Hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger has announced that it will stop supporting its first Nano S wallet, and users are frankly disappointed by this decision. The company officially announced in May that it would no longer be releasing updates or new apps for the model introduced in 2016.
Source: developers.ledger.com
After all, some devices have been in service for almost a decade—a respectable age for any electronics.
The company urges users to check their passphrases and upgrade to newer models. This sounds reasonable from a technical point of view, except that many customers saw it as being forced to buy new equipment.
Community reaction
A user with the nickname Pcaversaccio, who works in the Ethereum ecosystem, was outspoken: “Very uncool Ledger – you effectively force anyone to buy and enter the seed into a new device.”
Very uncool Ledger – you effectively force anyone to buy and enter the seed into a new device. Ledger Nano S is fucking goated. I understand you’re a business but don’t play with backwards compatibility guys (many rely on LNS!). You’re one of the few trusted parties out there and… pic.twitter.com/HzZ3BmXlfd
— sudo rm -rf –no-preserve-root / (@pcaversaccio) June 25, 2025
He emphasized that Ledger is one of the few time-tested companies in the industry, and such decisions based solely on business considerations raise serious questions.
Pudgy Penguins security project manager Bo called the situation a “major nuisance” and advised users to immediately check their seed phrase backups: “You don’t want to be left with a broken device after the updates stop.”
A user with the nickname Juan from the Nillion ecosystem was even more blunt: “Ledger just devalues people’s existing devices and forces them to buy new ones? Am I understanding this right? What the hell is this?”
Safety in question
The main concern of users is potential security risks. Many wonder whether the Nano S will continue to function without support, and if this will create additional vulnerabilities.
According to Bo, the device will likely continue to function, but without updates, the likelihood of breakdowns or security issues increases. Ledger warns that not switching will deny users access to the latest security features, compatibility, and support for blockchain updates.
Roman Semenov, developer of Tornado Cash (currently wanted on charges related to his work on the protocol), took an interesting stance.
He stated that he stopped updating his Ledger several years ago when the company started rolling out the cloud backup feature: “It really doesn’t need any updates to work.”
Explanation from the manufacturer
Ledger justifies its decision by citing the evolution of the cryptocurrency landscape since 2016. According to the company, the limited memory capacity of the Nano S was a major obstacle, and it is “unable to support most new use cases.”
Indeed, the crypto industry has changed dramatically in eight years. There are new blockchains, DeFi, NFT protocols, and many other innovations that require more powerful hardware solutions. The Nano S simply can’t keep up with today’s demands.