The end of Logitech Harmony is nigh, even though it has no competitors

Last week, Logitech announced that it would be bringing its Harmony line of remote controls and automation products to an end, almost seventeen years after it acquired the company from Intrigue Technologies for US$29 million. In a blog post, Logitech confirmed that it would 'no longer manufacture Harmony remotes', albeit without giving a reason why. The company added:

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.

Without offering any reasoning, Logitech has left fans reeling, not least because there are no alternatives to which people could migrate. Additionally, Logitech's aim of 'planning to support' its Harmony community is not a guarantee. Undoubtedly, the company has left itself a back door to shut down its Harmony servers, which it forces people to use, when it sees fit. Hopefully, that is not the case. Then again, Logitech did render Harmony Link devices paperweights in 2017.

Ultimately, we hope that Logitech goes the Squeezebox route and open sources its Harmony software for its community. Still, that may leave a lot of work for community developers to add new devices, so it remains to be seen what will happen to the Harmony service over the next few years.

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