The original Google Chromecast was a game changer when it launched. The little streaming device made it possible to mirror the screen directly to a TV, which was not yet common, and frankly, screen mirroring has since become a must-have feature on the best TVs. Unfortunately, however, all good things must come to an end.

Google has officially ended support for the first generation of Chromecast. In fact, support for the original Chromecast ended in April, with firmware version 1.36.159268 being the last update. However, this announcement was buried in the firmware release notes and was only discovered in the last 24 hours (h/t 9to5Google).

This is not the first hint that this day is coming. Sales of the original streaming dongle stopped in 2015, and in 2019 Google announced that it would not be adding any features to the streaming device. And if you still own the original Chromecast, like me, you may have finally upgraded. I took advantage of the Black Friday deal and got a Chromecast Ultra. But still, it's sad to see the OG finally get put away.

Realistically speaking, if you're still using a first-generation Chromecast, it's time to upgrade. Just because Google is ending support for the streaming dongle doesn't mean it will no longer be available, but Google says "users may notice a drop in performance." Once it starts, it will be nearly impossible to fix, as Google no longer offers technical support.

In particular, Chromecast may be vulnerable to malicious actors. While not common, there have been cases in the past where Chromecast has posed a security threat to users: in 2018, a Chromecast gave away its residence to a potential hacker, exposing the home network to unwanted access from outsiders We took up the story. This was patched by Google, but if it happens again, the first generation Chromecast will no longer be fixed.

Roku devices currently occupy the top two spots for the best streaming devices we tested, but there is a clear winner in third place among the Google Chromecast choices: the Chromecast with Google TV 4K, with Google Assistant and Google TV smart TV user interface, plus an included remote control, make it an excellent choice when replacing the original Chromecast.

You can also upgrade your TV to include a built-in Chromecast without the need for an additional dongle. We have a list of top-rated TVs that have built-in Chromecast and that we have tested that are worth considering upgrading your TV to. We also have a guide to the best Google TVs we've tested. Either way, you can't go wrong.