Google may offer up to seven years of updates with Pixel 8 series

Google may finally deliver on a long-running problem with its Pixel devices: longer software support.

Alongside the wealth of Pixel leaks over the weekend, leaker Kamila Wojciechowska pointed out that the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro spec sheet confirms Google plans to support the Pixel 8 series with seven years of updates.

That’s a significant jump from the current five years of updates promised for the Pixel 6 line and newer, though it’s worth noting that Google’s language has gotten noticeably vague on this. The company’s update support page notes that updates “include security, software and may also include feature drops.”

and just to clarify: 7 years of updates, but not necessarily 7 OS updates.

— kamila 🌸 (@Za_Raczke) September 25, 2023

That language persists in the documents Wojciechowska shared about the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. While the extension to seven years is great, it’d be a bummer if Pixel 8 owners only got, say, Android OS updates for three or four years and then only security updates after that.

Still, longer software support is a win and should make the Pixel 8 series a more compelling option, especially as competitors extend their software support. For example, Samsung offers four years of OS updates and five years of security patches on its newest phones, while Apple tends to provide about five years of OS updates and continued security updates beyond that.

Source: @Za_Raczke