The devices will still work as a bluetooth unit, if they support that.
Consider this, however:
The services it supports change constantly. They get bigger, bulkier, try to do more. A processor from 2013 probably isn't going to support a modern version of spotifiy or whatever else these things support. So a manufacturer does the translation at their server end and pushes a stream in a format the device can understand. The device doesn't know any different because all of the lifting was done somewhere else. Eventually, the users of this stuff dwindles and it no longer becomes effective to continue to keep up with the changes at the streaming services, and the servers are shut down. Sure, they could simply be left in a state but that would break and then instead of telling customers their 12-yo device is EOL, you get people suddenly bitching that their streaming device got wonky and why won't they fix it. You just turn it off and the 1000 or so people using it still gripe and then they're gone.
There's also the problem of actually getting the device outside of a network. Most people are incapable of programming a new URL into a device, let alone opening ports in routers or doing other network tasks. It's simply easier for the device to point to a single known URL with a single known set of protocols and be done with it.
This is not apologizing for the manufacturer, but the way this remote streaming crap works necessitates compromises. The device would have stopped working long ago had Bose not had a translation server at their end.
Shit with shit sprayed on. So they can’t release an api to run locally or let you hack it, because it’s got current proprietary shit sprayed on top of the old proprietary shit.
Microslut and the origins x box did it right, much like ford. Leak just enough to get the hackers to run, let them run and you get free dev. Then take what is learned and roll into the new devices (yeah likely a paid service) but leak enough.
None of this is complicated and all the traffic is likely simple shit. So release any keys let folks build their own server locally and open it up. 90% of the people will do none of this (take advantage of none) and throw it away.
The 10% that do will continue.
because it’s got current proprietary shit sprayed on top of the old proprietary shit.
Yes. I would assume there's probably proprietary stuff from the streaming companies in there. They aren't going to give you shit because you're nothing but a cash cow. Moo for me, please.
Don't buy shit that's locked to a single service - even if they're going to "give" you a way around if the back-end vanishes, there's no guarantees it's going to continue working.
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