Big Tech ruined the cloud, so we're renaming ours
5 hours ago
- Nabu Casa is renaming Home Assistant Cloud to Home Assistant Link to better describe the service and reflect their values.
- The old name caused confusion and contradicted the project's stance against cloud-dependent smart home products.
- Home Assistant Link is optional, private, and free from lock-in, unlike Big Tech cloud services that require subscriptions, harvest data, and fail without them.
- Subscription profits from Link help fund the Open Home Foundation and sustain Home Assistant development.
- User data is encrypted and only the user holds the key; Nabu Casa and the Open Home Foundation do not want or see your data.
- Link makes it easier to connect to Alexa, Google Home, use speech-to-text, and store backups, while keeping the smart home local-first.
- The service is improving with a new account page, setup wizard, and faster remote access via a new bare-metal backend.
- The rename will be official in the December 2026.12 release, and community feedback is welcome before then.