Pour one out for Essential.
Essential announced today that the company will shut down. The security update released earlier this month for the Essential Phone will be the last one from the company.
If you've got an Essential Phone, it will continue to work, but you won't receive any more updates or any customer support.
Essential also says that Newton Mail, the cross-platform email app that it acquired in 2018, will also be shutting down. Existing users of Newton Mail can continue to access the service through April 30, 2020.
Rubin first teased the Essential Phone in early 2017 and it went on sale later in the year. It was originally priced at $699 but received a price cut to $499 after the phone faced tough competition from other premium phones from more established companies.
The Essential Phone was one of the first smartphones with a notch, and it became known for getting speedy software updates. It regularly got security updates and Android OS upgrades the same day as Google's Pixel phones.
Essential's phone also featured magnetic connectors on its backside that you could attach add-ons to. There were only a couple of attachments released, though, including a 360-degree camera and an HD audio adapter.
Essential went a long time without announcing any new devices to follow the Essential Phone, and founder Andy Rubin was hit with accusations of sexual misconduct. Essential did tease a new phone called Gem late last year, but the company said today that it has "no clear path" to launch the tall phone to consumers.
