Logitech Killing Harmony Link, A Case Study in Mishandling EOL Products

Update 10/13: Logitech has begun issuing full refunds for the Link in the form of a free Harmony Hub.

There is an incredible amount of ways to break the news that a product has reached its end-of-life to your customers, whether they be dealers or homeowners. Ways that feel professional and can convey that you, the vendor, care about the relationship you are building with these people. Waiting for it to come up organically on your forums, shrugging your shoulders, and confirming that a product has about four months use before it is bricked may possibly be the farthest from any scenario of professionalism.

It's also precisely what Logitech did with their cloud-based home theater controller, the Harmony Link.

At the time of its release, it let any smartphone act as and control the popular Harmony Remote using WiFi. We've seen a wave of products and AV-control solutions pop up, but it was kind of revolutionary for 2011, but feeling a bit dated for 2017. In fact, Logitech has since released the Harmony Hub, a $100 successor that has everything from the Harmony Link and a few more tricks to boot. It is also being offered to Logitech owners as a make good on the sudden death of their favorite product if homeowners have a warranty. Otherwise, the Harmony Link is good for 35% off the Harmony Hub.

Here is the message from Logitech employee Logi_WillWong on their official forums

Hi everyone,

We just updated our Harmony Link application to inform customers of this end of life.  As we previously communicated to affected customers via email, Logitech Harmony Link services and support will no longer be available to users effective on March 16, 2018.

I want to make sure those within warranty redeem their free Harmony Hub, which provides similar, if not better, app-based remote control features to Harmony Link.