Well, the other shoe finally dropped. After years of speculation about the fate of its Harmony line of universal remotes, Logitech has announced that it will stop making the devices effective immediately.
In a post on its support site, Logitech said that its remaining stock of Harmony remotes will continue to be available through retail channels until stocks run out, and that it will continue to support the remote for the foreseeable future.
“We plan to support our Harmony community and new Harmony customers, which includes access to our software and apps to set up and manage your remotes,” the post reads. “We also plan to continue to update the platform and add devices to our Harmony database. Customer and warranty support will continue to be offered.”
The writing has been on the wall for years about Harmony remotes, which Logitech acquired way back in 2004. As early as 2013, Logitech was making noises about selling off its Harmony brand, and in 2019, Logitech CEO Bracken Darrell called Harmony a “small business” that was rapidly becoming irrelevant in the world of streaming video services.
“I think over time, you’ll have fewer and fewer people who feel like they really need that universal remote,” Darrell told The Verge.
Still, Harmony’s universal remotes will be badly missed by A/V fanatics looking for a single device to control all their home theater components.
The Harmony line runs the gamut from budget standalone wands to touch-enabled, network-connected devices that cost hundreds of dollars and are capable of controlling everything from smart TVs and receivers to game consoles and even smart lights.
While they’re widely regarded as the best universal remotes around, Harmony devices had seemingly grown scarce over the last few years, frequently running out of stock or only available as refurbished versions, and it’s been years since Logitech has announced a new Harmony model.
Earlier this week, Wirecutter, which lists the Logitech Harmony Companion and Logitech Harmony 665 as its top picks, put the remotes in its “buyer beware” category after hearing fresh rumors that Logitech was on the verge of discontinuing the entire Harmony line.
As far as those Harmony remotes that are still in the wild, Harmony says they’ll continue to work, and that it will maintain its massive database of home theater devices that Harmony remotes can control.
Alexa and Google Assistant integrations for Harmony will also keep working, Harmony said, adding that it will continue to support Harmony devices, including desktop, Android, and iOS software updates, for “as long as customers are using [them].”
So, let’s all pour one out for Harmony. I’ve been using Harmony remotes for more than 15 years myself, and it was a great ride while it lasted.
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