It’s good to know how long your phone will receive updates before purchasing.
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Picture this: It’s sales season and you’re looking for a new phone. You’ll discover one with decent specs that fits your budget, a win at the moment as prices on literally everything are rising. You buy it feeling like you got a bargain, but months later you realize you’ll actually have to get a replacement sooner rather than later because the manufacturer is canceling its software support.
Not surprisingly, older phone models are often on sale. The siren song of a good deal is hard to resist, but that’s exactly what you have to do. Before you throw your money at a phone like you throw confetti at a parade, you need to check its expiration date, as many smartphones mark the last year of software support. This means the phone will soon no longer have access to updates and your data may become more vulnerable to newly discovered security threats.
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Updates are annoying but necessary
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Your smartphone probably manages your banking, your health records, work emails, and definitely all of your personal conversations. Here’s a question: When was the last time your phone received a security update?
Most phones get those annoyingly persistent push notifications for system updates that somehow always arrive when you’re low on battery or there’s no way you can leave the phone alone for the few minutes it takes to run the update. But as annoying as these notifications are, it’s bad news when they stop appearing. Manufacturers don’t always announce when support will expire. However, once a phone stops receiving updates, it will also stop receiving patches for newly discovered vulnerabilities. And then all your sensitive data could be at risk.
For many phones, software support ends sooner than most people expect. And if this is the case, it doesn’t mean your phone has stopped working. It just means that the manufacturer will no longer distribute security patches and operating system upgrades to your device. Any vulnerability discovered from this day forward puts your phone at risk of having your financial and private information stolen.
When updates come to an end
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Both security researchers and cybercriminals are constantly looking for new vulnerabilities in all types of software, including mobile operating systems. When vulnerabilities are discovered, manufacturers release patches. Once software support ends, newly discovered vulnerabilities may no longer be patchable.
Beyond security, retired phones are frozen over time. There are no new Android and iOS functions. At some point, apps will no longer support older operating system versions, meaning you will no longer be able to use important tools and functions.
Even if you manage security risks and avoid certain apps, older, unsupported smartphones often have problems with app requirements. Performance tends to decrease as apps are optimized for newer hardware and software.
How Samsung handles software support and which models are nearing the end of their lifespan
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Samsung’s support policies vary significantly depending on the device tier. Galaxy devices get up to seven years of support for flagship models, but for mid-range models it’s a maximum of five or six years depending on the model, while budget phones get up to four years of support. Here are the Samsung models that will reach end of life before the end of 2027:
- Samsung Galaxy A14 (released May 2023) – Android updates ended in May 2025, security updates ended in May 2027
- Samsung Galaxy A54 5G (released March 2023) – Android updates end in March 2027, security updates end in May 2027
- Samsung Galaxy S23, S23+, S23 Ultra (released February 2023) – Android updates end in February 2027, security updates end in February 2028
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4, Z Flip4 (released August 2022) – Android updates end in August 2026, security updates end in August 2027
- Samsung Galaxy A53 5G (released April 2022) – Android updates ended in April 2026, security updates ended in April 2027
- Samsung Galaxy S22, S22+, S22 Ultra (released February 2022) – Android updates ended in February 2026, security updates ended in February 2027
- Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (released January 2022) – Android updates ended in January 2026, security updates ended in January 2027
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3, Z Flip3 (released August 2021) – Android updates ended in August 2025, security updates ended in August 2026
How Google handles software support and which models are nearing the end of their lifespan
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Google has improved its support commitment over the years. According to the company’s official Pixel support page, Pixel 8 and newer devices will receive operating system and security updates for seven years from the date they are first available. However, older devices only receive operating system and security updates for 5 years. Depending on the release date, some of these models will enter their final years of support. Here are the models that will reach end of life before the end of 2027:
- Google Pixel 7 Pro (released October 2022) – reaches end of life (EOL) in October 2027.
- Google Pixel 7 (launched October 2022) – reaches EOL in October 2027
- Google Pixel 6a (launched July 2022) – reaches EOL in July 2027
- Google Pixel 6 Pro (launched October 2021) – reaches EOL in October 2026
- Google Pixel 6 (launched October 2021) – reaches EOL in October 2026
The Google Pixel 2, 3, 4 and 5 product ranges have already stopped receiving updates.
How Motorola handles software support and which models are nearing the end of their lifespan
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Motorola’s commitments to support their products are much more limited than what we’ve seen from Google and Samsung. Traditionally, most Motorola devices only received two or three years of security updates, with most models only receiving one major Android OS upgrade. After the European Union required security updates for at least five years earlier this year, Motorola improved its policies for its newer devices. However, Motorola was able to find some loopholes and does not promise to provide Android updates in addition to security patches. Here are the models that will reach end of life before the end of 2027:
- Moto G (launched December 2024) – reached EOL in December 2027
- Moto G Stylus 5G (released May 2024) – reaches EOL in May 2027
- Motorola Edge 2024 (launched May 2024) – reaches EOL in May 2027
- Moto G Power 5G (launched May 2024) – reaches EOL in March 2027
- Moto G 5G (launched March 2024) – reaches EOL in March 2027
- Moto G Play (launched January 2024) – reached EOL in January 2027
- Motorola Razr (launched September 2023) – reaches EOL in September 2027
- Motorola Razr+ (launched June 2023) – reached EOL in June 2027
- Motorola Edge+ (launched May 2023) – reaches EOL in May 2027
How Apple handles software support and which models are nearing the end of their lifespan
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Apple does things a little differently and the company doesn’t explicitly publish end-life data like Android makers do, but they do have a classification system. Vintage products are products that Apple has offered for sale for more than 5 years, but stopped offering them for sale less than 7 years ago. Obsolete products are products that Apple has stopped selling for more than seven years.
iPhones typically receive iOS updates five to seven years after release. So if your iPhone is nearing the 5-year mark since its release (not when you bought it), it’s worth checking to see if it’s still listed as compatible with the latest iOS version. iOS 27 is coming this fall and will run on phones as old as the iPhone 11, released in September 2019. In general, it will be compatible with all phones that support iOS 26. However, Apple Intelligence features are only supported on iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max and later.
As such, the 2020 iPhone SE, iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max will likely receive their final update with iOS 27, while the iPhone 12 and 13 series likely have a few more years of updates ahead of them.
However, in the coming years, as Apple shifts its focus to Apple Intelligence, the company may start dropping support for older models sooner due to performance and RAM requirements.
Older iPhones may not receive new operating system updates, but Apple will still send them security patches. In May 2026, Apple rolled out security-focused updates for iOS 15 through iOS 18 and expanded support to multiple iPhone models. Even the iPhone 6s, which was first released in September 2015, received an update, as did the first-generation iPhone SE, all iPhone 7 models, all iPhone 8 models, iPhone X, all XS models and the iPhone XR.
What to do if your phone is nearing the end of support?
You probably shouldn’t buy You can buy any of the above phones no matter how affordable they are, but what if you already own one of them? Many people continue to use unsupported phones months or years after they have reached the end of their lifespan because upgrading can be expensive or simply because “it still works fine.” If any of these apply to you, you should do the following:
- Keep your apps updated for as long as possible.
- Avoid connecting to unsecured public Wi-Fi networks.
- Don’t install apps from outside the official app store and generally be selective even when selecting them there.
- Be particularly careful with links you receive in emails or messages.
Ultimately, however, the best advice is to upgrade to a newer model as soon as your budget allows.
Your smartphone is one of your most personal devices and is full of data that you want to keep as safe as possible. Although every brand handles support differently, it’s important that your phone – be it one you just bought or one you’ve owned for a while – receives security updates. An unsupported phone is a burden, not just an inconvenience. Knowing where your device is is one of the best steps you can take to protect your data. After all, the only thing worse than seeing the constant “update available” notification is realizing that it will never appear again.
https://www.engadget.com/2206707/these-popular-smartphones-are-in-their-last-year-of-software-support/
