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Chronicles

The story behind the story

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Belkin says it is ending support for its Wemo smart home products and app on January 31, 2026; four devices will continue to function via HomeKit over Thread

If your home has any of Belkin's Wemo products, the connected devices will cease to operate in early 2026.

9to5Google Ben Schoon

Context & Ripple Effects

Wemo was built out as a broad connected-device line, then later gained a HomeKit bridge for Apple-home integration. Belkin is now ending support for the products and the Wemo app, while preserving operation for four Thread-based HomeKit devices.

The decision follows Belkin's earlier refusal to patch an end-of-life Wemo Mini Smart Plug vulnerability, a prior sign of shrinking support obligations. Related coverage frames the shutdown as a test of accountability when cloud- or app-dependent devices outlive vendor support.

First-order effects

  • Wemo owners must plan for affected devices and app-based controls to stop working when support ends; only four HomeKit-over-Thread products retain stated functionality.
  • Belkin exits ongoing Wemo product and app support, transferring the immediate replacement or migration burden to customers.

Second-order effects

  • Customers with affected Wemo setups may replace devices or reconfigure automations around platforms that retain local interoperability; HomeKit-over-Thread users have a narrower path to continuity.
  • The shutdown sharpens scrutiny of vendors' end-of-life practices, especially after coverage characterized the move as bricking paid-for connected devices.

Third-order effects

  • If similar shutdowns persist, smart-home purchasing will increasingly favor products whose core controls can operate independently of a vendor app or cloud service.
  • The case reinforces pressure for clearer support lifecycles and accountability for connected hardware, though the corpus does not establish what form that pressure will take.

The trend: Smart-home value is shifting toward durable, locally interoperable devices as vendors wind down support for older connected product lines.

Discussion

  • @gigastacey @gigastacey on bluesky
    Time to say goodbye to the first smart home product I ever bought.  After realizing it had terrible security, I stopped using it in my home around 2013, but it does feel like the end of an era.  —  Belkin shutting down these Wemo smart home products in 2026 9to5google.com/2025/07…
  • @davidcmurphy David C. Murphy on bluesky
    wtf.  Remind me never to buy belkin EVER again.  What a sick country we're in with no consumer protections.  [embedded post]
  • @paulusschoutsen.nl Paulus Schoutsen on bluesky
    Every.  Cloud.  Device.  Ever.  —  “After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to end technical support for older Wemo products, effective January 31, 2026.  [...] features that rely on cloud connectivity, including remote access and voice assistant integrat…
  • @jadp.mastodon.social … Joseph A di Paolantonio on bluesky
    Considering that Belkin hasn't updated the firmware since initial release, in spite of multiple security vulnerabilities, this is an announcement about five years after the fact.  Overall, a good thing  —  #IoT #SmartHome #Belkin #Wemo #SensAE #SensorAnalyticsEcosystem  —  From: …
  • @dapomeroy David Pomeroy on bluesky
    This is some bullshit from Belkin.  Cancelling support and smart capability of many of their Wemo products.  They say “older” products but some of them are only a year and a half old!  —  I'm glad I moved to TP-Link Kasa (for now) because I used to have a bunch of these Wemo plug…
  • @djarum.org @djarum.org on bluesky
    Fuck me.  Belkin is killing WeMo devices.  Hopefully someone comes up with a solution to keep them going.
  • @lukasneville.com Lukas Neville on bluesky
    belkin announced this week they'll be killing off my wemo switches shortly, too  —  every “smart"/IOT product is basically “buy this item until we randomly decide to brick it and leave you with an unusable pile of e-waste”
  • @mattkelland Matt Kelland on bluesky
    How long do you expect a light switch to last? 10 years? 50 years?  I've lived in places with light switches older than me.  —  If you buy one from Belkin, TWO years.  Then they shut down support for it, your light switch no longer functions, and you need a new one.  Ain't smart …
  • @hudsonicus @hudsonicus on bluesky
    same here, so much for major brand like Belkin supporting their stuff!
  • @greengart Avi Greengart on x
    I sympathize with @belkin's business realities, but this is another case where consumers embedded smart devices into their homes — things like light switches! — not realizing that they had an expiration date.
  • @dpstud Dave Studinski on x
    Wouldn't suggest it! @belkin is bricking all of their @WEMO @WEMOcares devices with less than a year notice. Some products are barely 4 years old. Horrible, wasteful decision for consumers and the planet. Don't buy @belkin on @amazon -it won't be supported!
  • @owednada @owednada on x
    Oh nice, all my WeMo devices are just bricks, now. Thanks, Belkin. https://www.belkin.com/...
  • @manan @manan on x
    they will be missed by no one. First smart home product I bought. Absolutely no innovation since then.
  • @farringtonb Brandon Farrington on x
    Apparently @belkin is shutting down @WEMO at the end of January 2026. Super glad I outfitted my entire house with their smart plugs over the last 10+ years only to have the rug pulled out from under me. Is it really that hard to keep supporting these?
  • @beyondthetech @beyondthetech on x
    @MacRumors My whole house is on Wemo. Never buying a @belkin product ever again, I don't care what they create, I don't care how many people I have to advise.