It’s been a couple of years since Amazon introduced physical Dash buttons that you could stick anywhere and then tap when you wanted to replenish a Home staple. These were priced at $4.99 but often the sponsoring company would rebate most of the price after you placed your first order.
There was a separate line of “IOT buttons“ intended for program developers with a cost of $19.99. They allowed for more programming options.
Although some community members tried to re-purpose the consumer buttons for use with SmartThings, they were never a good match. These are Wi-Fi buttons, and the non-replaceable battery life was terrible. No matter how cheap the button was, it ended up that almost any competitive IOT button With a replaceable battery was a better deal.
Better Physical Buttons are Available
And then over the last two or three years we’ve seen multiple physical button devices come on the market, from the echo buttons to the SmartThings button which have better battery life and generally do more.
and virtual widgets make a better replenishment system
Finally, the button seemed to be a particular poor choice for a replenishment system, since you couldn’t see the price at the time you were placing the order. Rumors of lots of customer complaints and canceled orders that were placed by mistake. About two years ago Amazon introduced “virtual Dash buttons“ which are widgets that show up on your phone screen and have the current price showing. These have apparently been popular.
Amazon stopped selling the physical consumer buttons and February 2019, but continued to allow customers who already had them to order with them.
The Announcement
All of which brings us to today. Amazon has now announced that you will no longer be able to use the physical buttons you already own to place replenishment orders.
They made a very un Amazon like move and sent out one of those traditional “we’re offering you so much new good stuff that we’re taking away the old stuff that you liked“ letters that I hate. But here it is:
Amazon is constantly evaluating our product and service offerings to best serve our customers. We are now offering customers more ways to shop than ever before, such as Alexa Shopping, smart reordering with an increasing selection of Dash Replenishment devices, Subscribe & Save, and virtual Dash Buttons. Because of the growth of these exciting new ways to shop, we are no longer supporting Dash Button devices. Beginning August 31, 2019, you won’t be able to use your Dash Button devices to reorder items. You can continue to order your products through the Amazon mobile app and Amazon.com, or by using your free virtual Dash Buttons.
If you wish to recycle your Dash Button device, find more information about the Amazon Recycling Program. Thanks for being an Amazon customer. We hope to see you again soon.
Sincerely,
The Amazon Dash Button Team
As far as I can tell, the IOT buttons are still being supported.