this post was submitted on 31 Aug 2023
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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.

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[–] Blaidd@lemm.ee 120 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

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 $100 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.

[–] EyesEyesBaby@lemmy.world 17 points 2 years ago (1 children)

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.

[–] Blaidd@lemm.ee 6 points 2 years ago

Thanks for pointing out that typo, I fixed the credit amount

[–] wahming@monyet.cc 106 points 2 years ago (2 children)

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.

[–] andysteakfries@lemmy.world 13 points 2 years ago

This is just an interest free financing plan that comes bundled with services.

No one was going to get a free phone.

[–] MrGerrit@feddit.nl 77 points 2 years ago (1 children)
[–] fluxion@lemmy.world 41 points 2 years ago (4 children)

I want to switch to Google Fiber but I can't shake the thought that as soon as I do they'll shut down operations and pawn my soul off to Satan ISP

[–] MrGerrit@feddit.nl 25 points 2 years ago (3 children)

I wouldn't be surprised.

Look at stadia, I knew it would be a rocky road for them to market it, but by also buying game studios with the intentions to make and release games, I was under the impression that they would keep going with it. They pumped so much money in to it.

Oh boy, how wrong I was.

[–] olympicyes@lemmy.world 8 points 2 years ago

I never considered it because the game streaming is still pretty new and I’ve never forgiven Google for killing the news reader.

[–] Cornelius_Wangenheim@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I knew it was doomed when they announced the business model. Subscription + buying the games was never going to fly. If they had gone with a Game Pass style subscription, it would have had a chance.

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[–] Soundhole@lemm.ee 17 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Nah, I bet they keep Fiber because of all the delicious data they can sponge up as your ISP. Same with Fi. I'm guessing both are safe regardless of their subscriber base.

[–] GamingChairModel@lemmy.world 10 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Both are also in heavily regulated industries with oversight from state utility commissions and the FCC, where simply trying to exit a market requires a whole proceeding before the agency/commission. They could announce that they'd be exiting the industry and selling its assets to a competitor, but that would have to clear antitrust hurdles and would take a while.

I think that means that effectively, they can't just "kill" these services but would have to sell to someone else, and the approval process itself could result in some concessions for the consumer, so that even Satan ISP would have limited power to really screw over the consumer.

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[–] detalferous@lemm.ee 74 points 2 years ago

One more headstone in the Google graveyard

[–] o0joshua0o@lemmy.world 72 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Google cancelled a project?!?

/Shocked Pikachu face

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[–] efrique@lemm.ee 58 points 2 years ago (2 children)

It has been a pretty short trip from "Don't be evil" to "The cutting edge of late stage capitalism"

[–] CaptKoala@lemmy.ml 9 points 2 years ago

Didn't feel like a trip to me, more like teleportation.

[–] Hazdaz@lemmy.world 58 points 2 years ago (1 children)

They need to get rid of that clown Sundar. Under his "leadership" Google has been on an endless downward trend.

[–] dantheclamman@lemmy.world 14 points 2 years ago (1 children)

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.

[–] Hazdaz@lemmy.world 12 points 2 years ago (2 children)

You are right. The year before he became CEO, Google "only" had revenue of $66B. Last year, their revenue was $280B.

But if you look at the revenue chart, they were headed in that direction seemingly regardless of who was at the helm. But I think he is really hurting their long-term profits. I know that might sound crazy when they are making over 1/4 of a trillion per year, but there are more and more people who will simply not even consider a Google product these days because they feel in 6 months, Google will just kill it off. Who wants an orphaned phone or watch or VR headset, let alone all the software and services they kill off.

[–] dantheclamman@lemmy.world 8 points 2 years ago

Yeah, they aren't just eating their seed corn. They're sowing the seed corn and then burning it down before it bears fruit, over and over

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[–] AnonymousBaba@lemmy.world 55 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (5 children)

i am waiting for day when google kill its search engine

[–] nucleative@lemmy.world 22 points 2 years ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] sirboozebum@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Already has.

Tried searching for anything on it recently?

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[–] narc0tic_bird@lemm.ee 47 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (7 children)

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.

[–] appel@lemmy.ml 20 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

It's this kind of knee jerk on Google's part that might save them a few bucks in the short term (presumably incentiviced with bonuses for the managers) but causes long time reputational damage over time.

I don't understand how seemingly no one up the chain considers this before pulling the plug so quickly.

Don't fuck with user trust. When you lose it it's pretty hard to get back.

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[–] big_slap@lemmy.world 24 points 2 years ago (3 children)

this is sooooooooooo shitty, I'd be so fucking upset

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[–] lilShalom@lemmy.basedcount.com 20 points 2 years ago

This is Google's standard operating procedure.

[–] qwertyqwertyqwerty@lemmy.world 19 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

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.

EDIT: I now understand that this was a a two-year installment plan for the existing phone. That being said, I still don't think anyone should buy into Google products or services expecting them to have long-term support. Google has shown time and time again that they are willing to kill any and all projects at any time with almost no warning.

[–] discusseded@programming.dev 19 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Well, that solidifies my plan for graphene os on this 7pro and once fairphone comes state side I'm going all in. Been moving to Proton services and this will be the first and last Google phone I get. So sick of their backtracking on everything I enjoy. Fuck Google.

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[–] Veedem@lemmy.world 15 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The headline is sensationalist since it implies they were going to get a free phone and Google bailed at the last minute.

[–] ramble81@lemm.ee 13 points 2 years ago (4 children)

Really? Because that's how I'm reading it.

while new signups are no longer allowed, existing users will be able to finish out their two-year term. The end of the term was supposed to mean re-upping with a shiny new device, but Google now says, "By the end of the 2 year term, you can’t upgrade to a new phone with Pixel Pass.".

[–] techt@lemmy.world 11 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I think Ars Technica has it wrong with that wording, the FAQ from Google support linked in that article says:

Can I still upgrade my Pixel device after 24 months?

Yes, you can still upgrade your Pixel device after 24 months, you just won’t be able to renew your subscription to Pixel Pass. You can purchase or finance your next Pixel device directly from Google Store or Google Fi Wireless, and you have the option to trade-in your current Pixel device towards your next device. Current Pixel Pass subscribers received $100 towards their next Pixel purchase good for 2 years, which can also be used alongside available promotions.

So you can upgrade your phone for the current term, but you can't renew your subscription and upgrade again.

[–] lolcatnip@reddthat.com 6 points 2 years ago

You're reading it wrong. You can upgrade to a new phone, just not a new phone that comes with PixelPass.

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[–] autotldr@lemmings.world 15 points 2 years ago

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!

[–] zipzoopaboop@lemmynsfw.com 13 points 2 years ago

I have a pixel phone and never heard of pixel pass

[–] tsonfeir@lemm.ee 11 points 2 years ago (4 children)

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?

[–] GamingChairModel@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago

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.

[–] BlinkerFluid@lemmy.one 7 points 2 years ago

that's about it.

buys a Samsung

[–] nudnyekscentryk@szmer.info 9 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

~~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~~

edit: ohhhhh, you were supposed to get a new phone when singing up for another two years, then they did well cancelling it before the two-year mark

[–] gila@lemm.ee 8 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

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. I mention this because at least for where I am, this is the default position - this decision would just mean the user needs to get their brand new phone on a contractual repayment from a provider other than Google.

[–] AbsolutelyNotCats@lemdro.id 8 points 2 years ago (1 children)
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