# Android Things Shut Down: What to Run Your Device App On in 2026
> Android Things shut down: Google set January 5, 2022 to turn off its console. What that means for a device still on it, and what to run a device app on in 2026.
Canonical: https://app369.com/blog/android-things-shut-down-device-app-alternatives-2026/
Last updated: 2026-10-22
[ **Simon Dziak** Founder & developer, App369](https://app369.com/about/szymon-dziak/) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/szymondziak/)
Published October 18, 2026 · Updated October 22, 2026•Facts last verified October 22, 2026•7 min
App369https://app369.com/blog/android-things-shut-down-device-app-alternatives-2026/
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## Key takeaways
- →Google refocused Android Things on OEM partners building smart speakers and smart displays on February 12, 2019. The public developer platform kept only the NXP i.MX7D and Raspberry Pi 3B, limited to 100 devices for non-commercial use.
- →The Android Things Console stopped accepting new projects on January 5, 2021, and Google said it would turn the console down on January 5, 2022. It said all project data, including build configurations and factory images, would be permanently deleted.
- →Monthly security patches for the developer boards ended in August 2019, so any device still on a developer board running Android Things has gone years without them.
- →Google's 2019 post pointed commercial projects to Cloud IoT Core, which Google retired on August 16, 2023. I know of no like-for-like Google replacement for either.
- →On October 18, 2026, developer.android.com/things and its FAQ returned 404. Realistic paths today: a managed Android device in dedicated-device mode, Linux on the board with your app on top, or a smart home platform such as Matter.
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**Android Things is gone: Google said it would turn down its console on January 5, 2022, and the developer boards stopped getting security patches in August 2019.** A device still running it keeps working only as long as nothing around it changes, and it can’t be updated through Google any more. I’m not aware of a direct replacement from Google. In 2026 the usual paths are a managed Android device in dedicated-device mode, Linux on the board with your own app, or a smart home platform such as Matter.
If you landed here from an old link to developer.android.com/things or an Android Things sample, this is what happened and what to do next. The dates come from Google’s 2019 announcement and an archived copy of the Android Things FAQ, as listed in the sources. I checked the old addresses myself on October 18, 2026.
**Disclosure:** App369 is my studio. I build Flutter apps, including one that sends commands to GPS vehicle alarms, and the last section mentions what I sell. No company named here paid for a mention.
## What happened to Android Things, and when
| Date | What happened | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| February 12, 2019 | Google refocuses Android Things on OEM partners building smart speakers and smart displays. Production hardware from NXP, Qualcomm and MediaTek won’t be offered through the public platform | [Android Developers Blog](https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2019/02/an-update-on-android-things.html) |
| 2019 onward | The public platform keeps the NXP i.MX7D and Raspberry Pi 3B, limited to 100 devices for non-commercial use | [Android Developers Blog](https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2019/02/an-update-on-android-things.html) |
| August 2019 | Monthly security patches for the developer boards end | [Android Things FAQ (archived)](https://web.archive.org/web/20211022033208/https://developer.android.com/things/faq) |
| January 5, 2021 | The Android Things Console stops accepting new projects | [Android Things FAQ (archived)](https://web.archive.org/web/20211022033208/https://developer.android.com/things/faq) |
| **January 5, 2022** | **The date Google set for turning the console down. It said project data, build configurations and factory images would be permanently deleted** | [Android Things FAQ (archived)](https://web.archive.org/web/20211022033208/https://developer.android.com/things/faq) |
| August 16, 2023 | Cloud IoT Core, which the 2019 post recommended for commercial IoT products, is retired | [Cloud IoT Core release notes (archived)](https://web.archive.org/web/20230119085529/https://cloud.google.com/iot/docs/release-notes) |
The FAQ also said Google had no plans to support newer Raspberry Pi models such as the 3B+ and 4. So the public developer platform stayed on those two boards.
### What the old addresses do today
Checked on October 18, 2026:
- **developer.android.com/things** returned **404**, and so did **/things/faq** and **/things/hardware**.
- The **androidthings** samples on GitHub are still readable but archived. For example, sample-simplepio was archived with its last push on May 26, 2021.
- **cloud.google.com/iot-core** redirects to a Google Cloud architecture page about connected-device platforms.
## If you still have devices running Android Things
1. **Find out what you can’t rebuild.** The console’s factory images, APKs and build settings were deleted in 2022. Look on your own machines, CI systems and backups for the last image and APK, and keep a copy.
2. **Treat developer-board devices as unpatched.** They haven’t had a security patch since August 2019. Keep them off public networks and away from anything that holds customer data until they’re replaced.
3. **List what the device actually does.** Write down the screens, the sensors and pins it reads, the cloud services it calls, and how it gets updates today. That list is the specification for the replacement, whichever path you choose.
4. **Check what it talks to.** If it sent data through Cloud IoT Core, that path closed on August 16, 2023, so check what the device does now. If it relied on that path, it will have stopped working.
## What to run a device app on in 2026
| Your device | Usually the better path | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A screen people tap: a kiosk, check-in, signage or a control panel | **An Android tablet or board in dedicated-device mode** | Android supports dedicated devices for kiosks, digital signage and hospitality check-in, with lock task mode to keep users in your app. My advice: check who supplies OS updates for the model you pick, and for how long |
| A custom board with sensors or pins and a simple screen | **Linux on the board, with your app on top** | You choose the board and the OS, and can keep both updated yourself. A Flutter app can run there through an embedder such as flutter-pi |
| A smart home product people control from their phone | **A smart home platform such as Matter** | Google’s Home developer docs cover building Matter devices that work with Google Home, which may save you building the whole stack yourself |
| No screen, just sensors reporting to the cloud | **Linux or a microcontroller, plus your own backend** | You need a small, updatable device and a server that receives its data. Pick the cloud side after the device, not before |
### An Android device in dedicated-device mode
Google’s [dedicated devices guide](https://developer.android.com/work/dpc/dedicated-devices) lists kiosks, digital signage and hospitality check-in as customer-facing uses, and inventory and field service as employee-facing ones. The device is fully managed by an admin component. [Lock task mode](https://developer.android.com/work/dpc/dedicated-devices/lock-task-mode) keeps people inside the apps you allow, and only apps allowlisted by a device policy controller can run in it. In my view, this is the closest fit for a device that runs one app on one screen that people can’t leave. The app itself can be a normal Android or Flutter app.
### Linux on the board
If you need a specific board, GPIO pins or a custom enclosure, Linux is the route I’d look at first. [Flutter’s embedded page](https://docs.flutter.dev/embedded) says you can embed the Flutter engine in devices such as smart displays and thermostats, and that it is stable but low-level and not for beginners. [flutter-pi](https://github.com/ardera/flutter-pi) is a community embedder for Raspberry Pi that runs without X11 or Wayland, so the board can boot to the command line and start your app from there. My advice: plan how you’ll update these devices in the field before you ship them, because there’s no console doing it for you.
### A smart home platform
If the product is a light, lock, sensor or similar device for the home, I’d look at [Matter](https://developers.home.google.com/matter) first. Google’s Home developer docs cover integrating devices with Google Home through Matter, so check whether that covers your product before building a custom app and cloud.
## Need a hand?
If you’re replacing an Android Things device and need the app rebuilt, for a dedicated Android device or as a Flutter app on Linux, [send me a short description](https://app369.com/contact/) of what the device does today and how many are in the field, and I’ll tell you which path I’d take. If a phone app that talks to your devices has one specific bug, the [App Fix Ticket](https://app369.com/fixed-price/flutter-firebase-bug-fix/) handles it in two fixed-price steps. A $450 Diagnosis gives you the root cause with evidence and a fixed repair quote within 3 business days, credited toward the fix. If you go ahead, the $1,200 Fix takes 5 business days. For a related Android change, see [Google Sign-In for Android is deprecated](https://app369.com/blog/google-sign-in-android-deprecated-credential-manager-2026/).
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## **Frequently asked questions**
- **Is Android Things still supported?**
- No. Google stopped new Android Things Console projects on January 5, 2021 and said it would turn the console down on January 5, 2022. Monthly security patches for the developer boards ended in August 2019, and the Android Things documentation now returns 404.
- **Do Android Things devices still work?**
- A device that is already flashed can keep running whatever image it has, but it gets no security patches and can no longer receive updates through the console, which Google said it would turn down on January 5, 2022. Treat it as unsupported, and keep it off networks where that is a risk.
- **What replaced Android Things?**
- Google has not named a direct replacement. It refocused it on OEM partners making smart speakers and smart displays, and pointed commercial projects to Cloud IoT Core, which was retired on August 16, 2023. In my view, the two realistic routes are a managed Android device in dedicated-device mode, or Linux on the board with your own app.
- **Can I still download my Android Things factory images?**
- Not from Google. The archived FAQ said access to factory images and APK files in the console would be unavailable after January 5, 2022, and that all project data would be permanently deleted. If you didn't download them before then, look for copies on your own machines or devices.
- **Can I run a Flutter app on a Raspberry Pi instead?**
- Yes, through a custom embedder. Flutter's docs say embedding the engine is stable but uses a low-level API and isn't for beginners. flutter-pi is a community embedder for Raspberry Pi that runs without X11 or Wayland, so the board can boot to the command line and start your app from there.
## **Sources**
1. [Android Developers Blog, "An Update on Android Things" (February 12, 2019)](https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2019/02/an-update-on-android-things.html)
2. [Android Things FAQ (Wayback Machine copy, October 22, 2021)](https://web.archive.org/web/20211022033208/https://developer.android.com/things/faq)
3. [Google Cloud, Cloud IoT Core release notes (Wayback Machine copy, January 19, 2023)](https://web.archive.org/web/20230119085529/https://cloud.google.com/iot/docs/release-notes)
4. [Android Developers, dedicated devices overview](https://developer.android.com/work/dpc/dedicated-devices)
5. [Android Developers, lock task mode](https://developer.android.com/work/dpc/dedicated-devices/lock-task-mode)
6. [Flutter, embedded support for Flutter](https://docs.flutter.dev/embedded)
7. [flutter-pi on GitHub](https://github.com/ardera/flutter-pi)
8. [Google Home Developers, Matter](https://developers.home.google.com/matter)
9. [Google for Developers, Internet of Things solutions](https://developers.google.com/iot)
Tags
#android things shut down #android things alternative #android things deprecated #android things console #android things raspberry pi #replace android things #kiosk app android #dedicated device android #flutter embedded linux #cloud iot core retired
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