Amazon will end support for its Dash Wand device on July 21.
The online shopping giant launched the Dash Wand in 2014, allowing AmazonFresh shoppers to order food items by scanning bar codes on products that you have, but may run out of soon. If you didn’t have a bar code to scan, you could simply place an order by speaking into the Wand’s microphone. The second version, which launched in 2017, also answered any questions that you fired at it, with the replies spoken by Amazon’s digital assistant, Alexa.
Amazon recently sent out emails to warn current Wand users of the device’s imminent demise. In the message, it also encouraged people to dispose of it via Amazon’s recycling program.
The Dash Wand, which managed a 3/5 rating on Amazon’s website, landed a year before the Dash Button, a small Wi-Fi-connected device that linked to a particular household product such as laundry detergent or toilet paper. So when you saw that you were close to running out, you simply pressed the button to order more. But Amazon ended support for the Dash Button in 2019.
Why is the company ending support for the Dash Wand? For the same reason it stopped supporting the Dash Button. In recent years, the company has seen an increase in alternative ordering methods, mainly through Alexa-powered smart speakers. Its Dash Replenishment feature, which incorporates the technology into various household appliances, will also have also been a factor. In other words, it seems likely that few people are still using the Dash Wand to order their groceries, prompting Amazon to focus on existing offerings.
“Customers’ needs are largely being met by these services, so starting July 21st, Dash Wand devices will no longer be supported,” a company spokesperson told Digital Trends, adding, “We look forward to continuing to support customers via the Amazon app, and Alexa.”
Updated on June 22: Included the message from Amazon.
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