Ryan Haines / Android Authority
Software program assist is necessary, particularly if you lay our a fortune on a new smartphone and plan on holding on to it for a very long time. Google’s Pixel lineup is at present among the many finest in the marketplace on this space, however it hasn’t all the time been that means.
The corporate’s first telephones solely promised three years of software program updates, however that quantity has progressively elevated since. Now, the corporate’s newest telephones include seven years of software program assist, identical to Samsung’s flagship collection.
Learn on in the event you’re questioning what the software program promise is for a particular Pixel cellphone and the way issues have modified through the years. You’ll discover precisely when software program assist ends — or has already ended — for each Pixel machine launched to this point. We’ll additionally take a more in-depth have a look at the software program assist for Pixel Watches and extra.
Pixel gadgets with seven years of software program assist
Ryan Whitwam / Android Authority
Left: Pixel 9 Professional, Proper: Pixel 9 Professional Fold
This listing is brief since Google launched its seven-year software program assist pledge alongside the Pixel 8 collection final 12 months. It’ll get longer finally, as all upcoming Pixel telephones are anticipated to match — and even surpass — it.
- Pixel 9 Professional Fold — OS and safety updates till not less than August 2031
- Pixel 9 collection — OS and safety replace till not less than August 2031
- Pixel 8 collection — OS and safety updates till not less than October 2030
- Pixel 8a — OS and safety updates till not less than Could 2031
Pixel gadgets with 5 years of software program assist
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
A number of older Pixel telephones include a five-year OS replace promise. This consists of three years of OS and 5 years of safety updates, as listed under.
- Pixel Fold — OS/safety updates till not less than June 2026/June 2028
- Pixel Pill — OS/safety updates till not less than June 2026/June 2028
- Pixel 7a — OS/safety updates till not less than Could 2026/Could 2028
- Pixel 7 collection — OS/safety updates till not less than October 2025/October 2027
- Pixel 6a — OS/safety updates till not less than July 2025/July 2027
- Pixel 6 collection — OS/safety updates till not less than October 2024/October 2026
Pixel telephones with three years of software program assist — already ended
Software program assist for all gadgets on this part has already ended, in keeping with Google’s timeline. So in the event you personal any of those telephones, you gained’t obtain any extra OS or safety updates.
- Pixel 5a with 5G — OS and safety updates led to August 2024
- Pixel 5 — OS and safety updates led to October 2023
- Pixel 4a (5G) — OS and safety updates led to November 2023
- Pixel 4a — OS and safety updates led to August 2023
- Pixel 4 collection — OS and safety updates led to October 2022
- Pixel 3 collection — OS and safety updates led to October 2021
- Pixel 3a collection OS and safety updates led to Could 2022
- Pixel 2 collection — OS and safety updates led to October 2020
- Pixel 1 collection — OS and safety updates led to October 2019
What concerning the Pixel Watch
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
All three Pixel watches get three years of software program assist, together with the newest Pixel Watch 3 — which is a bit disappointing.
- Pixel Watch 3 — software program assist not less than till October 2027
- Pixel Watch 2 — software program assist not less than till October 2026
- Pixel Watch — software program assist not less than till October 2025
When do Pixel telephones get updates?
The wonderful thing about Pixel telephones is that they often get the most recent updates on day one. This implies you could obtain the most recent Android model to your cellphone on the day Google launches it. That’s very completely different from different producers, together with Samsung, which generally take months to ship out the most recent variations of Android. That’s as a result of they should optimize it to work with their very own Android skins, which generally is a time-consuming course of.
Pixel telephones additionally get new options within the type of Characteristic Drops. These are updates Google ships out each few months and are available full of varied options. You’ll be able to take a look at precisely what they’re and when the final one was launched in our devoted Characteristic Drops put up.
How does Google’s replace coverage examine?
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Google shares the highest spot because the market chief within the Android house with Samsung, with each at present providing seven years of software program assist for his or her high-end gadgets. Motorola has just lately began providing 5 years of software program assist, however just for its latest Edge 50 Neo cellphone. All different gadgets in its lineup are promised not less than two years of assist.
OnePlus guarantees 4 upgrades and 5 years of patches for the OnePlus 12, whereas many different producers, like ASUS and HMD International/Nokia, solely ship out two software program updates to their gadgets. Some producers don’t make particular guarantees about software program assist, which normally means you could solely count on just a few years of updates at finest.
Shifting over to Apple, the corporate has just lately formally introduced that its telephones will obtain not less than 5 years of OS updates, though it’s been a well known reality within the trade that iPhones typically get round six years of updates.
