Logitech discontinues Harmony remotes
It is the end of an era: Logitech has announced that it will no longer produce its Harmony range of universal remotes. The company says, however, that the decision to discontinue production of the devices will not affect current owners, as support will continue.
No reason has been given for the decision, and the remaining stock of devices will remain on sale until the entire inventory is gone. Just don't expect any refunds or compensation.
While the termination of the Harmony range will come as bad news for fans of a universal remotes, it is not entirely surprising. There have been hints from Logitech for a number of years that it was looking to sell what it has described as a "small business".
Importantly, remotes will continue to work, software and apps will be still updated, and third-party integration with Google and Alexa will remain available. If you were thinking about trying to get a refund or compensation out of the company, think again -- Logitech says: "No exceptional refunds will be given as the Harmony service and customer support are not impacted".
The company also says that "we do not expect your Harmony experience to be impacted as a result of this decision", and will therefore not be doing anything for "inconvenience" caused to users.
In a post in its support forums, Logitech says:
We have been getting questions from the community surrounding the future of Harmony, and we're here with an official update.
While Harmony remotes are and continue to be available through various retailers, moving forward Logitech will no longer manufacture Harmony remotes.
We expect no impact to our customers by this announcement. We plan to support our Harmony community and new Harmony customers, which includes access to our software and apps to set up and manage your remotes. We also plan to continue to update the platform and add devices to our Harmony database. Customer and warranty support will continue to be offered.
We thank all members of the Harmony community, for allowing us into your living rooms and entertainment stacks.
The company has published as FAQ about the discontinuation, and in this it explains that not only does it plan "to continue maintaining the Harmony database and software", but also that "there should be no impact with existing Harmony customers, we plan to continue to offer service and support".