Discontinuation bricking: Difference between revisions

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'''Discontinuation bricking''' occurs when a product is rendered no longer functional ("bricked") because the manufacturer has decided to discontinue it. Discontinuation bricking ~~almost exclusively~~ occurs in products that require a connection to a remote server hosted by the producer. The product may become bricked if the company decides to shut down services or if the company goes out of business entirely, while not allowing the consumer to substitute those services with alternative and/or [[self-hosted]] solutions. End-of-life for a product does not require the product to be bricked.

'''Discontinuation bricking''' occurs when a product is rendered no longer functional ("bricked") because the manufacturer has decided to discontinue it. Discontinuation bricking usually occurs in products that require a connection to a remote server hosted by the producer. The product may become bricked if the company decides to shut down services or if the company goes out of business entirely, while not allowing the consumer to substitute those services with alternative and/or [[self-hosted]] solutions. End-of-life for a product does not require the product to be bricked.

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="margin: auto;"

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|-

|Device boots

|~~yes~~

|Yes

|~~yes~~

|Yes

|~~sometimes~~

|Sometimes

|-

|Basic functionality

|~~yes~~

|Yes

|~~sometimes~~

|Sometimes

|no

|No

|-

|Software updates

|~~sometimes~~

|Sometimes

|no

|No

|no

|No

|}

==Impact to consumer rights==

Discontinuation bricking, ~~similarly~~ to [[planned obsolescence]], harms the consumer by making a product they paid for to stop functioning, resulting in loss of ownership of said product, as functionality is stripped from it.

Discontinuation bricking, similar to [[planned obsolescence]], harms the consumer by making a product they paid for to eventually stop functioning, resulting in loss of ownership of said product, as functionality is stripped from it.

===Dependence on third-party bypasses===

After a product has been bricked, a consumer may wish to repair their product and return it back to a functioning state. De-bricking a product is not impossible but can be difficult depending on the severity of the problem. Consumers will inevitably look to third-parties for methods to ~~bypass~~ the bricking which may open the user to [[security]] and safety risks. Bypasses may end up being expensive, with more complicated server-dependent products needing potentially complicated server infrastructure.

After a product has been bricked, a consumer may wish to repair their product and return it back to a functioning state. De-bricking a product is not impossible but can be difficult depending on the severity of the problem. Consumers will inevitably look to third-parties for methods to bypassing the bricking which may open the user to [[security]] and safety risks. Bypasses may end up being expensive, with more complicated server-dependent products needing potentially complicated server infrastructure.

===Resale falsification===

Products are often resold on the internet, and may be put on sale before a discontinuation bricking occurs with valid information but become invalidated afterwards causing [[false advertising]]. This has many implications:

#Sellers may be completely unaware of the discontinuation bricking and will continue selling their product, hurting seller reputation once the product becomes bricked and ~~no longer functions~~ afterwards.

#Sellers may be completely unaware of the discontinuation bricking and will continue selling their product, hurting seller reputation once the product becomes bricked and non-functional afterwards.

#Buyers may be completely unaware of the discontinuation bricking and will buy the product, only to have it not function and harming the buyer.

#Customers may learn about the discontinuation and decide to sell the product without providing adequate details, even without any malicious intent.

==Environmental impact==

Discontinuation bricking will ~~inevitably~~ generate e-waste given that the product is no longer functional, and consumers will be forced to discard the product.

Discontinuation bricking will generate e-waste given that the product is no longer functional, and consumers will be forced to discard the product.

==Warning signs of discontinuation bricking==

Discontinuation bricking is usually a consequence of a remote service shutting down that the product depends on for complete functionality. The risk of discontinuation bricking occurring can be assessed beforehand by observing warning signs, such as:

*'''Product requires an internet connection to a remote server:''' If a product requires connection to a remote server for functionality, there is a risk that the company may shut down the server and brick some ~~function~~, if not all functions of the product. These connections may be necessary because:

*'''Product requires an internet connection to a remote server:''' If a product requires connection to a remote server for functionality, there is a risk that the company may shut down the server and brick some, if not all, functions of the product. These connections may be necessary because:

*'''Product requires remote authorization:''' Product only works if you can receive authorization from an authorization server. If the authorization server shuts down, ~~login~~ will become impossible. An unusual example being the [[Spotify Car Thing]] which stopped functioning after [[Spotify]] unauthorized the Car Thing from interacting with the Spotify App API.

*'''Product requires remote authorization:''' Product only works if you can receive authorization from an authorization server. If the authorization server shuts down, logins will become impossible. An unusual example being the [[Spotify Car Thing]] which stopped functioning after [[Spotify]] unauthorized the Car Thing from interacting with the Spotify App API.

*'''Product has features dependent on remote sources:''' The product may ~~brick~~ if it is unable to access remote information because of server outages.

*'''Product has features dependent on remote sources:''' The product may become bricked if it is unable to access remote information because of server outages.

*'''Product depends on a phone application to work:''' Updates to the app may remove support for the discontinued product. An example being the Spotify Car Thing which stopped functioning after Spotify unauthorized the Car Thing from interacting with the Spotify App API.<ref>{{cite web

|first=Alexander |last=Stoklosa |title=Spotify's Oddball In-Car Music Device Is Getting Bricked. Turns Out There's an App For That. |url=https://www.motortrend.com/news/spotify-car-thing-music-streaming-device-discontinued/ |website=Motor Trend |date=24 May 2024 |access-date=8 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525231014/https://www.motortrend.com/news/spotify-car-thing-music-streaming-device-discontinued/ |archive-date=25 May 2024}}</ref>

*'''Product requires physical input on a regular basis:''' As an example, [[HP Inc.]] printer ink has a [[Digital rights management|DRM]] that forces consumers to exclusively use HP ink, and does not allow third-party cartridges. If HP goes out of business or decides to stop producing their ink cartridges, any printer ~~depending upon~~ it will become bricked, effectively discontinuing the printer even if not explicitly stated.

*'''Product requires physical input on a regular basis:''' As an example, [[HP Inc.]] printer ink has a [[Digital rights management|DRM]] mechanism that forces consumers to exclusively use HP ink, and does not allow third-party cartridges. If HP goes out of business or decides to stop producing their ink cartridges, any printer dependent on it will become bricked, effectively discontinuing the printer even if not explicitly stated.

==Further reading==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{StubNotice}}{{ToneWarning}}
-'''Discontinuation bricking''' occurs when a product is rendered no longer functional ("bricked") because the manufacturer has decided to discontinue it. Discontinuation bricking almost exclusively occurs in products that require a connection to a remote server hosted by the producer. The product may become bricked if the company decides to shut down services or if the company goes out of business entirely, while not allowing the consumer to substitute those services with alternative and/or [[self-hosted]] solutions. End-of-life for a product does not require the product to be bricked.
+'''Discontinuation bricking''' occurs when a product is rendered no longer functional ("bricked") because the manufacturer has decided to discontinue it. Discontinuation bricking usually occurs in products that require a connection to a remote server hosted by the producer. The product may become bricked if the company decides to shut down services or if the company goes out of business entirely, while not allowing the consumer to substitute those services with alternative and/or [[self-hosted]] solutions. End-of-life for a product does not require the product to be bricked.
 {| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="margin: auto;"
@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 |-
 |Device boots
-|yes
+|Yes
-|yes
+|Yes
-|sometimes
+|Sometimes
 |-
 |Basic functionality
-|yes
+|Yes
-|sometimes
+|Sometimes
-|no
+|No
 |-
 |Software updates
-|sometimes
+|Sometimes
-|no
+|No
-|no
+|No
 |}<!-- Please expand chart  -->
 ==Impact to consumer rights==
-Discontinuation bricking, similarly to [[planned obsolescence]], harms the consumer by making a product they paid for to stop functioning, resulting in loss of ownership of said product, as functionality is stripped from it.
+Discontinuation bricking, similar to [[planned obsolescence]], harms the consumer by making a product they paid for to eventually stop functioning, resulting in loss of ownership of said product, as functionality is stripped from it.
 ===Dependence on third-party bypasses===
-After a product has been bricked, a consumer may wish to repair their product and return it back to a functioning state. De-bricking a product is not impossible but can be difficult depending on the severity of the problem. Consumers will inevitably look to third-parties for methods to bypass the bricking which may open the user to [[security]] and safety risks. Bypasses may end up being expensive, with more complicated server-dependent products needing potentially complicated server infrastructure.
+After a product has been bricked, a consumer may wish to repair their product and return it back to a functioning state. De-bricking a product is not impossible but can be difficult depending on the severity of the problem. Consumers will inevitably look to third-parties for methods to bypassing the bricking which may open the user to [[security]] and safety risks. Bypasses may end up being expensive, with more complicated server-dependent products needing potentially complicated server infrastructure.
 ===Resale falsification===
 Products are often resold on the internet, and may be put on sale before a discontinuation bricking occurs with valid information but become invalidated afterwards causing [[false advertising]]. This has many implications:
-#Sellers may be completely unaware of the discontinuation bricking and will continue selling their product, hurting seller reputation once the product becomes bricked and no longer functions afterwards.
+#Sellers may be completely unaware of the discontinuation bricking and will continue selling their product, hurting seller reputation once the product becomes bricked and non-functional afterwards.
 #Buyers may be completely unaware of the discontinuation bricking and will buy the product, only to have it not function and harming the buyer.
 #Customers may learn about the discontinuation and decide to sell the product without providing adequate details, even without any malicious intent.
 ==Environmental impact==
-Discontinuation bricking will inevitably generate e-waste given that the product is no longer functional, and consumers will be forced to discard the product.
+Discontinuation bricking will generate e-waste given that the product is no longer functional, and consumers will be forced to discard the product.
 ==Warning signs of discontinuation bricking==
 Discontinuation bricking is usually a consequence of a remote service shutting down that the product depends on for complete functionality. The risk of discontinuation bricking occurring can be assessed beforehand by observing warning signs, such as:
-*'''Product requires an internet connection to a remote server:''' If a product requires connection to a remote server for functionality, there is a risk that the company may shut down the server and brick some function, if not all functions of the product. These connections may be necessary because:
+*'''Product requires an internet connection to a remote server:''' If a product requires connection to a remote server for functionality, there is a risk that the company may shut down the server and brick some, if not all, functions of the product. These connections may be necessary because:
-*'''Product requires remote authorization:''' Product only works if you can receive authorization from an authorization server. If the authorization server shuts down, login will become impossible. An unusual example being the [[Spotify Car Thing]] which stopped functioning after [[Spotify]] unauthorized the Car Thing from interacting with the Spotify App API.
+*'''Product requires remote authorization:''' Product only works if you can receive authorization from an authorization server. If the authorization server shuts down, logins will become impossible. An unusual example being the [[Spotify Car Thing]] which stopped functioning after [[Spotify]] unauthorized the Car Thing from interacting with the Spotify App API.
-*'''Product has features dependent on remote sources:''' The product may brick if it is unable to access remote information because of server outages.
+*'''Product has features dependent on remote sources:''' The product may become bricked if it is unable to access remote information because of server outages.
 *'''Product depends on a phone application to work:''' Updates to the app may remove support for the discontinued product. An example being the Spotify Car Thing which stopped functioning after Spotify unauthorized the Car Thing from interacting with the Spotify App API.<ref>{{cite web
 |first=Alexander |last=Stoklosa |title=Spotify's Oddball In-Car Music Device Is Getting Bricked. Turns Out There's an App For That. |url=https://www.motortrend.com/news/spotify-car-thing-music-streaming-device-discontinued/ |website=Motor Trend |date=24 May 2024 |access-date=8 Jul 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525231014/https://www.motortrend.com/news/spotify-car-thing-music-streaming-device-discontinued/ |archive-date=25 May 2024}}</ref><!-- Maybe include a different example here? It feels a bit redundant considering this was the example for the previous point. --><!-- To be fair we may be better off just merging 1 and 2 and expanding upon 1, there's nearly no difference as the product and app go hand-in-hand -->
-*'''Product requires physical input on a regular basis:''' As an example, [[HP Inc.]] printer ink has a [[Digital rights management|DRM]] that forces consumers to exclusively use HP ink, and does not allow third-party cartridges. If HP goes out of business or decides to stop producing their ink cartridges, any printer depending upon it will become bricked, effectively discontinuing the printer even if not explicitly stated.
+*'''Product requires physical input on a regular basis:''' As an example, [[HP Inc.]] printer ink has a [[Digital rights management|DRM]] mechanism that forces consumers to exclusively use HP ink, and does not allow third-party cartridges. If HP goes out of business or decides to stop producing their ink cartridges, any printer dependent on it will become bricked, effectively discontinuing the printer even if not explicitly stated.
 ==Further reading==