13 ms·

Can no longer view websites on smart display

313 points by Stratoscope 5y ago

radicaldreamer 5y ago
Is this update to prevent users from streaming video outside of Youtube on these devices or is there some more mundane reason?
warning26 5y ago
For those who don't feel like reading the whole thread, the relevant part is: > "Important: Access to the web isn’t supported on Smart Displays made by manufacturers other than Google" That seems...weird.
- ladyanita22 5y ago
  The thing is, the software platforms are completely different. The smart displays market right now is a hot mess. Only Google's or Amazon's should be purchased.
  - colechristensen 5y ago
    Or none of them. Buying anything marketed as “smart” seems like a bad idea these days.
    - Spivak 5y ago
      Assuming that you want to rent content via a streaming service you basically have to buy into one of these devices just to have something that supports DRM. You can use a PC but just the processor that supports L1 DRM is more expensive than one of these dongles.
      - whatshisface 5y ago
        Streaming services work fine on my ancient windows laptop. What's the problem?
        jimmydorry 5y ago
        Have a closer look at what quality you are getting. It's most likely 480p max, depending on the streaming platform and the licensing deals at play for your region.
      - emkoemko 5y ago
        you mean L1 right? L3 forces you to watch in 480p resolution unless you have L1 hardware and Linux is forced to L3 and in some services you can't even stream at all :( its crazy oh well pirated content have the full quality and play perfectly fine on Linux.
        Spivak 5y ago
        Yes, sorry, I always get the levels backwards.
    - ratsmack 5y ago
      I guess I'm far outside the loop as I don't know what a smart display is or why I would even want one. I did a search and read a little bit, but it just seems like a bunch of vague references to some kind of assistant.
      - JimBlackwood 5y ago
        Same issue here. From my googling it just seems like a display to show the weather, calendar, what music you’re playing, etc. [1] [1]: https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/smart-display/ https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/smart-display/
        ratsmack 5y ago
        I guess that so many things wear the "smart" moniker it's just muddied the waters to the point that it could be anything.
      - d0gsg0w00f 5y ago
        I own one of these in my kitchen. The only thing I really find it useful for is as clock with the weather on it and as something to yell at to play music when I'm washing dishes. Both could be done with a simple smart speaker. The thing I hate most about this device is that it displays beautiful landscape photos but I can't tap on an interesting photo if I want to know what the photo's subject is.
        soco 5y ago
        You might see this photo information in Google Home - of course if you have the app installed on your phone and you registered the device in it.
    - paxys 5y ago
      Does that also extend to your phone?
      - choward 5y ago
        Yeah. I'd rather have something handheld with as much freedom as a standard computer than a smartphone. Unfortunately that doesn't exist in a fully usable form yet so I'm stuck with a smartphone for now. I plan on eventually ditching it though.
    - thescriptkiddie 5y ago
      “Smart” is just a euphemism for surveillance.
  - llampx 5y ago
    If you buy a consumer anything from Google, you have only yourself to blame.
    - type0 5y ago
      People buy it from Lenovo, Google is the gods they pray to so that their devices wouldn't be broken by the updates.
  - marricks 5y ago
    > Only Google's or Amazon's should be purchased. Sounds like a monopolistic system reinforcing itself.
  - 0x002A 5y ago
    If google is trying to monopolize the hot mess by its power, then it's working, right?
  - crooked-v 5y ago
    I would strike Google off that list, given that they have a history of cutting support for hardware that's only a few years old.
- danmur 5y ago
  I thought that was a joke at first but that's what's on the support link from Google. What. The. F.
Stratoscope 5y ago
Let's say you ask your Lenovo Smart Display, "What is a Rat Terrier?" You get a nice summary screen with a photo of a Rat Terrier, and the assistant says, "According to Wikipedia, the Rat Terrier is an American dog breed [and goes on from there]" There is also a handy Wikipedia link in the middle of the page if you want to read more. Last week this link - and all other viewing of web pages - was disabled by a Google update. This is not a "bug" from Google's point of view, it was a deliberate and documented change. > Important: Access to the web isn’t supported on Smart Displays made by manufacturers other than Google. https://g.co/assistant/web-filter https://g.co/assistant/web-filter Of course it was supported before this forced update! I am thinking of filing against Google in small claims court to be refunded the price I paid for my three Lenovo Smart Displays. Also discussed on the Lenovo forum: https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Lenovo-Link-App-Smart-Home-Essentials-and-Smart-Frame/websites-no-longer-work-on-lenovo-smart-display/m-p/5121102 https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Lenovo-Link-App-Smart-Home-Esse...
- smnrchrds 5y ago
  99% of people wouldn't dare taking Google to court, because they use Google services and if Google decides to close their accounts and stop doing business with them going forward, they stand to lose much more than the price of the device.
  - martimarkov 5y ago
    Then you take them court yet again this time for discrimination. Also this is not a thing that can happen I think. Like for example epic vs Apple. Apple didn’t have the ability to close down all accounts of epic.
    - ocdtrekkie 5y ago
      Apple tried though, and the only reason they didn't succeed is Epic has high priced lawyers like Apple does. These companies can just bankrupt you with legal fees. For an individual, tech companies can absolutely beat you over the head illegally and count on their better lawyers to make it stick. Unless you're Tim Sweeney level loaded I would recommend against trying it.
post_break 5y ago
I have one of these smart displays. I love the look of it, fits in with my decor in my kitchen. And this update pisses me the fuck off.
websap 5y ago
How does a company like Google end up doing this? I'm assuming a decision like this has multiple stakeholders? Is there nobody in the room who is the voice of the customer?
- dylan604 5y ago
  Remember, at Google, you the user of the service/product are not the customer. The companies buying access to the data harvested from you about you is the customer to Google's mind.
  - batuhanicoz 5y ago
    For most of their offerings, this is correct. I would argue this product is different since you actually pay for the hardware and the software it runs on it. Different expectations than an ad supported service.
    - dylan604 5y ago
      The price you paid is for the hardware you purchased to the manufacture. The ability to run Googly assistant is just software running on that device for free from Googs. It would only be natural for Googs to harvest in all of that usage data so they can sell access to that data to their customers.
- advisedwang 5y ago
  Big companies can be very risk averse. E.g. legal raises some risk, then nobody is going to push back as then they could be blamed for legal fallout.
- the_other 5y ago
  Yes, but everyone else just throws popcorn at them.
- rodgerd 5y ago
  > Is there nobody in the room who is the voice of the customer? No. Google have an institutional contempt for humanity. Just look at the support: david.king Gold Product Expert Volunteer since 2011 (not a Google employee) They can't even be bothered hiring people to support their offerings.
WheelsAtLarge 5y ago
I wonder if this is related to the Sonos patent dispute they lost. Here's the headline from the New York Times, "Google Infringed on Sonos Speaker Technology, Trade Court Rules. The company will not be allowed to import products that infringe on Sonos patents, including smart speakers, video streaming devices, and some computers and phones." https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/06/technology/google-sonos-patents.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/06/technology/google-sonos-p...
- advisedwang 5y ago
  That patent was about group volume control. Why should it prevent web browsing?
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
- bryanrasmussen 5y ago
  I would think not if the update only applies to devices not manufactured by Google.
PixelPaul 5y ago
theshrike79 5y ago
Good thing I didn't get a bunch of these when they were super cheap on Black Friday. This is just one notch for me not using any Google products. They at one point a few years ago just plain disabled Routines from Google Home with an arbitrary region lock.[0] So my Nest is now useless. [0] https://support.google.com/assistant/thread/83770174/google-routines-missing-in-google-home-app?hl=en&msgid=83770174 https://support.google.com/assistant/thread/83770174/google-...
jlkuester7 5y ago
This is very frustrating. But it does serve as yet another reminder of the dangers inherent to closed ecosystems. I think it is great that I can cast my Amazon Prime Video from the app to my Chromecast, but I have been around long enough to remember that was not always the case (and I also will not be surprised if (when) I wake up one day and that functionality is no longer available). And don't even get me started on the joys of trying to use a Chromecast from an Android device without the Google Play Servies rootkit.... More and more I find myself investing in open systems (playing my own movies off of my Plex server...).
- phh 5y ago
  I have some hopes with regards casting thanks to Matter (IoT protocol which has an extension for TV). I'm not saying a lot of hopes, but still a bit.
- oarsinsync 5y ago
  > More and more I find myself investing in open systems (playing my own movies off of my Plex server...). Plex may have a free to use tier, but it is not an open system.
  - vorpalhex 5y ago
    I like Jellyfin as a plex alternative. Many others exist.
    - kup0 5y ago
      Been using Plex but thanks for mentioning this. I think I'm going to try switching to Jellyfin
    - ncallaway 5y ago
      I setup Jellyfin recently, and it was pretty quick and easy and has been working well.
  - crtasm 5y ago
    Indeed, and last I looked had at least Google analytics/tracking emedded.
LegitShady 5y ago
I don't purchase smart devices. They either lose functionality is any or suddenly gain malicious features I can't control. Smart seems to be another way to say "fuck you". It's true my speakers won't switch rooms automatically like Sonos and I couldn't ask me alarm clock about dog breeds but both my speakers and alarm will outlive any smart device released today. All of this stuff has to be supported and it won't be - it's just landfill material that hasn't made it there yet. Make mine stupid please.
- 0x002A 5y ago
  That's a valid approach but I am not sure soon there will be much non-smart device offerings possible to choose and purchase.
verytrivial 5y ago
I have zero "smart" device is my life exactly because the FURY that would be caused by being treated like this would far outweigh the drip-feeding of trivialities the devices would otherwise dish up each day. I don't get into these sorts of argument with my pen or chair, for example. Why should I tolerate it from my TV?
- cmckn 5y ago
  This isn't a television, it's a product similar to Google's Nest Hub; i.e. your standard "smart speaker" plus a display. Don't disagree with your outrage at all. I wouldn't buy a more critical appliance administered by Google. But I do have a Nest Hub in my kitchen, and I like it for what it is -- an entirely unnecessary, cheap gizmo that nevertheless has a couple useful functions.
cush 5y ago
> Websites are turned off for this device. Learn more: g.co/assistant/web-filter Websites are disabled. Learn more by visiting this website.
- squarefoot 5y ago
  History repeats itself... https://teddit.net/pics/w:null_YecnXFugkOVw2R4-BUYbjhHM4oF7_EUtK2tsFVDZNMQ.jpg https://teddit.net/pics/w:null_YecnXFugkOVw2R4-BUYbjhHM4oF7_...
- npteljes 5y ago
  I thought these error were really funny until an older BIOS told me that "ERROR: No keyboard detected. Press F1 to continue"
A4ET8a8uTh0 5y ago
Fascinating stuff. I briefly wondered if you can not update, but I honestly don't know it is an option. If it is, users were just taught not to update for fear of losing features. Not sure what the lesson was if it is not.
gman83 5y ago
Haven't those Google-made devices received an OTA OS change from (Linux-based) “Cast OS” to Fuchsia? Maybe that's got something to do with it?
jsnell 5y ago
My guess is that this is due to that display running Android Things, which IIUC went out of support in January. There's something to be said for making sure users aren't running a browser that's not getting any security updates. (There's also something to be said for giving users a choice, but unfortunately very few people could actually make an informed choice when it comes to that).
- MrStonedOne 5y ago
  > (There's also something to be said for giving users a choice, but unfortunately very few people could actually make an informed choice when it comes to that) Irrelevant, ethically speaking they still deserve that choice.
  - pishpash 5y ago
    Agreed, software-driven hardware devices should perform the same original functionality as when they were purchased forever, unless it's a hardware failure, or unless there is an explicit expiration on the purchase agreement.
- d0gsg0w00f 5y ago
  Disclaimer: I own one of these Lenovo devices. This makes perfect sense, thank you. The last thing Google wants is to be blamed for allowing some old device's camera to be compromised and be the source of a leaked video of somebody dancing naked in their kitchen. Basically a case of a device company riding some trend 5 years ago installing an OS that has an end date for support and since the manufacturer already got it's money for the device there is no motivation to solve the problem. At this point why does anyone expect any electronic to be relevant after 2 years of ownership anyway?
  - twohaibei 5y ago
    > At this point why does anyone expect any electronic to be relevant after 2 years of ownership anyway? I pray it is a joke or sarcasm.
hughes 5y ago
Why would anyone want to create a device that works with Google Assistant after this?
a-dub 5y ago
i'd wager it has something to do with this: https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/11067831?hl=en#webturnedoff https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/11067831?hl=en#w... my guess is that after the sonos debacle, they've got some kind of internal "lawyers gone wild" debacle unfolding where literally everything is being examined in a big giant legal audit. i'd go on to wager that they identified some highly gymnastic exposure in some part of the world with respect to offering unfiltered public internet terminals to children, so they crammed a quickfix in under their digital wellbeing stuff and it's only supported on pixel/google devices. just another reminder that anyone who can push updates has total control well beyond anything labeled "root" on the devices they push updates to.
excalibur 5y ago
No Google, you do not own the web and are not entitled to hold it for ransom to promote your stupid gadgets.
- seaman1921 5y ago
  but you are entitled to post garbage comments ?
  - excalibur 5y ago
    Apparently we both are
djanogo 5y ago
Curious question to any googlers on here, do engineers ever refuse to push code change which disables a feature like this?, do you get to push back on changes and ask anybody asking for this to get approval from higher up or in-general create bureaucracy/resistance against user hostile changes?
- PragmaticPulp 5y ago
  > Curious question to any googlers on here, do engineers ever refuse to push code change which disables a feature like this? I really doubt there was some decision to arbitrarily disable the feature. What likely happened is that they decided some legacy system or framework wasn't going to be supported any more. They sent out e-mails and communications months or years ago, hoping partners would do something about it. Often, engineers are the happiest to abandon the legacy systems. Nobody likes being stuck supporting legacy code on legacy devices, especially when all of your peers are getting promoted for doing cool, fun, new stuff.
type0 5y ago
It's years since they removed "don't be evil", is it just me or have they been adopting "be evil" motto lately?!
- Nextgrid 5y ago
  Treating users like shit is common in big tech and seems to be very popular lately, but I don't see Google being a significant outlier - they're just following the industry trend.
ProfessorLayton 5y ago
Completely besides the point, and of course I don't agree with what google's doing. However: I can't fathom browsing the web on any device without support for adblocking. Back when I first got my Xbox One I tried its web browser, thought it was neat for about 2 minutes, and noped out that ad infested experience. I think my TV also has a web browser, and again it's useless.
- noasaservice 5y ago
  Use a PiHole. It blocks all adverts, malware, spyware, etc for any device on the network.
  - U8dcN7vx 5y ago
    PiHole doesn't block all ads though it might seem to for some, and DoH (aka Private DNS) will eventually obsolete it if the amount of lost revenue doesn't remain trivial (less than the cost of implemention in their product).
emsy 5y ago
Google is so good at shutting things down they offer it as a service for other companies.
albertopv 5y ago
I'm a sw dev, I don't have any smart tool at home, not a single one, news like this are a good reminder to not change my mind ever.
- whichquestion 5y ago
  If you have a smart phone it’s too late.
  - fooblitzky 5y ago
    I switched back to a flip phone, CDs, point and shoot digital camera, and I love it. It's not always as convenient in the moment, but I find it has a positive effect on my relationships and mental health, and it saves me a bunch of money. And I have actual free time to spend on doing stuff like learning to play the piano. Once you train yourself to recognize it, it's really scary - so many things in our modern lives are explicit traps - for a few moments of convenience (always made very easy), you burden your future self with a non-negligible amount of future work and entrust private details of your life to companies with a poor track record of keeping that data safe. So many things take only a few clicks to sign up, then you have to spend possibly hours on the phone later trying to cancel an account.
    - MandieD 5y ago
      The turn-of-the-century digital lifestyle, just with some upgraded components. A worthy goal. “Convenience” is the truly obscene “c-word”.
danuker 5y ago
Whenever I hear "smart" I think "planned obsolescence" and "walled garden".
malkia 5y ago
Well, accidentally I was watching this presentation yesterday - https://fosdem.org/2022/schedule/event/retro_frogfind/ https://fosdem.org/2022/schedule/event/retro_frogfind/ - might actually try it out - e.g. https://frogfind.com/ https://frogfind.com/
userbinator 5y ago
What's "smart"? The company that puts its consumers on an upgrade treadmill and can force them to take unwanted changes at its whim. Not the poor souls who bought one and are now being herded and milked. The less you let Big Tech insert itself into your life, the less control they will be able to exert, and the more freedom you will have. As the saying goes: "smart devices[,] dumb users."
wmil 5y ago
It's interesting that between the push to HTTPS all the time and deprecating old https protocols, eventually all unupdated web browsing devices are going to end up as bricks.
sebazzz 5y ago
Disabled by a wellbeing assistent? I had something similar on iOS with Carplay but with no explanation at all. At some point I was not able to use Carplay anymore. My car didn't give an error message, and in iOS I could not find a solution either. Turns out when you have app time limits on, Carplay becomes broken and unusable.
osxfcn 5y ago
Smart display turned out to be Stupid. Isn't that ironic?

313 points by Stratoscope 5y ago

Is this update to prevent users from streaming video outside of Youtube on these devices or is there some more mundane reason?

warning26 5y ago

For those who don't feel like reading the whole thread, the relevant part is: > "Important: Access to the web isn’t supported on Smart Displays made by manufacturers other than Google" That seems...weird.

ladyanita22 5y ago
The thing is, the software platforms are completely different. The smart displays market right now is a hot mess. Only Google's or Amazon's should be purchased.
- colechristensen 5y ago
  Or none of them. Buying anything marketed as “smart” seems like a bad idea these days.
  - Spivak 5y ago
    Assuming that you want to rent content via a streaming service you basically have to buy into one of these devices just to have something that supports DRM. You can use a PC but just the processor that supports L1 DRM is more expensive than one of these dongles.
    - whatshisface 5y ago
      Streaming services work fine on my ancient windows laptop. What's the problem?
      - jimmydorry 5y ago
        Have a closer look at what quality you are getting. It's most likely 480p max, depending on the streaming platform and the licensing deals at play for your region.
    - emkoemko 5y ago
      you mean L1 right? L3 forces you to watch in 480p resolution unless you have L1 hardware and Linux is forced to L3 and in some services you can't even stream at all :( its crazy oh well pirated content have the full quality and play perfectly fine on Linux.
      - Spivak 5y ago
        Yes, sorry, I always get the levels backwards.
  - ratsmack 5y ago
    I guess I'm far outside the loop as I don't know what a smart display is or why I would even want one. I did a search and read a little bit, but it just seems like a bunch of vague references to some kind of assistant.
    - JimBlackwood 5y ago
      Same issue here. From my googling it just seems like a display to show the weather, calendar, what music you’re playing, etc. [1] [1]: https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/smart-display/ https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/smart-display/
      - ratsmack 5y ago
        I guess that so many things wear the "smart" moniker it's just muddied the waters to the point that it could be anything.
    - d0gsg0w00f 5y ago
      I own one of these in my kitchen. The only thing I really find it useful for is as clock with the weather on it and as something to yell at to play music when I'm washing dishes. Both could be done with a simple smart speaker. The thing I hate most about this device is that it displays beautiful landscape photos but I can't tap on an interesting photo if I want to know what the photo's subject is.
      - soco 5y ago
        You might see this photo information in Google Home - of course if you have the app installed on your phone and you registered the device in it.
  - paxys 5y ago
    Does that also extend to your phone?
    - choward 5y ago
      Yeah. I'd rather have something handheld with as much freedom as a standard computer than a smartphone. Unfortunately that doesn't exist in a fully usable form yet so I'm stuck with a smartphone for now. I plan on eventually ditching it though.
  - thescriptkiddie 5y ago
    “Smart” is just a euphemism for surveillance.
- llampx 5y ago
  If you buy a consumer anything from Google, you have only yourself to blame.
  - type0 5y ago
    People buy it from Lenovo, Google is the gods they pray to so that their devices wouldn't be broken by the updates.
- marricks 5y ago
  > Only Google's or Amazon's should be purchased. Sounds like a monopolistic system reinforcing itself.
- 0x002A 5y ago
  If google is trying to monopolize the hot mess by its power, then it's working, right?
- crooked-v 5y ago
  I would strike Google off that list, given that they have a history of cutting support for hardware that's only a few years old.
danmur 5y ago
I thought that was a joke at first but that's what's on the support link from Google. What. The. F.

Stratoscope 5y ago

Let's say you ask your Lenovo Smart Display, "What is a Rat Terrier?" You get a nice summary screen with a photo of a Rat Terrier, and the assistant says, "According to Wikipedia, the Rat Terrier is an American dog breed [and goes on from there]" There is also a handy Wikipedia link in the middle of the page if you want to read more. Last week this link - and all other viewing of web pages - was disabled by a Google update. This is not a "bug" from Google's point of view, it was a deliberate and documented change. > Important: Access to the web isn’t supported on Smart Displays made by manufacturers other than Google. https://g.co/assistant/web-filter https://g.co/assistant/web-filter Of course it was supported before this forced update! I am thinking of filing against Google in small claims court to be refunded the price I paid for my three Lenovo Smart Displays. Also discussed on the Lenovo forum: https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Lenovo-Link-App-Smart-Home-Essentials-and-Smart-Frame/websites-no-longer-work-on-lenovo-smart-display/m-p/5121102 https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Lenovo-Link-App-Smart-Home-Esse...

smnrchrds 5y ago
99% of people wouldn't dare taking Google to court, because they use Google services and if Google decides to close their accounts and stop doing business with them going forward, they stand to lose much more than the price of the device.
- martimarkov 5y ago
  Then you take them court yet again this time for discrimination. Also this is not a thing that can happen I think. Like for example epic vs Apple. Apple didn’t have the ability to close down all accounts of epic.
  - ocdtrekkie 5y ago
    Apple tried though, and the only reason they didn't succeed is Epic has high priced lawyers like Apple does. These companies can just bankrupt you with legal fees. For an individual, tech companies can absolutely beat you over the head illegally and count on their better lawyers to make it stick. Unless you're Tim Sweeney level loaded I would recommend against trying it.

post_break 5y ago

I have one of these smart displays. I love the look of it, fits in with my decor in my kitchen. And this update pisses me the fuck off.

websap 5y ago

How does a company like Google end up doing this? I'm assuming a decision like this has multiple stakeholders? Is there nobody in the room who is the voice of the customer?

dylan604 5y ago
Remember, at Google, you the user of the service/product are not the customer. The companies buying access to the data harvested from you about you is the customer to Google's mind.
- batuhanicoz 5y ago
  For most of their offerings, this is correct. I would argue this product is different since you actually pay for the hardware and the software it runs on it. Different expectations than an ad supported service.
  - dylan604 5y ago
    The price you paid is for the hardware you purchased to the manufacture. The ability to run Googly assistant is just software running on that device for free from Googs. It would only be natural for Googs to harvest in all of that usage data so they can sell access to that data to their customers.
advisedwang 5y ago
Big companies can be very risk averse. E.g. legal raises some risk, then nobody is going to push back as then they could be blamed for legal fallout.
the_other 5y ago
Yes, but everyone else just throws popcorn at them.
rodgerd 5y ago
> Is there nobody in the room who is the voice of the customer? No. Google have an institutional contempt for humanity. Just look at the support: david.king Gold Product Expert Volunteer since 2011 (not a Google employee) They can't even be bothered hiring people to support their offerings.

WheelsAtLarge 5y ago

I wonder if this is related to the Sonos patent dispute they lost. Here's the headline from the New York Times, "Google Infringed on Sonos Speaker Technology, Trade Court Rules. The company will not be allowed to import products that infringe on Sonos patents, including smart speakers, video streaming devices, and some computers and phones." https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/06/technology/google-sonos-patents.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/06/technology/google-sonos-p...

advisedwang 5y ago
That patent was about group volume control. Why should it prevent web browsing?
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
bryanrasmussen 5y ago
I would think not if the update only applies to devices not manufactured by Google.

PixelPaul 5y ago

theshrike79 5y ago

Good thing I didn't get a bunch of these when they were super cheap on Black Friday. This is just one notch for me not using any Google products. They at one point a few years ago just plain disabled Routines from Google Home with an arbitrary region lock.[0] So my Nest is now useless. [0] https://support.google.com/assistant/thread/83770174/google-routines-missing-in-google-home-app?hl=en&msgid=83770174 https://support.google.com/assistant/thread/83770174/google-...

jlkuester7 5y ago

This is very frustrating. But it does serve as yet another reminder of the dangers inherent to closed ecosystems. I think it is great that I can cast my Amazon Prime Video from the app to my Chromecast, but I have been around long enough to remember that was not always the case (and I also will not be surprised if (when) I wake up one day and that functionality is no longer available). And don't even get me started on the joys of trying to use a Chromecast from an Android device without the Google Play Servies rootkit.... More and more I find myself investing in open systems (playing my own movies off of my Plex server...).

phh 5y ago
I have some hopes with regards casting thanks to Matter (IoT protocol which has an extension for TV). I'm not saying a lot of hopes, but still a bit.
oarsinsync 5y ago
> More and more I find myself investing in open systems (playing my own movies off of my Plex server...). Plex may have a free to use tier, but it is not an open system.
- vorpalhex 5y ago
  I like Jellyfin as a plex alternative. Many others exist.
  - kup0 5y ago
    Been using Plex but thanks for mentioning this. I think I'm going to try switching to Jellyfin
  - ncallaway 5y ago
    I setup Jellyfin recently, and it was pretty quick and easy and has been working well.
- crtasm 5y ago
  Indeed, and last I looked had at least Google analytics/tracking emedded.

LegitShady 5y ago

I don't purchase smart devices. They either lose functionality is any or suddenly gain malicious features I can't control. Smart seems to be another way to say "fuck you". It's true my speakers won't switch rooms automatically like Sonos and I couldn't ask me alarm clock about dog breeds but both my speakers and alarm will outlive any smart device released today. All of this stuff has to be supported and it won't be - it's just landfill material that hasn't made it there yet. Make mine stupid please.

0x002A 5y ago
That's a valid approach but I am not sure soon there will be much non-smart device offerings possible to choose and purchase.

verytrivial 5y ago

I have zero "smart" device is my life exactly because the FURY that would be caused by being treated like this would far outweigh the drip-feeding of trivialities the devices would otherwise dish up each day. I don't get into these sorts of argument with my pen or chair, for example. Why should I tolerate it from my TV?

cmckn 5y ago
This isn't a television, it's a product similar to Google's Nest Hub; i.e. your standard "smart speaker" plus a display. Don't disagree with your outrage at all. I wouldn't buy a more critical appliance administered by Google. But I do have a Nest Hub in my kitchen, and I like it for what it is -- an entirely unnecessary, cheap gizmo that nevertheless has a couple useful functions.

cush 5y ago

> Websites are turned off for this device. Learn more: g.co/assistant/web-filter Websites are disabled. Learn more by visiting this website.

squarefoot 5y ago
History repeats itself... https://teddit.net/pics/w:null_YecnXFugkOVw2R4-BUYbjhHM4oF7_EUtK2tsFVDZNMQ.jpg https://teddit.net/pics/w:null_YecnXFugkOVw2R4-BUYbjhHM4oF7_...
npteljes 5y ago
I thought these error were really funny until an older BIOS told me that "ERROR: No keyboard detected. Press F1 to continue"

A4ET8a8uTh0 5y ago

Fascinating stuff. I briefly wondered if you can not update, but I honestly don't know it is an option. If it is, users were just taught not to update for fear of losing features. Not sure what the lesson was if it is not.

gman83 5y ago

Haven't those Google-made devices received an OTA OS change from (Linux-based) “Cast OS” to Fuchsia? Maybe that's got something to do with it?

jsnell 5y ago

My guess is that this is due to that display running Android Things, which IIUC went out of support in January. There's something to be said for making sure users aren't running a browser that's not getting any security updates. (There's also something to be said for giving users a choice, but unfortunately very few people could actually make an informed choice when it comes to that).

MrStonedOne 5y ago
> (There's also something to be said for giving users a choice, but unfortunately very few people could actually make an informed choice when it comes to that) Irrelevant, ethically speaking they still deserve that choice.
- pishpash 5y ago
  Agreed, software-driven hardware devices should perform the same original functionality as when they were purchased forever, unless it's a hardware failure, or unless there is an explicit expiration on the purchase agreement.
d0gsg0w00f 5y ago
Disclaimer: I own one of these Lenovo devices. This makes perfect sense, thank you. The last thing Google wants is to be blamed for allowing some old device's camera to be compromised and be the source of a leaked video of somebody dancing naked in their kitchen. Basically a case of a device company riding some trend 5 years ago installing an OS that has an end date for support and since the manufacturer already got it's money for the device there is no motivation to solve the problem. At this point why does anyone expect any electronic to be relevant after 2 years of ownership anyway?
- twohaibei 5y ago
  > At this point why does anyone expect any electronic to be relevant after 2 years of ownership anyway? I pray it is a joke or sarcasm.

hughes 5y ago

Why would anyone want to create a device that works with Google Assistant after this?

a-dub 5y ago

i'd wager it has something to do with this: https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/11067831?hl=en#webturnedoff https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/11067831?hl=en#w... my guess is that after the sonos debacle, they've got some kind of internal "lawyers gone wild" debacle unfolding where literally everything is being examined in a big giant legal audit. i'd go on to wager that they identified some highly gymnastic exposure in some part of the world with respect to offering unfiltered public internet terminals to children, so they crammed a quickfix in under their digital wellbeing stuff and it's only supported on pixel/google devices. just another reminder that anyone who can push updates has total control well beyond anything labeled "root" on the devices they push updates to.

excalibur 5y ago

No Google, you do not own the web and are not entitled to hold it for ransom to promote your stupid gadgets.

seaman1921 5y ago
but you are entitled to post garbage comments ?
- excalibur 5y ago
  Apparently we both are

djanogo 5y ago

Curious question to any googlers on here, do engineers ever refuse to push code change which disables a feature like this?, do you get to push back on changes and ask anybody asking for this to get approval from higher up or in-general create bureaucracy/resistance against user hostile changes?

PragmaticPulp 5y ago
> Curious question to any googlers on here, do engineers ever refuse to push code change which disables a feature like this? I really doubt there was some decision to arbitrarily disable the feature. What likely happened is that they decided some legacy system or framework wasn't going to be supported any more. They sent out e-mails and communications months or years ago, hoping partners would do something about it. Often, engineers are the happiest to abandon the legacy systems. Nobody likes being stuck supporting legacy code on legacy devices, especially when all of your peers are getting promoted for doing cool, fun, new stuff.

type0 5y ago

It's years since they removed "don't be evil", is it just me or have they been adopting "be evil" motto lately?!

Nextgrid 5y ago
Treating users like shit is common in big tech and seems to be very popular lately, but I don't see Google being a significant outlier - they're just following the industry trend.

ProfessorLayton 5y ago

Completely besides the point, and of course I don't agree with what google's doing. However: I can't fathom browsing the web on any device without support for adblocking. Back when I first got my Xbox One I tried its web browser, thought it was neat for about 2 minutes, and noped out that ad infested experience. I think my TV also has a web browser, and again it's useless.

noasaservice 5y ago
Use a PiHole. It blocks all adverts, malware, spyware, etc for any device on the network.
- U8dcN7vx 5y ago
  PiHole doesn't block all ads though it might seem to for some, and DoH (aka Private DNS) will eventually obsolete it if the amount of lost revenue doesn't remain trivial (less than the cost of implemention in their product).

emsy 5y ago

Google is so good at shutting things down they offer it as a service for other companies.

albertopv 5y ago

I'm a sw dev, I don't have any smart tool at home, not a single one, news like this are a good reminder to not change my mind ever.

whichquestion 5y ago
If you have a smart phone it’s too late.
- fooblitzky 5y ago
  I switched back to a flip phone, CDs, point and shoot digital camera, and I love it. It's not always as convenient in the moment, but I find it has a positive effect on my relationships and mental health, and it saves me a bunch of money. And I have actual free time to spend on doing stuff like learning to play the piano. Once you train yourself to recognize it, it's really scary - so many things in our modern lives are explicit traps - for a few moments of convenience (always made very easy), you burden your future self with a non-negligible amount of future work and entrust private details of your life to companies with a poor track record of keeping that data safe. So many things take only a few clicks to sign up, then you have to spend possibly hours on the phone later trying to cancel an account.
  - MandieD 5y ago
    The turn-of-the-century digital lifestyle, just with some upgraded components. A worthy goal. “Convenience” is the truly obscene “c-word”.

danuker 5y ago

Whenever I hear "smart" I think "planned obsolescence" and "walled garden".

malkia 5y ago

Well, accidentally I was watching this presentation yesterday - https://fosdem.org/2022/schedule/event/retro_frogfind/ https://fosdem.org/2022/schedule/event/retro_frogfind/ - might actually try it out - e.g. https://frogfind.com/ https://frogfind.com/

userbinator 5y ago

What's "smart"? The company that puts its consumers on an upgrade treadmill and can force them to take unwanted changes at its whim. Not the poor souls who bought one and are now being herded and milked. The less you let Big Tech insert itself into your life, the less control they will be able to exert, and the more freedom you will have. As the saying goes: "smart devices[,] dumb users."

wmil 5y ago

It's interesting that between the push to HTTPS all the time and deprecating old https protocols, eventually all unupdated web browsing devices are going to end up as bricks.

sebazzz 5y ago

Disabled by a wellbeing assistent? I had something similar on iOS with Carplay but with no explanation at all. At some point I was not able to use Carplay anymore. My car didn't give an error message, and in iOS I could not find a solution either. Turns out when you have app time limits on, Carplay becomes broken and unusable.

osxfcn 5y ago

Smart display turned out to be Stupid. Isn't that ironic?