Another day, another smart device bites the dust — or, in this case, a full lineup of smart home devices.
On Thursday, the consumer electronics company Belkin said it will end technical support for its older Wemo products as of January 31, 2026, and that the app used to control the devices will no longer be supported. The decision will impact a range of devices, including smart plugs, light switches, smart bulbs, baby monitors, kitchen appliances, heaters, air purifiers, motion sensors, and more.
In an email to customers, the outfit explained its decision, saying it needed to shift its focus elsewhere.
“This decision was not made lightly,” the email reads. “Over the last decade, since Belkin first launched Wemo in 2011, we’ve been committed to providing consumers with innovative, simple-to-use accessories for a seamless smart home experience. However, as technology evolves, we must focus our resources on different parts of the Belkin business.”
“We understand this change may disrupt your routines, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience,” the company added.
Belkin says that products still under warranty by the end-of-life date may be eligible for a partial refund and that its products configured for use with Apple’s HomeKit will continue to function even without Wemo’s cloud services and the Wemo app. The app will also no longer be supported after January 31, 2026, and any device features that rely on cloud connectivity, like remote access or voice integrations, will no longer work.
The company won’t offer technical support, firmware, software updates, or troubleshooting assistance after January 31, either.
The move to terminate a line of smart home products leaves consumers without access to technology that has become integrated into their daily lives — this isn’t just a child’s toy going offline; it’s more essential. (Of course, toys going offline can be devastating, too. See, for example, the sad farewells for the robot companion Moxie.)
It’s becoming increasingly common for companies to simply end support for their older smart home products without any technical reason to do so. Instead, these moves allow companies — as Belkin alludes to — to refocus their efforts on more profitable areas of their businesses.
Google recently announced a similar move with its decision to shut down its older Nest devices, for instance.
In April, the tech giant said it would no longer support its earliest generation of Nest Learning Thermostats. As of October 25, 2025, Nest’s first- and second-generation models will see their connected features shut off, stop receiving updates, no longer work with the Nest or Google Home app, and essentially become “dumb” devices.
Instead of dedicating resources to support its customer base, it’s easier to email an offer to help them upgrade to a newer version. In Nest’s case, that’s $130 off the Nest 4th-gen thermostat, which is normally $279.99. While that may be a good deal, being forced to upgrade due to obsolescence does not go over well with many customers whose devices still work just fine, despite their age.
However, this process does protect Google from facing class action lawsuits, which could result if it just shut down this many smart devices and the Nest app at once. By pushing these customers off the Nest app and incentivizing them to upgrade to newer devices, Google could argue that usage of the older devices was actually fairly low if a lawsuit were raised. That could reduce any fines or compensation that such a suit could result in and make it easier for Google and, perhaps, eventually shut down the Nest app.
In addition, offering customers advanced notice of these types of moves reduces the company’s legal risk.
In Belkin’s case, customers who went all in on Wemo for their smart home will be heavily impacted and possibly quite angry, too, if they’re not eligible for the partial refund.
Belkin provided a full list of affected devices, which includes a wide range of smart home products spanning multiple categories.
Belkin notes that its decision doesn’t affect Wemo’s Thread-based products (SKUs WLS0503, WDC010, WSC010, WSP100), which will continue to function as they do today through Apple’s HomeKit.
