Google stops updating third-party smart displays

By Jon Bitner April 10, 2023

Google Assistant is one of the most popular smart home assistants of 2023, but it looks like big changes are in store for the remainder of the year. According to an updated support page, Google won’t be pushing any more Assistant updates to select third-party smart displays.

The Lenovo Smart Display, LG Xboom AI ThinQ WK9, and JBL Link View are the three smart displays in question — and if you currently have them in your home, don’t expect to see further updates for their Assistant platform. They will, of course, continue to function as they did before this announcement, but they won’t receive any more software updates to enhance their performance.

The Lenovo Smart Display on a table. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Here’s a look at the official statement from Google:

“Important: Google no longer provides software updates for these third-party Smart Displays: Lenovo Smart Display (7-inch, 8-inch, and 10-inch), JBL Link View, and LG Xboom AI ThinQ WK9 Smart Display,” reads the announcement. “This could impact the quality of video calls and meetings.”

Most of these products first went on sale in 2018, making them just about five years old. If you’re looking to pick up a new smart display in light of the news, it might be best to stick with first-party Google products (which should continue to see updates). You could also jump to a new ecosystem like Amazon Alexa.

Google continues to push more effort into the development of Bard, its AI platform, although it’s unclear exactly how (or if) Bard will eventually integrate with the rest of the Assistant smart home platform. Expect to learn more during the Google I/O event next month.

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Jon Bitner is a writer covering consumer electronics, technology, and gaming. His work has been published on various websites…

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