Chromecast Audio, Google's little dongle that turned dumb speakers into Chromecast targets, is officially being laid to rest.
Recently on the r/Chromecast subreddit, someone from the United Kingdom reported that a Chromecast Audio they ordered back in Christmas had been canceled. According to a support representative from Google that got in contact with them, the order was canceled as a result of the Chromecast Audio being discontinued.
Echoing what that customer support rep said, a Google spokesperson gave the following statement to 9to5Google:
Our product portfolio continues to evolve, and now we have a variety of products for users to enjoy audio. We have therefore stopped manufacturing our Chromecast Audio products. We will continue to offer assistance for Chromecast Audio devices, so users can continue to enjoy their music, podcasts and more.
If you've been following Google's hardware efforts, this likely doesn't come as much of a surprise.
The regular Chromecast and Chromecast Ultra still serve as great video streaming products, but when it comes to audio, the main focus is now on Google Assistant-powered devices like the Google Home and Home Mini.
For people that do have higher-end audio systems and don't feel like buying new speakers just to have the Google Assistant, I wouldn't be entirely surprised to see Google launch something like the Echo Input this year that turns older speakers into both a Chromecast target and outfits them with the Google Assistant, too.
In any case, if you want to pick up a Chromecast Audio before it's gone for good, B&H still has it in stock at a discounted price of just $15.
