Submitted 1 year ago by L4s@lemmy.world [bot] to technology@lemmy.world
Google kills two-year “Pixel Pass” subscription after just 22 months::Two years on a Pixel Pass was supposed to get you a new phone.
That sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen. Telling people they get a new phone if they sign up for 2 years then cancelling it at the 22 month mark.
Ah I just realised. I was assuming users would get a free upgrade at the end of the 2 years, but it might be they get it upfront at the start
This is just an interest free financing plan that comes bundled with services.
No one was going to get a free phone.
Lots of misunderstanding in these comments. Google Fi service is not going anywhere, Google is not cancelling any services. The Pixel Pass is basically just a bundle of optional services that can be added to your Fi account for a very slight discount. You do not get a free phone, you get interest free financing on your phone. Because they are cancelling the Pixel Pass Google has given me $200 credit towards my next phone, which is a better deal than the Pixel Pass itself.
Like many people I’m not happy with a lot of things Google has been doing lately, but the Pixel Pass being cancelled is not important.
The Pixel Pass is basically just a bundle of optional services that can be added to your Fi account for a very slight discount.
$300 over 2 years is not slight.
I understand completely. This is profiteering and another example of google killing a product I like. Fuck google. They finally got me to switch to an iphone after buying Nexus/Pixel for a decade. I’m switching out of spite.
I hate Google as much as the next guy but I don’t think switching to the product of an even more capitalistic company, one that is completely locked down and doesn’t allow you to install your own OS, is actually a good solution…
Damn. Shoulda kept your Pixel and put GrapheneOS on it.
That’s 12.50 cents a month. You could have literally cancelled at any time.
To take some sting out of the move, Google is offering a “$100 loyalty reward credit” for active Pixel Pass subscribers. You can use it for $100 off a new Pixel phone from the Google Store or Google Fi, and it expires in two years.
Thanks for pointing out that typo, I fixed the credit amount
Google cancelled a project?!?
/Shocked Pikachu face
One more headstone in the Google graveyard
I have been a lifelong googler. Owned every Nexus phone and Pixel until the Pixel 6, when I got Pixel pass. They finally made me mad enough to switch to an iphone. I dislike Apple very much, but I can rely on their services still being around 2 years after they launch.
But why iPhone?
I went to search for what the best phones are. Now I’m on OnePlus 8T for the past three years and the device still kicks most phones asses for what was a good price. I’ll use this for another two years I guess and then I’ll look at what is the best phone again. It won’t be iPhone, that’s for sure
Apple products are overpriced like hell, and simply not yours to do with what you want.
Just buy a different android phone you buffoon
I mean, there are android phones from 2013 that still work…no need to advertise for apple.
lifelong googled
lol
They need to get rid of that clown Sundar. Under his “leadership” Google has been on an endless downward trend.
He’s helped with the only metric that shareholders actually care about: profitability. No matter that a lot of those on-paper $ have come through gimmickry and at the expense of the long-term success of the company.
i am waiting for day whwn goo&le kill its search engine
That day might come unless they can get the quality of search back under control.
I wouldn’t be surprised (or sad) if a disruptor comes along with a new idea and gives 'em a hard time.
Personally I’ve already replaced a high percentage of my Google searches with the OpenAI gpt-4 playground.
I replaced google with Kagi. It’s much much much better. So much better that I’m literally willing to pay for a search engine. It just doesn’t compare.
Already has.
Tried searching for anything on it recently?
And then they started pushing Bard which in sure will replace search as soon as it can push ads slyly in conversation
They already have, it’s pay to play now
why would they kill their only successful product
This probably isn’t a big deal, but this is (and the fact that Google is an ad company) is the reason why I wouldn’t rely on any Google service or product that I couldn’t easily replace in a matter of minutes.
I was all in for years and each product I’ve been burned, this is the last straw for me. As each thing I own fails or needs replacing, it won’t be Google.
I am done, I looked past a lot of faults because of the overall capabilities of the ecosystem they created and they’ve slowly dismantled it and changed and tweaked everything to be annoying to use.
It’s like they intentionally pick the best features, remove them and try to gaslight me into thinking it’s better now.
I’m just done with them.
I cannot believe that in the year 2023 people were still paying for a Google service that was supposed to last beyond 30 days. Especially one that was supposed to have a long-term reward. You would have to have so much blind trust in Google at that point.
this is sooooooooooo shitty, I’d be so fucking upset
The title made it sound bad, then I read the article. It basically said they are canceling a subscription service offering. No one is getting cheated out of a phone. You could pay 45 or 55 dollars a month for 2 years and once it was over you could pay that again to get a new phone. So $1080 for their phone + google services or $1320 for the more expensive phone with their services.
It was started with the Pixel 6. The Pixel seven I see listed as $599 through the playstore. So thats $481 or $240.50/year on google services you can avoid paying for and just get the phone. Oh, and you are “eligible” for that new phone whenever you want.
Whoa, you read the article before getting out your pitchfork? I wish more people would. Part of the reason I left Reddit was due to people (or bots) who would post articles with titles that were unfair, combined with users who wouldn’t read, yet had strong angry opinions about everything.
Say what you want about apple, but this is why they are winning. They don’t jump the gun, they don’t go home early, they stick with it consistently.
They are no more expensive than Samsung. So, other than the walled garden app ecosystem keeping all the malware out, whattcha got?
that’s about it.
buys a Samsung
They don’t jump the gun, they don’t go home early, they stick with it consistently.
Apple has messed around a lot with its phone payment plans in recent years, though. It’s not clear whether they really want to become a bank or not.
This is Google’s standard operating procedure.
The headline is sensationalist since it implies they were going to get a free phone and Google bailed at the last minute.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
When the service launched in October 2021, Google said that every two years on the Pixel Pass would make you eligible for a brand new phone.
but Google doesn’t answer its own question, saying only, “We offer the best value of our hardware products and give users the flexibility to purchase their favorite services.
We continue to evaluate offers based on customer feedback and provide different ways for them to access the best of Google.”
That won’t happen here, though—while new signups are no longer allowed, existing users will be able to finish out their two-year term.
You’ll receive a monthly bill for Google One, Google Play Pass, and YouTube Premium at the current discounted rate, which is visible in the email sent to you on August 29, 2023 with the subject line, ‘An important update on Pixel Pass.’
To take some sting out of the move, Google is offering a “$100 loyalty reward credit” for active Pixel Pass subscribers.
The original article contains 498 words, the summary contains 160 words. Saved 68%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
I have a pixel phone and never heard of pixel pass
I actually don’t think anyone used it. The issue is Google didn’t allow you to go back and add it within a certain time of your purchase. It also wouldn’t let you purchase it at checkout with a new Pixel if you were already paying for one of the subscriptions it was composed of.
I think the other issue is most people aren’t upgrading back to Pixel and most of their users are new and unsure if they will continue with Pixel. Personally, meh. Google kills something that isn’t profitable and it’s clear it wasn’t being used as intended or gaining as much traction as they thought it would. On top of that it was just kind of a mess. If I buy a Pixel from Google why don’t I have a week after my purchase to at least add Pixel pass.
I love my Pixel and I have had every Pixel except the 5. I will continue to buy them with or without this pass.
shit, they should have at least waited the two months, issue some phones to early-adopters and then discontinue the subscription saying there was too little interest amongst the users to justify keeping it up. otherwise it looks like they pulled out at the very last moment to screw people
Classic Google
How dare they up their services prices like everyone else, they are the devil!
Oh what’s that, if you had the service they have you $100 dollars off the phone you would have had to by anyway? Damn. That sucks that their customers will have to opt in to services instead of them all being grouped together.
No part of this isnt sensationalized.
They were eligible for a brand new phone after 24 months if they recontracted for another 24 months. If they decided to unsubscribe during months 25-48, they’d be on the hook for the remaining cost of the phone.
Don’t this mess with consumer laws ? People who had paid for this should definitely sue.
Man? A lot of these comments are so damn negative.
For the record I am one of the few Pixel phone users that has had every Pixel but the 5 and I wouldn’t switch and don’t plan on switching.
I have just about everyone Google products in my home from Nest Hubs to Nest homes, Pixel buds, Pixelbook, etc.
nooo now pit jump
noredcandy@lemmy.world 1 year ago
This is why users don’t invest in the google ecosystem. No consistency.
ThirdWorldOrder@lemm.ee 1 year ago
The Netflix of technology
ashok36@lemmy.world 1 year ago
This is exactly why Stadia failed. I honestly think if it was a service like Gamepass Ultimate where the games come with the sub, it would’ve been a success. Spending $60 on a game I can only play via Google’s service though? Fuck no. Never. Not in a million years.
GamingChairModel@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I mean, they should’ve communicated better, because that’s essentially what the paid subscription was: subscribing would get access to a library of free games to play. I think the library could’ve been better.
Even today, I’m using Geforce Now + XBox Game Pass, I find that the streaming quality isn’t the same as Stadia (but the game selection is much, much better).
ObservantOcelot@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I used to be all in with Google. After being burned over and over again, I’ve nearly entirely exited their ecosystem with some exceptions. I just don’t trust them anymore to maintain their products for the long haul.
Marsupial@quokk.au 1 year ago
Yeah I moved to Apple last year.
The garden walls may be higher but at least I don’t have to worry about the plants being chopped down.
CanadianCorhen@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
I used to be a huge google supporter, and I’ll still take android every single day over an iPhone… but other than that google could go burn for all I care.
sndrtj@feddit.nl 1 year ago
I’d like to exit Google, but Gmail makes this oh so hard. I’ve been using Gmail since over 20 years, basically my life is on that service. How did you migrate off Gmail?
Blackmist@feddit.uk 1 year ago
It’s just a running joke at this point. If it doesn’t sell as many ads as Search, YouTube and GMail, they’ll kill it. Even if you’re paying them for it.
They can’t just have a little service that makes them a little bit of money. They have to have the top service that makes the most money.
Saneless@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
I don’t mind the pixels and I trust they’ll stick around. So much user data to
selllearn from