Here’s how Pixel’s software update policy changed over the years

Software support is important, especially when you spend a fortune on a new smartphone and plan on holding on to it for a long time. Google’s Pixel lineup is currently among the best on the market in this area, but it hasn’t always been that way.

The company’s first phones only promised three years of software updates, but that number has gradually increased since. Now, the company’s latest phones come with seven years of software support, just like Samsung’s flagship series.

Read on if you’re wondering what the software promise is for a specific Pixel phone and how things have changed over the years. You’ll find exactly when software support ends — or has already ended — for every Pixel device released so far. We’ll also take a closer look at the software support for Pixel Watches and more.

Pixel devices with seven years of software support

This list is short since Google launched its seven-year software support pledge alongside the Pixel 8 series last year. It will get longer eventually, as all upcoming Pixel phones are expected to match — or even surpass — it.

• Pixel 9 Pro Fold — OS and security updates until at least August 2031
• Pixel 9 series — OS and security update until at least August 2031
• Pixel 8 series — OS and security updates until at least October 2030
• Pixel 8a — OS and security updates until at least May 2031

Pixel devices with five years of software support

Several older Pixel phones come with a five-year OS update promise. This consists of three years of OS and five years of security updates, as listed below.

• Pixel Fold — OS/security updates until at least June 2026/June 2028
• Pixel Tablet — OS/security updates until at least June 2026/June 2028
• Pixel 7a — OS/security updates until at least May 2026/May 2028
• Pixel 7 series — OS/security updates until at least October 2025/October 2027
• Pixel 6a — OS/security updates until at least July 2025/July 2027
• Pixel 6 series — OS/security updates until at least October 2024/October 2026

Pixel phones with three years of software support — already ended

Software support for all devices in this section has already ended, according to Google’s timeline. So if you own any of these phones, you won’t receive any more OS or security updates.

• Pixel 5a with 5G — OS and security updates ended in August 2024
• Pixel 5 — OS and security updates ended in October 2023
• Pixel 4a (5G) — OS and security updates ended in November 2023
• Pixel 4a — OS and security updates ended in August 2023
• Pixel 4 series — OS and security updates ended in October 2022
• Pixel 3 series — OS and security updates ended in October 2021
• Pixel 3a series OS and security updates ended in May 2022
• Pixel 2 series — OS and security updates ended in October 2020
• Pixel 1 series — OS and security updates ended in October 2019

What about the Pixel Watch

All three Pixel watches get three years of software support, including the most recent Pixel Watch 3 — which is a bit disappointing.

• Pixel Watch 3 — software support at least until October 2027
• Pixel Watch 2 — software support at least until October 2026
• Pixel Watch — software support at least until October 2025

When do Pixel phones get updates?

The great thing about Pixel phones is that they generally get the latest updates on day one. This means that you can download the latest Android version to your phone on the day Google launches it. That’s very different from other manufacturers, including Samsung, which sometimes take months to ship out the latest versions of Android. That’s because they need to optimize it to work with their own Android skins, which can be a time-consuming process.

Pixel phones also get new features in the form of Feature Drops. These are updates Google ships out every few months and come packed with various features. You can check out exactly what they are and when the last one was released in our dedicated Feature Drops post.

How does Google’s update policy compare?

Google shares the top spot as the market leader in the Android space with Samsung, with both currently offering seven years of software support for their high-end devices. Motorola has recently started offering five years of software support, but only for its recent Edge 50 Neo phone. All other devices in its lineup are promised at least two years of support.

OnePlus promises four upgrades and five years of patches for the OnePlus 12, while many other manufacturers, like ASUS and HMD Global/Nokia, only ship out two software updates to their devices. Some manufacturers don’t make specific promises about software support, which usually means that you can only expect a few years of updates at best.

Moving over to Apple, the company has recently officially announced that its phones will receive at least five years of OS updates, although it’s been a well-known fact in the industry that iPhones generally get around six years of updates.

We have a dedicated post about the software update policies of different smartphone brands, which you can check out for more detailed info.