How Many Years Of Updates Will Your Pixel Device Get?
Thanks to Apple setting the bar really high in the software updates department, Android phone manufacturers have been pressured to do the same.
Two years of Android updates is quite the norm with most manufacturers these days, but how many years of updates do the makers of Android, Google, provide on Pixel devices?
How many updates will your Pixel get?
Google promises three years of major Android updates and five years of security patches. Bear in mind that this doesn’t mean your Pixel will only get three major updates. Depending on the time of the release, if your Pixel has already received three major updates, as long as it’s still under the major updates eligible timeline, your Pixel might get the update.
That said, considering that you’re on Android 13 at the time of writing this article, here’s how many major updates and security patches are left on your Pixel.
| Pixel Device | Launch Year and Android version | OS and Security Updates Until |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro | October 2022, Android 13 | October 2025, October 2027 |
| Pixel Watch | October 2022, Wear OS 3.5 Android 11 | October 2025 |
| Pixel 6a | July 2022, Android 12 | July 2025, July 2027 |
| Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro | October 2021, Android 12 | October 2024, October 2026 |
| Pixel 5a 5G | August 2021, Android 11 | August 2024 |
| Pixel 4a 5G | November 2020, Android 11 | November 2023 |
| Pixel 5 | October 2020, Android 11 | October 2023 |
| Pixel 4a | August 2020, Android 10 | August 2023 |
| Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL | October 2019, Android 10 | October 2022 |
| Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL | May 2019, Android 9.0 | May 2022 |
| Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL | October 2018, Android 9.0 | October 2021 |
| Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL | October 2017, Android 8.0 | October 2020 |
| Pixel and Pixel XL | October 2016, Android 7.0 | October 2018 |
The Pixel 4 recently received its last update prior to the Pixel 7 series launch. If everything goes according to the schedule and Google releases Android 14 (Upsidedown cake) in Q3 of 2022, the Pixel 4a (launched with Android 10) could become the first Pixel device to receive four major Android updates.
Google has made changes to its updated policy with the Pixel 6 series. Previous Pixel devices received only three major updates, and that was about it, but with the Pixel 6 series, Google decided to add two years of security updates to the mix.
Google still falls short compared to Samsung
It really is a shame that Samsung is offering four years of major updates compared to three years from the maker of Android. That said, if software updates are your number one priority. you know what to get. It’s less likely that Google will change its update policy anytime soon.
Which Pixel device do you own, and what Android version are you rocking on it? Let us know in the comments section below.
