How long will my phone get security updates?

It depends on who made the phone and when that model first went on sale, not when you bought it. A Google Pixel 8 or later gets 7 years of security updates, counted from the month it first appeared on the US Google Store. A Pixel 6 or 7 gets 5, so the Pixel 6 reaches its end date this month. Samsung says Galaxy devices now get up to 7 years. Apple commits to at least 5 years from first sale for recent iPhones and in practice goes well past that. Fairphone promises at least 8. Motorola sets a date per model, from under 4 years to 7.

The clock starts at launch, not at purchase

This is why two answers circulate. "7 years of updates" sounds like 7 years from the day you open the box. It is not. Google's Pixel help page says updates run for 7 years "starting from when the device first became available on the Google Store in the US." Apple's filing under the UK's product security law, reported by SecurityWeek, describes the iPhone 15 Pro Max period as a minimum of 5 years from the first supply date.

The consequence is simple arithmetic. The same model bought new two years after launch, discounted because a successor is out, gets two years less. A used or refurbished phone gets whatever is left on its clock: a three year old phone on a 5 year policy has about two years of fixes in it.

The longer answer persists because reviews are written at launch, when the full figure is true, and nobody goes back to subtract.

End dates for current phones, in one table

Google publishes the support length in one help article and the US launch month in another; put together, they give an end month for each Pixel. Fairphone states its end dates outright. Motorola's per model dates come from its support site, as gathered by the endoflife.date tracker. Apple and Samsung publish no comparable per model dates, so they get the next section.

Two comparisons make the point. A Pixel 7a and a Pixel 8a launched a year apart, yet the newer one is supported three years longer, because Google changed its policy between them. And within one brand, Motorola gives a 2026 foldable an end date three years later than a 2026 Moto G. Price tier matters as much as brand.

iPhone and Samsung: promises versus practice

Apple has never published end dates the way Google does. The 5 year minimum is a floor written down to satisfy UK law, and the real record is longer. Apple's security releases list shows iOS 18.7.10, released on August 17, 2026, for the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, phones that launched in 2018. They are too old for iOS 27, which starts at the iPhone 11, so Apple keeps patching the older iOS 18 line for them. There is no published rule for how long that lasts, which is the honest limit of any iPhone answer: at least 5 years from first sale, and a record of nearly 8.

Samsung states on its security updates page that from January 2024 it extended security support for Galaxy devices by up to 7 years, and that timing varies by market, carrier and model. The product page for the Galaxy A56, a mid range phone, promises up to 6 generations of Android upgrades and up to 6 years of security updates. The words "up to" carry weight, and so does the schedule. Samsung sorts its devices into monthly, quarterly and biannual update groups. The Galaxy S23 to S26 series sit in the monthly group; the Galaxy S22 series and the Z Fold4 and Z Flip4 are in the quarterly group. A phone does not fall off a cliff at the end. It gets fixes less often first, then not at all.

Fairphone works the same way and says so plainly: monthly security updates for about 3 years, then every two months until the end date.

Security updates and system updates are different promises

Manufacturers make two separate commitments. A system upgrade is a new version of Android or iOS, with new features. A security update fixes known flaws and changes nothing you can see. They often end at different times.

Google promises both for the same 7 years on the Pixel 8 and later. Fairphone promises at least 7 Android upgrades for the Gen. 6 but at least 8 years of security updates, so the last stretch is fixes only. Apple's older iOS line is the same idea. The one that matters for safety is the security date. A phone on an old system version with current security fixes is safe to use; a phone on a recent system version with no fixes is not. Why the fixes matter so much more than features is set out in which updates to install at once and which can wait.

On Android, some protection continues after the manufacturer stops. Google delivers parts of the system through Google Play system updates, and those keep arriving for a while. They do not reach the kernel or the hardware drivers, which is why deciding when a phone is really finished still turns on the manufacturer's date.

What the law now requires

Two rules changed recently, each only in its own market.

• United Kingdom. Since April 29, 2024, the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PSTI) regime has required makers of connectable products, phones included, to publish the minimum length of time they will provide security updates, with an end date, in a form a non technical buyer can understand. That disclosure is how Apple's 5 year figure became known.
• European Union. Ecodesign rules for smartphones and tablets apply to models placed on the EU market from June 20, 2025. The European Commission summarizes the requirement as operating system upgrades available for at least 5 years from the date the last unit of a model is placed on the market. That clock starts when a model stops being sold, not when it launches, so a phone sold for two years is covered for at least seven from launch.

Neither rule covers a phone sold in the US, where the manufacturer's own published policy is the commitment you have.

How to check your own phone

On Android, open Settings, tap About phone, then Android version. The line labeled Android security update shows a date, which is the month of the last fix your phone installed. On an iPhone, open Settings, General, Software Update to see what is offered, and Settings, General, About for the version you are on.

Read that date against the update schedule. A phone in a monthly group should show a date from the last month or two. A quarterly phone can lag by three or four months. If the date is more than six months old and nothing is offered, either an update is stuck, which a restart and a manual check usually fix, or support has ended. Then look up the model on the maker's support page.

What to do with the answer

1. More than two years left: keep the phone. A worn battery is usually what makes it feel old, and what actually wears a phone battery out explains why a battery swap beats a new phone.
2. Under a year left: plan the replacement now, so you buy on your schedule rather than in a hurry after something goes wrong.
3. Already past the date: move banking, email and two factor apps to a supported device first, then retire it. Before it goes, sign out and wipe the phone properly.
4. Buying used or discounted: find the launch month, add the promised years and price the years left, not the hardware. A marketplace listing that hides the exact model is a warning sign, covered in how to buy safely from sellers you do not know.
5. Buying new: treat the support end date as a spec, alongside storage and battery. The same question decides how long a computer stays safe, as the end of Windows 10 updates showed millions of PC owners, and it belongs on the laptop buying checklist for the same reason.