Google has stopped making updates and fixes for the first Chromecast, which came out in 2013. It cost $35 and could be used to watch movies and TV shows.
On a number of Google support pages, there is now a message saying that help will no longer be given. “Support for Chromecast (1st gen) has ended,” says the message that 9to5Google brought to our attention. “These devices no longer get software or security updates, and Google doesn’t offer technical help for them. Users may notice that service is getting worse.”
The help seems to have ended at the end of April, when the last change was made to a support page that lists the firmware versions for each Chromecast model. It doesn’t sound like the last first-generation Chromecasts will stop working right away, but it’s likely that their features will slowly stop working as the ecosystem around them gets updated and goes on.
The first Chromecast was a tiny, key-sized device that you could plug into an HDMI port on your TV and use to stream videos from your phone, tablet, or laptop to the big screen. It was surprisingly popular. At $35, it was an inexpensive way to get video streaming apps on your TV at a time when many people hadn’t yet switched to smart TVs.
Over the years, Google would release more Chromecasts, including a 4K model in 2016. But the latest Chromecast, the 2020 Chromecast with Google TV, comes with its own controls. The streaming stick had its own interface and didn’t just depend on getting material from your phone. This was a big change for the Chromecast lineup.
Even though Google is no longer supporting the first-generation Chromecast, the device hasn’t been updated all that often. 9to5Google says that its last update came out in November of last year. This was the first update for the device in more than three years.
