The discontinuation of the Ledger Nano S hardware wallet after eight years is dividing the crypto community.
Crypto users have been voicing their discontent after discovering that Ledger announced the end of support for the Ledger Nano S last May.
In the spring update released on May 30, the French company officially communicated the transition away from the Ledger Nano S, specifying that no new applications, feature requests, or updates to existing apps would be accepted from that point onward.
The company also recommended that users “switch to another Ledger device” and ensure they have their “24-word recovery phrase to maintain access.”
Crypto community reactions
Although the announcement was made last month, many users on social media seem to have only recently noticed it, sparking a wave of comments ranging from anger and disappointment to resigned acceptance.
Pcaversaccio, a developer active in the Ethereum ecosystem, called Ledger’s approach “very uncool” for effectively forcing users to purchase a new device and re-enter their seed. “I understand you’re a business but don’t play with backwards compatibility guys. Many people rely on the Ledger Nano S, and you’re one of the few trusted parties out there,” he stated.
Several users raised concerns about the future functionality of the Ledger Nano S and the potential security risks of using an unsupported device.
Beau, Head of Security for the Pudgy Penguins project, described the transition as “a major bummer” and advised: “If you use the Nano S currently, make sure you have your seed phrase backed up and if necessary transfer assets to new wallets. Don’t want to be caught with a broken device after updates stop.“
Another user questioned whether Ledger was “basically deprecating people’s existing devices to force them to buy the new one.”
As for the security of an unsupported Ledger Nano S, user opinions are divided. Beau believes it “will probably keep working, but without updates, the chances of bugs or security issues increase.”
Roman Semenov, developer of Tornado Cash, commented:
