Smart home technology occasionally falls short, such as during cloud disruptions that disable gadgets or when an intelligent mattress unexpectedly heats up while someone sleeps.
Annual smart home mishaps are common, yet 2025 stood out due to the introduction of AI-driven helpers like Alexa+ and Google Gemini, launched amid high expectations but ultimately underwhelming in impact.
Here is a list of the year's most significant smart home disappointments, arranged from least to most severe.
The year was anticipated to bring a major surge in AI integration for smart homes, but instead, these technologies advanced gradually and with considerable caution to prevent errors.
Amazon led the charge by reintroducing Alexa+ in February, whereas Google delayed unveiling its Gemini for Home initiative until October. Deployments proceeded slowly; widespread access to Alexa+ took several months, and Google has only lately increased invitations for Gemini for Home.
Amazon and Google envision expansive roles for their AI-based smart home aides, claiming millions of households already use Alexa+ and Gemini with enhanced monitoring and automation capabilities.
In reality, reactions from smart home owners to Alexa+ and Gemini for Home have been mixed, with some appreciating the AI enhancements while others complain about absent functions like ongoing dialogue or puzzling responses to home-related questions.
Several high-profile AI smart home commitments from Amazon and Google remain unfulfilled; for instance, Alexa+'s autonomous purchasing is largely limited to Amazon.com, and the Google Home Speaker featuring Gemini Live is slated for release next spring. Challenges have arisen too, including unreliable bookings for entertainment or dining via Alexa+ and inaccurate descriptions from Gemini on security footage.
This does not mean Alexa+ and Gemini for Home are outright disasters—similar to past smart home advancements like Matter that faced turbulent launches, it's premature, and further developments are likely in the year ahead.
However, these AI tools did not transform the smart home landscape in 2025.
Consumers have grown accustomed to premium features locked behind subscriptions for devices like security cameras, which demand payments for AI detection, storage, and extras—often $10 monthly or higher for top models.
Subscriptions for basic connectivity in smart locks are less familiar, making Nuki's decision to charge for Wi-Fi on its Smart Lock particularly jarring. Without the $5.90 monthly Nuki Premium fee, control was restricted to local Bluetooth, and remote use needed a separate hub with Thread support.
This unusual and costly limit affected a reliable add-on lock, but Nuki reversed course this month by eliminating the Premium fee, though it raised the lock's price by $40 to $199 from $159.
It's striking that iRobot, a trailblazer in robotic vacuums, has reached this point, seeking bankruptcy protection while planning a sale to its key parts provider.
iRobot's troubles intensified after Amazon's acquisition attempt failed. Facing stiff rivalry from brands like Roborock, Eufy, and Dreame, iRobot lagged in innovation with recent Roombas. Financial reports highlighted rising debt and tariff burdens.
iRobot assures continued operations and full Roomba functionality during bankruptcy, but the uncertainty may deter buyers from selecting Roombas.
As a pioneer in smart thermostats, the Nest's discontinuation of its earliest versions was especially disappointing.
In April, Google announced that first- and second-generation Nest Thermostats from 2011 and 2014 would cease updates by October, losing app integration with Nest and Google Home, plus Google Assistant features.
By October, these models went offline, retaining manual controls and schedules but forfeiting their intelligent capabilities.
Logitech discontinued its Harmony universal remotes about four years ago, yet they remain valued by audiovisual fans for managing numerous devices and smart home integrations.
Logitech had vowed ongoing server support, but this year it ended it for over two dozen first-generation models.
Like the older Nest units, these remotes work basically but cannot be updated for new equipment, effectively losing their advanced features.
Later models like the Harmony One, Elite, and Companion persist, though users of these, including daily operators of the Companion, may fear similar fates.
Kohler's Dekoda aimed to monitor gut health via a $599 toilet-clipped camera that analyzes waste after use, requiring a subscription.
Privacy concerns arose over the device's downward-facing imaging. Kohler assured end-to-end encryption for data transmission to servers.
A researcher pointed out that true end-to-end encryption prevents provider access, unlike Ring's setup, but Kohler retains data visibility, debating the term's application since they are one endpoint.
This exchange highlights ambiguities in data handling for personal smart home information.
Ring users spotted unusual summer alerts about unauthorized device accesses to accounts, all dated May 28.
These notices gained traction on TikTok in July, prompting checks for anomalies.
Ring explained the alerts stemmed from a backend update, with no evidence of breaches.
Tablo owners faced prolonged summer disruptions, preventing playback of recordings or live channels and disrupting guides due to cloud issues.
Nuvyyo, Tablo's maker, delivered on an offline mode promise, enabling recording and channel access without internet— a feature ideally present from launch, but welcome regardless.
AWS failures ripple across the web, impacting Ring and Blink cloud services alongside platforms like Apple TV, Hulu, Reddit, and Roblox.
The October 20 outage, from early morning to late, blocked live views and event archives for Ring and Blink, with one user reporting a missed incident on their Blink during the disruption.
Services recovered by day's end, underscoring the vulnerability of cloud-reliant security setups.
Among 2025's smart home issues, the malfunctioning intelligent beds during an AWS outage drew the most notice—the same event that affected Ring and Blink.
Eight Sleep's Pod beds froze and overheated uncontrollably, causing nighttime awakenings or preventing sleep due to stuck positions.
Eight Sleep responded positively by implementing offline mode shortly after.