony Hub, which provides similar, if not better, app-based remote control features to Harmony Link.
For those that are out-of-warranty, we are providing a one-time discount offer for a new replacement remote from Logitech.com. I hope you will take advantage of it.
If you did not receive your code for a replacement or discount, please send us an email at https://support.myharmony.com/email.
Thank you.
The one-time discount for out-of-warranty Harmony Links amounts to 35 percent off a new Harmony Hub. Logitech says that it offers superior functionality compared to the Harmony Link. The Harmony Hub is currently priced at $99 direct from Logitech.
Logitech Harmony Hub
Going even further, Wong added that the real reason for the complete shutdown of the Harmony Link boils down to a licensing issue:
I understand some of you have Harmony Links that are working perfectly fine right now. However, there is a technology certificate license that will expire next March. The certificate will not be renewed as we are focusing resources on our current app-based remote, the Harmony Hub.
Needless to say, irate customers have taken their frustrations online to outlets like reddit. "I think the issue here is not so much that they are getting rid of the "free" cloud service, but that doing so will simply brick every device, and even worse: that they worked really hard to sell off their current stock only to turn around and tell everyone they're about to be SOL," wrote redditor Commod0re.
"Wow, this is an incredibly sh**ty decision on their part," wrote iamnearfromnormal. "At this point I doubt I'll ever purchase Logitech hardware ever again -- and I'm not even saying this out of some kind of idealistic boycott (although that has its place) but merely for the fact that I'd be frightened that anything I purchase from them in the future might simply become ‘end-of-life’ bricked by way of some arbitrary decision on Logitech's part.”
