Whistle pet tracker shutdown IoT fail

Whistle pet trackers will cease functioning on August 31, 2025, following Tractive's acquisition of the company from Mars Petcare.

Background

Whistle Labs was founded in 2012 as a developer of GPS enabled pet tracking & health monitoring devices. The company marketed its products as "Fitbit for dogs," offering activity tracking, GPS location services, & health monitoring ability.

Mars Petcare, a subsidiary of Mars Inc., acquired Whistle in April 2016 for approximately $117 million. Under Mars ownership, Whistle expanded its product line to include models such as the GO, GO Explore, Switch, FIT, & Health trackers, with retail prices ranging from $100 to $199.

Tractive, an Austrian company founded in 2012, operates as a competitor in the pet GPS tracking market, offering similar location and health monitoring services across 175 countries.

Acquisition and shutdown announcement

On July 28, 2025, Tractive announced its acquisition of Whistle from Mars Petcare. Financial terms were not disclosed, though a webpage article that seems AI generated values the deal in the "tens of millions." Take this with a shaker of salt.

Alongside the acquisition announcement, Tractive said that all Whistle devices would permanently stop working on August 31, 2025, giving users 33 days notice. The shutdown affects all Whistle product models and will result in:

• Complete loss of GPS tracking functionality
• Inability to access the Whistle mobile application
• Permanent loss of all historical pet health and activity data
• Obsolescence of all Whistle hardware accessories and chargers

Users have been informed that pet health data collected over years "will not be transferred to the replacement Tractive devices" due to what the company describes as "different algorithms that would not be compatible with Tractive's systems."

Tractive's response

Tractive has offered a replacement program providing free GPS tracker devices to affected Whistle customers. The program includes:

• One free Tractive GPS tracker (valued at $49.99-$99.00) per Whistle device
• Transfer of remaining subscription time to Tractive service
• Two months free service for non-subscribers who purchase a new plan
• Deadline of September 30, 2025, to claim replacements

The company justified the shutdown by stating that "maintaining and developing two separate ecosystems—devices, apps, and software—doubles the complexity and could limit the quality of service and innovation."

Tractive CEO Michael Hurnaus characterized the acquisition as enabling the company to "deliver new features and improvements faster, more reliably, and with greater impact for all users—including former Whistle customers."

Consumer impact

Both Whistle & Tractive devices require active subscriptions to function. The subscription fees cover cellular data costs necessary for GPS tracking. Without an active subscription, neither device can perform location tracking or health monitoring functions.

Subscription cost comparison

Prior to the shutdown, Whistle subscription plans cost:

• Monthly: $9.95 per month
• Yearly: $8.25 per month when paid annually (approximately $99 per year)
• Some older plans: As low as $6.95 per month

Tractive subscription plans cost:

• Monthly: $10-12 per month (availability varies by country)
• Yearly: $5-9 per month when paid annually ($60-108 per year)
• Multi-year plans: As low as $5 per month

Subscription costs are comparable.

Non-financial consumer impacts

Despite Tractive providing free replacement devices & similar subscription pricing, there are several areas of harm caused by the bricking of older devices:

Data loss: All historical pet health data collected over years cannot be transferred to Tractive's platform, affecting users who rely on this information for veterinary care decisions, particularly for pets with chronic conditions.

Feature reduction: Whistle's specialized behavioral monitoring capabilities for tracking licking, scratching, and sleep quality are not available on Tractive devices, potentially affecting early detection of health issues.

Significantly reduced battery life: Users report Whistle devices lasting 10-15 days per charge compared to Tractive's 2-7 days/.

Accessory obsolescence: All Whistle-specific hardware including chargers, collar attachments, & accessories become unusable, requiring additional replacement purchases beyond the tracker itself.

Inadequate transition period: The 33-day notice period has been criticized as insufficient for users to research alternatives, claim replacements, & adapt to new systems, particularly affecting elderly users and households with multiple pets.

Choice elimination: The acquisition removes a major competitor from the pet tracking market, reducing consumer options & innovation pressure in the $100-150 price segment.

Consumer response

Consumer reactions have been documented across multiple platforms:

• Trustpilot reviews for Whistle average 2.4 out of 5 stars across 2,579 reviews, with recent complaints focusing on the shutdown announcement. Reviews of the company & the product were consistently poor prior to the shutdown announcement.
• Better Business Bureau records show patterns of complaints regarding subscription issues and warranty concerns
• Reddit users have expressed frustration about losing years of pet health data when it comes to animals with medical conditions that require long-term monitoring

One user stated that the loss of behavioral monitoring features was "very handy, so to lose that sucks" when describing how they used the device to track their dog's seasonal allergies.

Whistle user discussing device bricking on Reddit

Technology publication Engadget noted that "thousands of GPS trackers and monitors will morph into e-waste in about a month."

Institutional response

The Whistle shutdown contributes to what the US PIRG Education Fund describes as an "Electronic Waste Graveyard" of over 100 tech products, which have stopped working after manufacturers dropped support. The organization estimates that expired software and canceled cloud services have created "a minimum of 130 million pounds of electronic waste" since 2014.

See also

• Google's Nest bricking Revolv smart home hubs in 2016
• Wink's 2020 demand for mandatory subscriptions with one week notice
• Best Buy's shutdown of Insignia smart home products in 2019

References

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