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A New paper The Federal Trade Commission found that many smart device makers fail to disclose to consumers how long they will offer software updates for their products.
The agency looked at 184 different smart devices, ranging from hearing aids to security cameras, and found that nearly 89% of them did not provide buyers with information regarding how long the products should receive software updates in order to continue working properly.
Smart devices are used for all kinds of things, like controlling the lights in your home or tracking your fitness. If a manufacturer stops providing software updates for its smart devices, the products may lose their “smart” functionality and eventually stop working. This is something the FTC wants consumers to be aware of when purchasing smart devices.
“Consumers stand to lose a lot of money if their smart products stop offering the features they want,” Samuel Levin, director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a report. press release. “When shopping for smart devices, consumers should ask questions and think about how long their product will last.”
FTC staff found that 161 of the 184 products surveyed did not disclose information about the duration of device support or expiration date on the manufacturers’ web pages. When employees conducted basic Internet searches to track the duration of support, they did not find information for 124 devices.
The FTC advises consumers to consider whether a smart device is worth the price before purchasing it, and to see if they can find out how long the manufacturer plans to update the software. If you can’t find this information, the FTC suggests contacting the manufacturer directly.
“Consider how the product would perform if the manufacturer stopped updating the software,” the FTC wrote in the press release. “For example, your smart light bulb might still work the old-fashioned way, by flipping a switch, but you won’t be able to control it remotely. But if your smart speaker can’t connect to your music streaming service, that’s not very useful.” .
The FTC says manufacturers may be violating the FTC Act by failing to provide software update information to consumers if they make claims about how long a device will last.
The paper also notes that if manufacturers do not inform potential customers how long they will provide software updates for devices sold with written warranties, they may be violating the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, which requires written warranties for consumer products costing more than $15 to be made available to buyers before purchase.
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