Google's latest Pixel smartphones come with a guarantee that they'll continue to receive operating system and security updates for at least seven years. But that's only a promise Google has been making for a little over a year, and it only applies to the Pixel 8 and newer phones.

Older models got five years of security updates, but only three years of major OS updates, and some phones like the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and Pixel 6a were quickly approaching their last expected major Android OS update. That's no longer the case though, as Google has updated its support page to indicate that Pixel 6 and newer phones will now get updates for 5 years from the date when they first became available in the US. That means the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series as well as the Pixel Fold will now get new versions of Android for at least two more years than had been promised when the phones were first launched.

Google Pixel 6a

Interestingly, that support page used to give actual end of support dates for each Pixel device. Now it just tells you how many years to expect, which means you may need to do a little searching and/or math to figure out the actual end of support for a specific device.

Or you could just look at this table:

Release Date End of Support Pixel Fold May 10, 2023 May, 2028 Pixel 7a May 10, 2023 May, 2028 Pixel 7 & 7 Pro Oct 13, 2022 Oct, 2027 Pixel 6a July 21, 2022 July, 2027 Pixel 6 & 6 Pro Oct 28, 2021 Oct, 2026

Interestingly Google is not extending support for the Pixel Tablet, which is actually the most recent device listed above. Despite the fact that it was released in June, 2023, the tablet is only guaranteed to receive Android version updates through June, 2026 although it will continue to receive security updates until at least June, 2028.

But maybe that shouldn't be surprising since rumor has it that Google has decided to scrap development of future Pixel Tablet devices, suggesting that the company doesn't see much of a future for its current tablet strategy.

via @[email protected] and 9to5Google

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