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Home Assistant is renaming Home Assistant Cloud to Home Assistant Link, a largely symbolic change intended to clarify that the smart-home platform runs locally. The paid service will retain its existing features, while the team works on simpler setup, dashboards and a new hub to attract less technical users.
Home Assistant is renaming Home Assistant Cloud to Home Assistant Link, founder Paulus Schoutsen told The Verge ahead of the announcement, recasting an optional service for remote access as the open-source smart-home platform argues for local control and less dependence on major technology companies. The service’s features and pricing are staying the same; the change is mainly about its name and how users understand it.
Schoutsen said the name “Cloud” had led some prospective users to think Home Assistant itself runs online. The platform instead runs on hardware in the user’s home and controls devices locally. That means users cannot reach their Home Assistant setup from outside their home network without an additional method. Link provides that remote access, along with optional internet-based features.
According to the report, Link costs $6.50 per month or $65 per year. Its available features include remote access, Alexa and Google voice-control integration, text-to-speech, speech-to-text and encrypted backups. Schoutsen said the service is run by Nabu Casa, Home Assistant’s commercial partner, and that Link traffic is encrypted. He said the service cannot access users’ data. The report says 60 percent of its profit goes to the Open Home Foundation, the nonprofit that runs Home Assistant.
The rename does not make Link mandatory. Home Assistant Cloud’s functions could already be replicated through other methods, the report says, and that remains the case for Link. The company is also making back-end improvements intended to improve the service’s speed and reliability, but the report did not provide performance figures or a rollout schedule.
Local Control Meets Easier Setup
The change puts Home Assistant’s branding more closely in line with its stated preference for smart-home devices that keep working locally. Products that depend on a company’s remote servers can lose functions if those servers are shut down, a concern Schoutsen raised with examples including early Nest thermostats and the June Oven. The report does not independently assess those products, but the examples explain the platform’s position: internet services may add useful features, yet basic device operation should not depend on them.
Home Assistant’s commercial challenge is to make that approach accessible beyond technically confident users. Schoutsen estimated that the platform is installed in 2.7 million homes, while acknowledging it remains smaller than Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings and Apple Home. Simpler dashboards, setup and device options could make local control easier to adopt, though the report gives no measured forecast for how much those changes will expand its audience.
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A Name Change, Not a Cloud Exit
Despite the headline phrase “we’re out,” Home Assistant is not ending its remote-access service or removing online features. The announcement concerns a rename from Home Assistant Cloud to Home Assistant Link. The distinction matters: Home Assistant runs locally, but users who want control while away from home can choose Link or configure an alternative approach.
Schoutsen has argued against smart-home products that rely on proprietary cloud systems, while Home Assistant has offered a paid service with “Cloud” in its name. He told The Verge that Link is different because it does not have access to customer data. The service also helps fund development: the report says 60 percent of its profit goes to the Open Home Foundation. Schoutsen acknowledged that some functions, including speech tools, backups and AI, can work better online.
The broader effort is to lower Home Assistant’s learning curve without removing its flexibility. The team plans to make dashboards and setup simpler, and to integrate the HACS community store, where users find community-built integrations, into Home Assistant. A successor to the Home Assistant Green hub is also planned for next year, according to Schoutsen.
“Big tech ruined the cloud, so we’re out.”
— Paulus Schoutsen, Home Assistant founder, in an interview with The Verge
Rollout Details Still Pending
The report does not specify when the Link name will appear across the service, how extensive the planned back-end changes are, or what performance improvements users should expect. It also gives no launch date for the planned successor to Home Assistant Green beyond Schoutsen’s statement that it is intended for next year.
Other initiatives remain at different stages. The HACS community store is due to be integrated next month, according to the report, but details of the “No Device Left Behind” program are limited in the supplied material. Schoutsen said Nabu Casa is developing devices to connect existing analog or legacy technology; the final scope, supported equipment and release timing are not stated. The proposed consumer database and any “nutrition label” for cloud dependence also have no confirmed launch details.
Simpler Tools and New Hardware
Home Assistant’s next steps are aimed at reducing friction for new users. The team plans to bring the HACS community store into the platform next month, make setup and dashboards more intuitive, and release an easier-to-use successor to the Green hub next year. These are plans reported by The Verge, not completed releases.
Nabu Casa is also developing hardware under the “No Device Left Behind” effort to connect older or analog equipment, while Home Assistant works on a database to help shoppers identify products with less dependence on cloud services. The report does not give launch dates for those projects. For now, the confirmed change is the Link rename; the service remains optional, and the platform’s broader push toward simpler onboarding is still underway.
Key Questions
Is Home Assistant shutting down its cloud service?
No. Home Assistant Cloud is being renamed Home Assistant Link. The report says the service continues with its existing features, alongside back-end improvements.
Does Home Assistant run in the cloud?
The platform runs on hardware in the user’s home and controls the smart home locally. Link is an optional service for remote access and other features that use an internet connection.
How much does Home Assistant Link cost?
The reported price is $6.50 per month or $65 per year. The rename does not change the stated pricing.
What changes are planned to make Home Assistant easier to use?
The team plans simpler dashboards and setup, integration of the HACS community store next month, and a more user-friendly successor to the Home Assistant Green hub next year. Those are announced plans, not releases already confirmed as complete.
Source: rss
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