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What still works if the app or the company dies?
Most smart robots lean on their maker's servers for something: the app, the map, the schedule, the voice. When a company shuts those servers down, the robot doesn't vanish, but it can lose the features you bought it for. Here's what usually needs the cloud, what tends to survive, and what real shutdowns have looked like.
The short answer
- Usually needs the maker's servers: controlling the robot from the app (especially away from home), schedules, room selection, map editing, voice and AI conversation, and software updates.
- Often survives: the physical button and basic cleaning. When Neato phased out its cloud, it told owners the robots would continue to function manually.
- Hit hardest: companion robots whose personality runs in the cloud. Moxie and Jibo lost most of what made them worth owning; Vector survived only after a buyer revived it with a paid subscription.
- Before you buy, check for a working physical button, Matter support, and any promise about how long the maker will run its servers.
What real shutdowns looked like
| Robot | What happened | What owners kept | What owners lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neato vacuums | Vorwerk closed Neato in 2023. In October 2025 Neato said it was phasing out its cloud services, which 9to5Mac reported came about three years earlier than promised. | Cleaning by pressing the button on the robot | App control, routine editing and room or zone selection (9to5Mac). In Europe, Vorwerk offered some owners a free exchange robot; the notice didn't mention the US. |
| Embodied Moxie | The $799 children's companion robot's maker shut down in December 2024. Axios reported it needed a constant connection to the company's cloud AI and that no refunds were offered. | Some owners kept robots running through OpenMoxie, a community-run local server built from code the company released | The cloud AI that made it a companion |
| Jibo | In 2019 the social robot announced its servers were shutting down and its interactions would soon be limited (TechCrunch). | Limited interactions | Most of its interactive features |
| Anki Vector | Anki shut down in 2019 and said it was monitoring Vector's cloud operations (The Robot Report). Digital Dream Labs later bought the assets and sold Vector 2.0. | Owners reported their robots kept working | Months of uncertainty; the revived product came with a paid software subscription |
| iRobot Roomba | Not a shutdown: iRobot went through a court-supervised sale to Picea, completed January 23, 2026. iRobot said it expected no disruption to app functionality. | App and warranties, per iRobot and its CEO | Nothing reported so far |
Sources linked below. Our Robot Graveyard keeps a case file on each, including Neato, Moxie, Jibo, Vector and iRobot. We haven't found a documented case of a robot mower brand shutting down its cloud.
What usually depends on the maker's servers
This varies by model, and makers rarely publish a full list. From the cases above and how the apps work:
- Remote control and notifications outside your home network.
- Schedules, routines and room selection, where they're set and stored through the app (Neato's owners lost these).
- Maps, when the map lives in your account rather than only on the robot.
- Voice and conversational AI, which usually runs on the company's servers (Moxie, Vector).
- Software updates. Once the servers are gone, the robot's software is frozen as it is, including any security flaws.
- Remote human help, for robots that use it. See teleoperation.
Subscriptions add another layer: if a robot's features are tied to a monthly plan, ask what happens to the robot if you cancel, or if the company stops selling the plan.
Ways to keep control local
- Matter. The smart-home standard runs over your home network, and since Matter 1.2 it has a robot vacuum device type covering basic controls like start, stop, modes and docking. It doesn't replace the maker's app for maps and advanced settings. See Matter and robot vacuums.
- Open-source firmware. Projects like Valetudo replace the cloud on some Dreame, Roborock and other vacuums for local-only control. Valetudo itself warns that rooting is a pretty much permanent change and can permanently brick the robot. It may also affect your warranty; check the maker's terms. This is for confident tinkerers only.
- Physical controls. A start button and a dock button are the fallback that has actually worked for owners.
What to check before you buy
- Does it clean, mow or run from a button on the robot, with no app or Wi-Fi?
- Which features does the maker say need an account or internet connection?
- Does it support Matter, and which controls does Matter actually expose?
- Does the maker promise a support period for its servers? Neato's promise ran out early.
- For subscription robots: what still works if the plan or the company ends?
- Is the company stable? Check our Robot Graveyard for warning signs and our tracker for new companies.
- After you buy, register the robot so you get notices if things change. The consumer group PIRG gave the same advice after Moxie.
Related: Matter and robot vacuums · teleoperation.
Sources
- Neato: cloud services announcement (Oct 6, 2025) and Vorwerk exchange program for Europe
- 9to5Mac on the Neato cloud shutdown (Oct 2025)
- Axios: Moxie robot shuts down (Dec 2024), AppleInsider on the open-source effort, PIRG (Aug 2025)
- TechCrunch on Jibo (Mar 2019)
- The Robot Report on Anki (May 2019)
- iRobot: strategic transaction (Dec 2025) and completion (Jan 2026)
- Connectivity Standards Alliance: Matter
- Valetudo, "why not Valetudo" and rooting essentials
- TechRadar: iRobot CEO on app and warranties (Dec 2025)
All sources read October 12, 2026.
Last checked . See what changed.