Smart displays are scheduled to be updated with the arrival of the Google Pixel Tablet and its smart home. But until then, we wouldn’t blame you if you thought the whole category was dead. Smart displays were fairly common as a focal point in smart homes a few years ago, but they’ve since faded away. Adding a nail in the coffin, Google has quietly dropped support for third-party smart displays from its software update plans.
As I spotted it 9to5GoogleGoogle has updated a support article about making Duo calls on smart speakers and displays with this important announcement:
Google no longer provides software updates for these third-party smart displays: Lenovo Smart Display (7″, 8″, and 10″), JBL Link View, and LG Xboom AI ThinQ WK9 Smart Display. This may affect the quality of video calls and meetings.
All the mentioned smart displays are Google Assistant smart displays released between 2018 and 2019. The devices saw a lot of interest when they were launched with Android Things, but over time, the interest has waned. Google eventually killed off Android Things in 2020, though in 2019 it refocused exclusively on smart displays and speakers from a previous IoT focus. Now, these smart speakers are effectively at the end of their lifespan as Google no longer intends to offer any more software updates.
However, one can’t help but wonder what eventually happens to Nest Hubs if and when the Pixel Tablet becomes popular. With Android and Pixel UI, the Pixel tablet is bound to be more familiar to end users because it combines the functions of a tablet and a smart screen.