Ledger will discontinue the nine-year Cold Wallet Nano S. Is the forced upgrade a step in following Apple's footsteps?

Question

The major hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger recently announced that it will completely stop supporting the classic device Nano S launched in 2016, which has sparked dissatisfaction among the community. Although the official team emphasizes that security is not an issue, this wave of "forced consumer upgrades" has also led many users to associate it with the planned obsolescence business strategies commonly used by tech giants like Apple.

The nine-year device has entered history, Ledger announces the cessation of support for Nano S.

Ledger announced at the end of May that it will cease support for its classic hardware wallet Nano S, stating that the device had already entered the "stop development phase" at the end of last year, and will no longer receive updates or support for new features and applications.

Ledge online store's cold wallet page

Ledger also reminds users to upgrade to new products such as Nano S Plus or Ledger Stax as soon as possible, and to ensure proper backup of the 24-word mnemonic to safeguard asset security.

This announcement was explained in the spring update, but it wasn't until recently that it caught the community's attention and sparked dissatisfaction. Some developers pointed out that the existence of the Nano S was the starting point for many people to trust Ledger, yet Ledger now dismisses it on the grounds of "old product," forcing users to upgrade, which is unacceptable.

Community Explodes: Users Angrily Criticize Ledger for Self-Destruction of Trust

Ethereum developer @pcaversaccio criticized: "This is really uncool. Ledger is conducting a functionality review for commercial reasons, pushing a mandatory upgrade action that goes against the way they initially built trust."

非常不酷的 Ledger – 你有效地迫使任何人購買並將種子輸入到新設備中。Ledger Nano S 真的是太棒了。我理解你們是一個企業，但不要玩反向相容性，大家 ( 很多人依賴 LNS！)。你們是少數幾個值得信賴的參與者之一，還有… pic.twitter.com/HzZ3BmXlfd

— sudo rm -rf –no-preserve-root / (@pcaversaccio) June 25, 2025

The NFT project Pudgy Penguins (, Security Manager @Beau stated: "This is a disappointing decision. Even though the Nano S hardware wallet can still be used, once it is no longer updated and maintained, it will gradually be marginalized."

Of course, there are users who supplement the discussion, emphasizing that the Nano S is indeed very old and frequently has issues connecting with Metamask and Opensea. He called for Ledger to adopt a more reasonable approach by offering discounts to allow users holding the Nano S to smoothly transition to a new device.

Planned Obsolescence: Is Ledger Following in Apple's Footsteps?

For many Web3 enthusiasts, Ledger's actions have sparked not just product issues, but also a conflict of values, which inevitably brings to mind the criticism that tech giant Apple has faced for years regarding their "Planned Obsolescence" strategy.

Devices like the iPhone or Mac often force users to upgrade due to new systems not supporting older models. Now, Ledger has similarly stopped updates for the Nano S, which inevitably draws criticism from users. After all, for them, a cold Wallet is not a frequently used phone, and as a tool for protecting assets, it should not be forced to be replaced.

Whether it is a technological iteration or merely a part of a business strategy, the real answer is known only to Ledger.

Upgrading is necessary: the security of hardware wallets becomes a focus.

Although Ledger emphasizes that the Nano S device can still be used normally and will not affect the security of the mnemonic phrase and assets, the cessation of support means that future updates will not be compatible, and of course, potential security risks cannot be patched.

Beau believes that as long as it is used offline and the mnemonic phrases are managed properly, it still has basic protection in the short term. However, some also remind users that they need to regularly review the stability of the hardware and its compatibility with existing services, such as whether it will still support multi-chain in the future.

The cold wallet developer is ultimately a company.

Ledger has long been synonymous with hardware wallets, and the Nano S has been a core product accompanying the growth of the entire crypto ecosystem. However, now that this device is being phased out with technological iterations and users are accusing the company of forced consumption, the crypto community has to reevaluate Ledger's positioning, after all, cold wallet developers are also a tech company.

This article discusses whether Ledger's discontinuation of the nine-year-old cold Wallet Nano S and forcing consumers to upgrade is following in Apple's footsteps. It first appeared on Chain News ABMedia.