Unexpected Surprise from Google: Support for Pixel 6, 7 and Fold Extended by 2 Years
Good news for owners of previous generations of Pixel smartphones: Google has updated its policy on Android OS updates for the Pixel 6, Pixel 7, and Pixel Fold series. The search giant has extended the support period for these devices by two years. Thus, previous generations of smartphones based on the Google Tensor processor will receive software updates for five years instead of three. This includes not only security patches, but also Android updates.
The support question for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 came after Google switched to a seven-year update period for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 series. The company hasn’t made the announcement officially, but the information appeared on the device support page. It says that the Pixel 6, Pixel 7, and Pixel Fold will receive Android updates for five years. Unfortunately, no such change is planned for the Pixel Tablet, which was announced in 2022.
So now Google’s update policy looks like this:
- 7 years of Android and security updates: Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8a, Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, Pixel 9 Pro Fold;
- 5 years of Android and security updates: Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel Fold;
- 3 years of Android updates and 5 years of security updates: Pixel Tablet.