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Neato’s cloud servers have shut down. Owners of affected D-series and Connected robots can generally still start a basic full-house cleaning cycle from the physical button, but the MyNeato app and many cloud-dependent smart features are gone. The robots are therefore not universally “bricked”; they are better described as de-featured—their core hardware still works, while much of the connected experience no longer does.
What happened to Neato?
Neato Robotics ceased operations in May 2023. Vorwerk, Neato’s parent company, continued operating the cloud platform after the closure, saying it was honoring an original five-year service commitment.
On October 6, 2025, Vorwerk announced that it was phasing out Neato cloud services. The company cited changing cybersecurity standards, compliance obligations and regulatory requirements, and said the legacy infrastructure could no longer be maintained in a reliable, future-proof and sustainable way. Neato’s current support information now says that its servers have been shut down.
That timing matters. A five-year continuation from Neato’s 2023 closure would have suggested service until roughly 2028. The shutdown began in late 2025, around three years earlier than that expectation, although the legal effect depends on the original purchase terms and the customer’s jurisdiction. The official announcement does not establish a contractual breach or legal wrongdoing.
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The affected product families include the D8, D9 and D10, along with earlier Connected D-series models such as the D3, D4, D5, D6 and D7. Exact behavior can vary by model, firmware and configuration.
Vorwerk’s shutdown announcement and the current server-status page are the best sources for model-specific updates.
What still works—and what does not?
| Usually still available | Lost or impaired after the shutdown |
|---|---|
| Starting a cleaning run with the robot’s physical button | MyNeato app connectivity |
| On-device cleaning and navigation functions that do not require the cloud | Remote start, stopping and control |
| Charging and docking, assuming the hardware is healthy | Cloud-based schedule management |
| Basic full-house cleaning | Map access, room selection and zone cleaning where those commands depended on the service |
| Physical controls and model-specific manual procedures | Cloud notifications and integrations tied to Neato’s servers |
To try the supported fallback, make sure the robot is charged and positioned normally, then press its start or clean button once. Neato says this begins a manual full-house cleaning run. Consult the official manuals and support articles for model-specific instructions covering pauses, docking, resets and error codes.
Do not assume that a schedule saved before the shutdown will continue indefinitely. Existing schedules, maps, no-go areas and routines may behave differently across models and firmware. The safe assumption is that any feature requiring Neato’s account, app or cloud command infrastructure is no longer dependable.
Is a Neato robot “bricked”?
Not in the strict hardware sense. A hard-bricked robot cannot perform its core physical function. Neato’s robots can still clean manually if their battery, motor, brush, lidar and other hardware remain functional.
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The more accurate description is de-featured or soft-bricked: the product’s physical cleaning capability remains, but the app-controlled functions that made it a smart appliance have been removed. That distinction matters for repair, warranty claims, resale and electronic waste. A cloud failure is not automatically evidence of a battery, navigation or motor defect.
Which smart features disappeared?
The strongest confirmed losses are MyNeato connectivity, remote commands and cloud-based account functions. Owners should also expect trouble with schedules, maps, room and zone selection, alerts and routines that depended on Neato’s online services.
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Coverage of the shutdown has sometimes used “bricked” as shorthand. That wording captures the loss of valuable functionality, but it overstates the physical outcome. Neato’s own guidance confirms that manual operation remains possible.
What should owners do now?
- Test the physical fallback. Charge the robot, place it normally and press the start button. Confirm that it cleans, navigates and returns to its dock.
- Identify the exact model. Record whether it is a D3, D4, D5, D6, D7, D8, D9, D10 or another Connected model. Do not assume that another Neato behaves identically.
- Separate cloud loss from hardware failure. A robot that will not charge, start, navigate or dock may have a separate battery, sensor, brush or charging problem.
- Check your region and purchase date. Eligible European buyers may qualify for Vorwerk’s voluntary exchange program described below.
- Check warranty documents. Vorwerk says manufacturer warranty commitments remain valid, but a warranty normally addresses covered product defects—not the restoration of discontinued cloud features.
- Choose between simplicity and experimentation. Keep using manual cleaning if that is sufficient, investigate an unofficial local-control project if you are technically capable, or replace the robot if schedules and room targeting are essential.
Europe has a voluntary exchange program
In an announcement dated April 24, 2026, Vorwerk described a voluntary exchange program for eligible Neato customers in Europe. Customers may qualify for a current Kobold VR7 in exchange for a Neato device if they purchased the robot since May 2023, bought it after the closure announcement, actively used the cloud features and meet the program’s other eligibility requirements.
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The offer is described as voluntary and without recognition of a legal obligation. Customers should contact Neato customer service through the support widget and confirm the current terms before sending anything back.
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The reviewed official material establishes this program for Europe. It does not establish an equivalent offer for United States customers or a global replacement scheme. Buyers outside Europe should contact the relevant support channel, check warranty and purchase documentation, and avoid assuming that the European remedy applies to them.
Read Vorwerk’s European exchange-program announcement.
Can Home Assistant rescue a Neato?
The official integration is not a new-user solution
Home Assistant’s official Neato integration historically provided vacuum control, battery information, cleaning maps, schedule controls, alerts and custom cleaning actions. However, Home Assistant now warns that new installations cannot be configured because the Neato Developer Network is no longer available.
An existing installation with previously issued credentials may have continued working temporarily, but it should not be treated as a permanent fallback after the cloud shutdown. New owners cannot simply create a fresh Neato developer account and reproduce the old integration.
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Home Assistant’s Neato documentation explains the limitation.
Unofficial local-control projects
The open-source neato-connected project aims to control supported Neato robots locally through Home Assistant. This is not an official Neato or Vorwerk product and is not a turnkey consumer repair.
Depending on the robot and project version, setup may require model and firmware checks, advanced Home Assistant configuration, technical troubleshooting and potentially hardware modification or an ESP-based interface. Risks include:
- Model or firmware incompatibility
- Physical disassembly, wiring or damage
- Battery, firmware or navigation problems
- No manufacturer support or safety assurances
- Incomplete restoration of maps, room semantics, schedules or app features
- Future changes or abandonment of the community software
This route can make sense for an experienced hobbyist with a spare or otherwise healthy robot. It is a poor fit for someone who needs dependable cleaning immediately and does not want to maintain an unsupported software and hardware stack. Claims about new unofficial servers should be treated as unverified until their documentation and compatibility are clear.
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| Your situation | Most practical next step |
|---|---|
| You only need an automatic whole-house run | Keep using the physical start button while the hardware remains reliable. |
| You depend on schedules, room targeting or remote starts | Investigate a local-control project or compare replacement robots. |
| You already use Home Assistant | Check the existing integration, but do not assume a new official setup is possible. |
| You are technically experienced and value repair | Review neato-connected, model compatibility and hardware risks. |
| You bought in Europe since May 2023 | Check eligibility for the Kobold VR7 exchange. |
| The battery, lidar, brush or dock is failing | Compare repair costs with replacement rather than blaming the cloud shutdown alone. |
How to avoid another cloud-dependent purchase
“Works with Alexa,” “has an app” and “supports Home Assistant” do not prove that a robot will remain useful after its vendor’s servers disappear. Before buying a replacement, ask these questions:
- Can it start, navigate, dock and complete a basic run without internet?
- Is control genuinely local? A Home Assistant integration may simply proxy cloud commands.
- What does Matter expose? Matter may provide local start and stop while leaving maps, rooms, routines or advanced modes in the vendor cloud.
- Can setup and firmware updates work without a vendor account?
- Are physical buttons and an offline mode available?
- How are maps and household data stored? Consider privacy as well as convenience.
- Are batteries, brushes and other parts still available? Local control does not help if the robot cannot be maintained.
- What is the vendor’s shutdown and support policy? Look for a clear service period rather than assuming indefinite access.
Home Assistant documents different levels of dependency among current products. Its Roborock integration describes a hybrid model: many commands may use local communication, while setup, fallback control, maps or routines can involve the cloud. Matter can provide more offline operation on some devices, but with fewer exposed functions.
Its iRobot integration supports selected older Wi-Fi Roomba and Braava models through local-push functionality, while noting that newer x05 models such as the Roomba 105, 405 and 505 are not supported by that integration. Neither example should be read as a blanket endorsement or proof that every model in a brand is locally controllable.
Home Assistant’s local-protocol guidance explains why Matter, Thread, Zigbee, Z-Wave and ESPHome can reduce internet dependence. They do not guarantee that every feature of a particular robot is exposed locally.
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The broader smart-home lesson
Neato’s shutdown illustrates the difference between owning hardware and owning the service that gives hardware its intelligence. The robot’s motors and sensors did not all fail at once; the account, app and command layer disappeared.
That creates a particularly frustrating form of e-waste. A device may remain physically capable of cleaning while losing the schedules, maps and automation that justified its price. Local protocols and documented offline fallbacks reduce this risk, but they do not eliminate the need for replacement parts, firmware support or a healthy manufacturer ecosystem.
For existing owners, the practical verdict is straightforward: test manual cleaning first, check the Europe-only exchange if eligible, treat Home Assistant projects as specialist experiments, and replace the robot if the lost cloud features are essential to your routine.
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