iRobot out of Chapter 11 and owned by Picea: what changes for Roomba owners

A process arranged in advance, closed in January 2026

On 14 December 2025, iRobot said in a press release that it had "voluntarily commenced a pre-packaged chapter 11 process in the District of Delaware". The company expected to complete it by February 2026.

On 23 January 2026, a second iRobot press release announced that the transaction had closed and that the company had exited the process. The chief executive quoted in that text is Gary Cohen.

Picea, iRobot's new owner

According to the 14 December 2025 release, Picea was to receive 100% of iRobot's equity, while holders of common stock "will experience a total loss". The Register says Picea Robotics is based in Shenzhen and was iRobot's main manufacturer in China and Vietnam. The Register also reports that iRobot owed it $158.3 million, of which $29.1 million was past due.

In its 23 January 2026 release, iRobot writes that it is "now a privately held company wholly owned by Picea". The same text announces a US subsidiary, iRobot Safe, "governed by an independent board composed of U.S. citizens" and dedicated to protecting the data of American consumers. The release mentions neither the app nor the warranty.

The app and your data

During the process, iRobot said it was continuing to operate normally and that there was "no anticipated disruption" to the app, customer programmes and product support. The headline of a TechRadar article attributes this line to iRobot's chief executive: "It's business as usual. The app is working, warranties will be honored". We were only able to read the headline and could not establish the article's date. This is a statement from the company, not a published rule.

On data, the page for the Roomba Max 875 Combo says iRobot uses data encryption and that it "strictly limit[s] access to data", which the page says is verified by third-party security bodies. Software updates are described there as automatic, and owners can delete their data when passing the robot on to someone else. The page for the Roomba Plus 515 Combo cites the Roomba Home App and states "Your privacy is our priority". These are claims made by the manufacturer.

The warranty: what iRobot's Protect plan page says

The only warranty rule we were able to read appears on the page for iRobot's Protect plan, on the US site. According to that page, eligible products "include a limited one-year manufacturer's warranty". When that warranty expires, Protect coverage begins for the term chosen at purchase.

Protect is a paid plan, separate from the manufacturer's warranty. According to the page, it also covers a battery that no longer holds its charge "according to the manufacturer's guidelines". The Roomba Plus 515 Combo page, for its part, does not describe any warranty terms and points to a "Returns & Warranties" page.

Parts, batteries and listed prices

iRobot's US shop sells a "Replacement Lithium Ion Battery" compatible with the Roomba e, i and j series, excluding the j9+ and the Roomba Combo j7+, j9+ and 10 Max. Its listed price is $99.99. When we consulted it, the page said the item was unavailable, and it mentions no warranty for the battery.

For reference, the US site listed the Roomba Plus 515 Combo at $599.99 instead of $699.99, with a limited offer expiring on 10 October 2026, and the Roomba Max 875 Combo at $1,199.99.

The Roomba Duo, a prototype shown at IFA

On 4 September 2026, iRobot showed a prototype at IFA, the Roomba Duo: two robots, one carrying the other, linked to the Roomba Home App. The release gives no price or on-sale date, and does not mention Picea.

What we do not know, and what to check with iRobot

Our sources were consulted on 9 October 2026, and every product page we read is from the US site. We found no warranty rule dating from after the takeover: iRobot's support warranty page could not be read from our servers, and the only warranty cited is the limited one-year warranty mentioned on the Protect plan page. For your own robot, read iRobot's "Returns & Warranties" page directly.

We found nothing on a trade-in scheme for used robots, whether an exchange or a buy-back. Nor did we find anything on how long the app or its servers will be maintained, beyond the chief executive's line and the absence of disruption announced during the process. Finally, nothing tells us about the availability of parts other than the battery, or about the situation in France or Europe.