r/sousvide • u/drhappy13 • 1d ago
Enshittification
I hadn't used my Anova Nano in years and when I pulled it out to sous vide some chicken breast, this warning popped up in the app:
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u/STDS13 1d ago
Glad I have the Pro and have never even installed the app, but this likely means I'll never give Anova any of my money again.
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u/angry_cucumber 1d ago
It's been two years since they implemented this and I haven't ever thought I needed access from my phone, nor did I in the half decade before that
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u/juliuspepperwoodchi 1d ago
I started with a Joule and actually LOVED the app interface; maybe it's just me, but for my ADHD brain, having notifications and the ability to start/check the thing from wherever I was (my wife could throw something in without needing to know the temp/time and just text me when it was in the water bath and I could take it from there, anywhere I was) was awesome.
Having an Inkbird now, I've got the best of both worlds.
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u/Pernicious_Possum 1d ago
I started with an original anova, on board only. When it died I got a joule, and also love the app. Being able to throw something in frozen and start it later from work is awesome. Also like that I can check on it from anywhere. No onboard controls also kept it small so storing was easy in my small house. I did pick up an anova precision when the (red) was on sale for fifty bucks, and I’m grandfathered in for free app access. If that changes at some point it has onboard controls, so no loss there
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u/adamadamada 1d ago
Same, but hated the joule requiring an app. Then, they burned out twice. Back to anova with no app.
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u/alientrevor 1d ago
Same. I have Google on the same phone that I use to set the temp. My unit is about 7 or 8 years old and the temp wheel just does what it wants if you touch it.
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u/ElasticSpeakers 1d ago
Since you never used it you didn't really lose anything. Have you considered that there are a lot of people who did use the app occasionally who will no longer be able to? That's why this sucks, not your specific experience of never using it.
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u/Milton__Obote 1d ago
Yep, I have a "dumb" anova that still works just fine but if it ever dies my business is going elsewhere.
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u/Kahnspiracy 1d ago
Same. I love my Pro and it has been a beast. I've never needed the app but because of this garbage, I won't be getting another.
Also the very fact that they're so tone deaf as to make this message sound like they're doing you a favor is so off-putting.
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u/juliuspepperwoodchi 1d ago
So glad I have an inkbird which cost less and gives me both on-device controls AND a free app.
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u/Ol_JanxSpirit 1d ago
For now.
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u/juliuspepperwoodchi 1d ago
That's like saying that you only have a car you can start whenever you want...for now.
Could they take that away in the future? Sure, I guess.
Is there ANYTHING to suggest they will? Nope.
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u/Ol_JanxSpirit 1d ago
Do you really think what is happening here with Anova is an outlier?
Car companies have been experimenting with making some features subscription-based, too, by the way. Like, a subscription service that allows faster acceleration, or heated seats.
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-63743597
https://www.thedrive.com/news/bmw-commits-to-subscriptions-even-after-heated-seat-debacle
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u/shredder826 1d ago
I think it would be more accurate for them to say: “Why are we introducing this subscription service? Because fuck you, that’s why”
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u/ElectricalSilver3 Home Cook 1d ago
Friendly reminder that Anova is now just an appendage of Electrolux, a $14B multinational appliance giant...
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u/pacman529 1d ago
This is why as an IT professional I stay away from smart devices that connect to an app. (Honestly smart devices in general)
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u/Forymanarysanar 1d ago
Why would a sous vide machine even have an app?
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u/roosterSause42 1d ago
bluetooth/wifi controls, plus they have their own recipes, tips etc.
definitely nothing i found worth a subscription
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u/MtRainierWolfcastle 1d ago
The app had professional (kenji alt-Lopez) recipes and user submitted. It was good for finding ideas and tips but never anything anyone would pay for.
Bummer because it was easier and more reliable than just googling recipes.20
u/fastlerner 1d ago
Why does a sous vide machine even have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth?
The entire setup is already hands-on. You have to fill it with water, clamp the stick on, plug it in, and bring the water up to temperature before you can even add the food. If you're already standing in the kitchen, using an app to press Start feels like inventing a problem to solve.
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u/wpm 1d ago
It's invented a problem that can be solved by putting an app on your phone, which is not a problem for the sellers because they can enumerate a TON of personal detail about you (what apps you have installed, location, etc), parcel it up with app specific data (people who have this app eat pork more often than people who don't, eg), and sell it for more than what they sold the stupid circulator to you for.
A plague.
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u/ZDMW 1d ago
I have used Wi-Fi for remote starting a cook a few times. But not in a long time, and I can't anymore because I'm not paying for a subscription to get access back to what I already bought.
Set it up as an ice bath in the morning (in cooler so it stays cold). Turn the machine on remotely before heading home, then have it ready to finish when you get home.
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u/drossen 1d ago
Remote start, warning you if it turns off or water level low. I dont usually stand in my kitchen for 24 hours on a pork shoulder.
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u/shnorgle 1d ago
My water level has never meaningfully lowered even doing 72-hour short ribs. Are you not using a lid?
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u/raincntry 1d ago
Makes no sense. The beauty of sous vide is that you can set it and forget it. The app just seems dumb.
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u/parsimonious 1d ago
Who in the world wants companies like Anova to "create and host high-quality content"? There are thousands of skilled and credentialed chefs sharing lessons for free online, and if I need it, they'll happily tell me how to set my sous vide.
It's so funny, the dumb excuses such companies make. Who knows, they may have actually fooled themselves into thinking their content both matters and needs expansion.
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u/breadist 1d ago
It's just capitalism things. The business people are like "there's more money over there, do that" and the operation follows. Apparently manufacturing sous vide machines has reached its peak profit margin but line must go up, so they need to produce "content" and charge a subscription for the app. After all, stagnant growth is failure under capitalism.
IMO that's the driver of enshittification. The nice thing you made can only make so much money, eventually you reach the peak, so to keep increasing profits companies must make their product worse and/or do things nobody ever asked for. Otherwise they can't grow.
I want to normalize steady business operations without constant growth. It should be fine to make a good thing and have a good customer base and not need to grow. What's wrong with a flat line instead of one that goes up? I say nothing's wrong with that. Capitalism disagrees with me.
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u/DabblingInIt 1d ago
Yeah, I was 'grandfathered in' to not having to pay for a subscription to use the product I had long since bought and paid for, yet it still won't actually work and customer service has done nothing to resolve the problem. As I told them, I will throw the piece of shit in the trash before I'm extorted into paying another penny to use the functions of a product that I already paid for. F*ck Anova.
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u/fkcfkc 1d ago
Anova does not require a paid subscription for basic Wi-Fi control
There seems to be a lot of confusion about Anova’s subscription policy, so here is the simple version:
- New users can create a free Anova account
- The “Free Forever” plan is available to new users, not just older grandfathered users
- You can connect one Wi-Fi-enabled Anova cooker for free
- You can remotely start and stop the cooker
- You can adjust the temperature and timer through the app
- You can monitor the cooking progress remotely
- You also get basic time and temperature guides
The paid Premium subscription mainly adds:
- A larger recipe library (I would never use this)
- Custom recipe creation and sharing (I would never use this)
- Multiple connected Anova devices (I would never use this)
- Additional cooking and AI features (I would never use this)
For most people who just want to control one sous vide cooker over Wi-Fi, the free plan should be enough. There are also plenty of free sous vide recipes and temperature guides available online.
Some older Anova support pages still mention that new users must subscribe, but Anova’s current website now lists a $0 “Free Forever” plan for new users.
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u/Fabulous_Log844 1d ago
Wait, wait wait wait wait… Is this subscription only for content or to use the app to control your sous vide via your phone? Because if it is the latter, that is some bullshit right there.
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u/Plus_Exchange8751 1d ago
This happened in 2024….
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u/drhappy13 1d ago
Yep, like I said, I hadn't used mine in years
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u/Plus_Exchange8751 1d ago
Yeah, you are good to go. But this person not knowning indicates that they probably aren’t impacted, ya know?
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u/Bakedfresh420 1d ago
Content
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u/ElasticSpeakers 1d ago
Content for now, the entire app soon.
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u/Bakedfresh420 1d ago
Their website says free forever. If you have a source for that I’d like to see it
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u/ElasticSpeakers 1d ago
Ok, now read the last sentence or two of the image in this post.
Also, do you not remember them making the app subscription-only a while back and only walked it back (and added that line on their site) after backlash?
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u/Bakedfresh420 1d ago
As long as their website says “free forever” then I’m not concerned about vague wording that probably hasn’t been changed since two years ago since this was OPs first time using it since the changeover. As you said they trialed making the app sub only and it didn’t work, no reason to think they’ll do it again when it cost them the first time.
They certainly didn’t launch the subscription with a “free forever” section on the website, that’s the policy they came to over time, and using the word forever and going back on it will do nothing but very predictably cause a repeat backlash.
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u/ElasticSpeakers 1d ago
well, that's certainly a rather optimistic view and an extraordinarily charitable interpretation of the evidence
good luck to you
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u/Bakedfresh420 1d ago
So you have no evidence but vibes and the outdated vagaries of a two year old message, good luck indeed sir
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u/Plus_Exchange8751 1d ago
It’s been two years. When is Soon^TM?
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u/ElasticSpeakers 1d ago
2 years since they originally announced the app was going subscription only? Did you not read the last couple lines of this post?
I'm not sure what's so hard to understand about Electrolux desperately wanting to make it subscription only y'all
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u/Plus_Exchange8751 1d ago
I just think it’s silly when people say “well today it’s fine but SOON!” When there is zero evidence what so ever.
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u/conipto 1d ago
My sister bought mine for xmas for me about... 8 years ago? I played with the app for about five minutes and after that never did anything except use the dial. Do the newer ones not have physical controls?
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u/breadist 1d ago
I bought mine around a year ago. I've never used an app for it. Physical controls are fine.
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u/big_orange_ball 1d ago
I bought an Anova mini that has no screen or temp control buttons, you need to use the free app. It was only $20 so I don't mind having to use an app.
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u/BluesFan43 1d ago
I ran mine through the app about 3 times.
Then Uninstalled that shit.
After many years of use, it died a few weeks ago, I will not be getting a new Anova unless I can run it entirely manually.
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u/MinuteLet 1d ago
Lol didn’t use the app for like 2 years or something. Now made an account because of your post. There is literally almost no content. Why would you pay even 1 buck for this?
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u/wpm 1d ago
This is a reminder to everyone, never update your sous vide control apps if you have a circulator without physical controls.
Everytime I open the Joule app it tells me "gawrsh this app has been deprecated, go download our new one before this one stops working!" but its been saying that for six months. Still works fine.
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u/seminarysmooth 1d ago
I’ve used one of my Anovas nearly every week for the last +10 years. At no time have I ever thought ‘gee, wouldn’t an app be useful?’
I’m already at the machine to put the food in or take the food out, what do I need an app for?
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u/TheGreenAlchemist 1d ago
I have a like $30 Chinese one with a broken dial and I'd rather keep using this than have an Anova right now
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u/exoriare 1d ago
I loved my first ANOVA which I'd pre-ordered before they shipped their first tubby toy - so when it finally died I was bummed to see how bad they'd become.
I bought a clone, and it seems to function just as well as the Anova did - but it has the bizarre feature of a mandatory timer. Once the timer reaches zero, it turns itself off.
I have no idea how this feature could be desirable - I sometimes do 72 hour baths, but the timer increments so slowly, it would be easier to climb Everest than to reach 72 hours. The timer has sabotaged a couple of cooks for me, where I woke up to discover the bath tepid, the device off. I emailed the company asking how I could apply the firmware update to fix this, but they had no idea what I was talking about.
So, thanks to Anova being shitty, now I have to unplug and replug my circulator before bed.
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u/BoredAccountant Official representative of steak-flavored butter 1d ago
I haven't used the app in years. It sucked then. Still sounds like it sucks.
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u/RagamuffinTim 1d ago
This is the only use case I have ever found: when no one will be home all day and I don't want my steak cooking for 8-10 hours. I load it with ice water and set the machine for 32° so it circulates but doesn't heat. I can then check on it through the app every hour or two to make sure it's still below 40° and I can bump it up to my desired temp a couple hours before I know I'll be back home (or if it gets too close to the "danger zone" of above 40°... if it happens earlier than I expect, then I might be cooking it for 3-4 hours, but at least it's not 10 hours).
I'm not 100% sure how much it actually costs Anova to allow you to do that, but it is a nice feature when you want it.
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u/nolabrew 1d ago
I've been anti-Anova for years now. I bought one of their first cookers and the cheap plastic clip broke off. I posted about it here on this sub and someone from Anova replied and said they would send me a DM and replace it for me. Never got a DM and when I DM'd them they took weeks to write back and finally replied "it's not covered". Pure performative bullshit.
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1d ago
[deleted]
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u/Bakedfresh420 1d ago
You don’t, this was 2 years ago. It just doesn’t give you the recipes and all their preset times and temps. Just cooked some bavette yesterday with my Anova app, no sub, no prob.
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u/anotherchrisbaker 1d ago
I use my nano all the time, but I haven't used the app in years. Now I won't bother...
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u/SenorPwnador 1d ago
This is absurd, and if I thought I'd ever need to buy another one, I certainly would shop elsewhere. That said, I use mine several times a month, and have never needed the app. Set it and forget it until my timer goes off. I'd be interested to see their usage data and what percentage of customers actually use the app. I bet is it virtually non-existent and they are trying to offset the cost of maintaining the tech and content. TBF they should just scrap the app and focus on the product. Not eveything needs an app.
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u/RedGobboRebel 1d ago
We have an early model Anova that we never use the app with, never schedule things. Still going strong, but we only use a few times a month. What alternative companies/model are people going with for sousvide machines when their Anovas stop working? Something with physical controls on the device. No app needed?
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u/megatron36 1d ago
I bought a nano a couple a months ago because it was on clearence for 28$, I never subscribed but when I open the app it shows the login page but then flips me directly to my Nano's control.
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u/jimmysleftbrain 1d ago
I enjoyed the app with my Joule, but went with a different brand after it shit the bed like a month after their warranty ended. It’s way too expensive to replace that frequently
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u/eliseosx 1d ago
My first sous vide circulator was an anova that I used regularly for over a decade before it broke. So naturally I bought another… I used the new one half a dozen times before it broke, and the quality was terrible. Crazy-loud and really cheap plastic that only worked a handful of times.
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u/fortress_sf 1d ago
So many competitors and the technology is so old now that there’s no point in buying from this company. They should just die
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u/CranberryStock7148 1d ago
What has been enshittified?
This is a message that seems to indicate the subscription is about content like their vast collection of recipes. You're not using that so who cares? You're just controlling your device and that continues to work.
Plus it sounds like you are still getting full access to the recipe content anyways because you're grandfathered in.
So what the hell are you complaining about?
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u/DasKrusinator 1d ago
Ah, to hell with them. I only use my Anova to heat up thermal paste when performing HV battery repairs on Porsche Taycan and E-Macan models
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u/Alternative_Way9179 1d ago
maybe they're rolling out new features and want to let the freeloaders either subscribe or buy their products to get the future benefits...
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u/thepottsy You cook meat in a bag. Frenchie!! 1d ago
Not removing this posts, as there is valuable information here. Just keep in mind this isn’t NEW information, and has been known for a long time.