Google’s Pixel line got several welcome improvements with its new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. However, one major upgrade that might have flown under the radar is the company’s promise of seven years of software support.
Yup, you read that right. Seven years.
That’s a huge upgrade from Google’s current support promise of three years of operating system (OS) updates — such as Android 14 — and five years of security updates. So not only is Google significantly extending the software support window on the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, but it’s doing so across OS, security, and feature drop updates.
Not only that, but it means Google will be ahead of the current smartphone software support leader, Apple. At least, sort of. Apple doesn’t explicitly promise a certain amount of support, but historically, the company has offered OS updates for about five years and security updates beyond that.
Notably, Apple has offered lengthy iPhone software support for years, so if you have an older iPhone, you’re likely covered for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately for people with older Pixel phones, it seems you’ll be stuck with whatever software support Google promised with that device (you can check that out here).
Regardless, the expanded software support from Google is a major win for consumers. The need for yearly upgrades is well behind us, and, frankly, it’s tough to argue that it’s necessary to upgrade every two or even three years now. As long as you can keep your phone in good physical condition, the only real limit to how long it’ll last is software support.
Hopefully, Google’s seven-year software promise pushes more Android manufacturers to extend device support.
Check out our hands-on with the Pixel 8 Pro here and our hands-on with the Pixel 8 here. Follow this link for all of our content from Google’s Pixel 8 event.
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