The early rumors of Google extending its support period with the release of Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro seem to be true. According to the latest report, Google phones will receive up to seven years of Android OS updates.
Apple iPhone remains the device with the most support while Samsung is the close second. Xiaomi recently extended its support period to five years, during which eligible devices get four years of Android OS matching Samsung. Google is about to top that all with its supposed seven years of OS updates.
According to the specs sheet shared by 91Mobiles in collaboration with Kamila Wojciechowska, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will receive security patch updates, Feature Drops, and Android OS updates for seven years. However, it’s unclear whether the devices will get seven years of Android OS upgrade, as the report is suggesting. And given that the current five years of Pixel update means three years of Android OS and two years of security patch updates, Google might be pushing for five years of OS upgrade followed by two years of security support.
We expect clarifications after the official unveiling on October 4, but we expect Google to surpass Samsung’s four years of Android OS upgrades and an extra year of Android security patches.
Other OEMs to extend their Android OS support
Smartphone OEMs are very good at copying each other. With the supposed seven years of support from Google, we expect others to react. It would be nice to see if Samsung will extend its support period or stick with its present support.
Anyways, with the improvements made in Smartphone build quality, we expect most phones to remain functional after seven years. With that, most people won’t mind keeping their phones for that long, so far it still works perfectly. And with the proposed seven years of support, Google might see more people buy the Pixel 8 series phone.
