Google has officially unveiled its latest entertainment device, the Google TV Streamer.
This is a more premium device than we’ve seen from the tech giant before, swapping the dongle build for a set-top box and introducing new additions like Matter connectivity and an Ethernet slot for faster wired internet speeds.
So the Chromecast is no longer there. Google will sell off the remaining stock, so it will eventually be discontinued.
However, if you already own a Chromecast device, you might be wondering if it’s still supported. We’ve got everything you need to know.
Will Google stop supporting my Chromecast model when the TV Streamer launches?
After the launch of Google TV Streamer, a blog post about the history of Chromecast was published. It contained the following quote:
Now is the time to evolve the smart TV streaming device category, ready to take on the new realm of AI, entertainment, and smart homes. In this context, we are not changing our support policy for existing Chromecast devices, with ongoing software and security updates for the latest devices.
Simply put, if you own a Chromecast device (other than the 2013 one), you don’t have to worry about losing any software or security updates right now.
Jared Newman / Foundry
Jared Newman / Foundry
Jared Newman / Foundry
When might support for my Chromecast end?
Google continues to support every model it has released except for the first generation, which ended support in 2023, a decade after it first went on sale. According to The Verge, support ended rather quietly.
Here is the release date for all other Chromecast models:
- Chromecast 2nd Generation – 2015
- Chromecast Ultra – 2016
- Chromecast 3rd Generation – 2018
- Chromecast with Google TV (4K) – 2020
- Chromecast with Google TV (HD) – 2022
Google hasn’t officially confirmed how long each device will be supported. However, if the ten-year cycle used is the same as the first-generation Chromecast, support should end around the following years:
- Chromecast 2nd Generation – 2025
- Chromecast Ultra – 2026
- Chromecast 3rd Generation – 2028
- Chromecast with Google TV (4K) – 2030
- Chromecast with Google TV (HD) – 2032
We want to reiterate that these dates are only estimates. If we hear from Google, we will update this article.
What happens when Google stops supporting my Chromecast?
On the official Chromecast update help pages, Google has the following message about its 1st generation model:
Support for Chromecast (1st generation) has ended, meaning these devices no longer receive software or security updates, and Google does not provide technical support for them. Users may notice a degradation in performance.
So it seems that while the devices won’t stop working overnight, Google won’t continue to roll out improvements and bug fixes, so over time they’ll become slower and more buggy. Additionally, users won’t benefit from the latest additions to the Google ecosystem, such as new library interfaces or app updates.
For now, the only users who need to worry about this are those with a 2013 Chromecast.
If this is you or you are considering buying a new device, check out our ranking of the best streaming sticks. You can also find out the key feature that is missing from the Google TV Streamer.
