Remember Android Things? It was announced as a special version of Android meant to run on Internet of Things (IoT) devices back in 2016 before being refocused as a platform to help build smart speakers and displays. And now it's being shut down.

Google has announced that it'll start winding down Android Things early next year. Specifically, the Android Things console will stop allowing the creation of new projects using the NXP i.MX7D and Raspberry Pi 3B developer boards as of January 5, 2021. Developers can still use the Android Things console to build images and release updates for existing projects.

Then on January 5, 2022, Google says that the Android Things console will be shut down completely and all project data will be permanently deleted. 

When Google first announced Android Things, it touted the platform as "a comprehensive way to build IoT products with the power of Android." It appears that Android Things just never really took off the way Google anticipated that it would, though, and now it's being added to the list of Google products that've been given the axe.