latest
How long will my Google Pixel get updates?
Google's Pixel phones are some of the longest-supported Android phones
While there are many reasons to buy a Google Pixel phone, software support determines how long it will be secure. After security support expires, your Pixel phone becomes vulnerable to malicious actors. This affects every Pixel phone, from the flagship Pixel 8 Pro to the budget Pixel 7a, the best value Android phone.
How many updates will my OnePlus get?
Some phones get a royal Android treat while others are left with a sub-par software diet plan
Your phone can have the highest-end features possible, but it leaves much to be desired if it doesn't run the latest software. Software updates are one aspect where iPhones have always trumped Android, with iOS devices being supported for as long as seven or eight years on average. For a long time, Android manufacturers only guaranteed two to three OS updates.
Leaked Samsung update commitment is just what Google should've offered with the Pixel 6
Can anyone catch Samsung now?
It all started in August 2020, as Samsung had just finished unveiling the Galaxy Note20 series, the Tab S7, and the Watch3. It followed the announcements with a surprise, promising up to “three device generations” in OS updates. At the time, we weren’t too sure if the term “generation” was the company’s attempt at using wordplay to have its way with consumers, but the rest is history. New leaks suggest a similar occurrence at the next Unpacked event, but this time the company is adding another year of OS upgrades — and no, they haven’t changed the wording.
Samsung resumes One UI 4 rollout for Galaxy S21, Flip3, and Fold3 after initial holdup
Android 12 is back on the menu
Unless you're rocking a Pixel phone or Samsung's latest flagships, major software updates don't come as quickly in the world of Android as many would like. Unfortunately, those early rollouts can sometimes include bugs. One UI 4 updates had to be halted recently after several issues arose, some of which even bricked some phones. It seems like Samsung has fixed the issues as the Android 12 rollout has now resumed for the S21 series, the Fold3, and the Flip3.
Second Samsung Galaxy S10 and Note10 One UI 4 betas start arriving
US users are getting the first beta, too
After years of playing second fiddle to OnePlus in the software update department, Samsung recently kicked things up into high gear in hopes of cementing its authority as the number-one smartphone manufacturer. And indeed, the company has gotten a lot of attentuion for upgrading phones like the Galaxy S21, Z Fold3, and Z Flip3 to Android 12 faster than any other OEM out there (except Google, of course). That rapid pace applies to development on the older Galaxy S10 and Note10, as well, and this week we're seeing both phones pick up their second One UI 4 beta release in South Korea.
-1.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=430&h=300&dpr=1.5){kind=tracking}
Google is only giving the Pixel 6 three years of Android OS updates
That five-year promise is just for security patches, which is good, but also lame
Google's big five-year update promise for the Pixel 6 isn't quite as good as we'd hoped it would be. Somehow, the company found a way to drop the ball on that promise to make things just that little bit more awkward now that the dust has settled. See, Google promises five years of updates, but just for security patches. Actual OS-level major version updates will only be guaranteed until October 2024, meaning you get three years of OS updates and are only guaranteed to get Android 15.
The Nokia 5.3's better-late-than-never Android 11 update spreads to more countries
We'll take what we can get
Read update
Google officially released the final version of Android 11 on September 8, 2020, by which point the Nokia 5.3 had already been out for six months. You may have expected it to get bumped up to the latest version soon rather than later, with it being an Android One device and all, but that's only just happening now and it'll be out of date again in around a month.
The Asus ROG Phone 3 gets its long-overdue Android 11 update
you'll have to download and flash it manually, but I doubt that'll bother owners too much
Owners of the Asus ROG Phone 3 have been waiting for an Android 11 upgrade almost since the phone was released late last year. The update dropped yesterday, without a formal announcement from Asus, but it was spotted by a few users and confirmed to be working with a download. You can grab it now and flash it manually, if you're not patient enough to wait for an over-the-air update.
The LG V40 ThinQ only recently received Android 9 Pie on all US carriers, but it's already time for another minor update, hitting the Verizon variant first. It includes some security patches, a native screen recording app, and a secure power-off feature.
With the release of the Fire TV Cube in June, Amazon also debuted a more minimalistic interface for Alexa. The new UI has been exclusive to the Cube up to now, but the version 5.2.6.6 update for Fire TV and Fire TV Stick devices brings them in line with their square-sided sibling.
HMD Global is fast gaining the reputation as the best Android phone-maker around when it comes to fast OS updates. Its Nokia-branded phones have been updated ahead of the pack more often than not in recent months, and with the news that all future devices will run pure versions of Android (One or Go), the Finnish company has made a strong commitment to continue that good work. We're now hearing that Android 8.1 Oreo is beginning to roll out to the Nokia 5 and the 2017 Nokia 6.
For the past couple weeks now, ever since Google published Chrome 65, we've been wondering when the next iteration of Chrome OS would go official. After all, we've been following the platform's development quite closely, and have been curious to see what would make the cut. Well, our answers are finally here, as a little earlier this week Google started rolling out Chrome OS 65 to the Stable channel.
At the end of last year, we learned that Chrome OS was about to get some improvements in the way it handles Android apps. The Chrome OS 64 beta allowed you to run them side-by-side just as you can with regular laptop apps. This improvement and more should now be part of the latest stable release, which is up to version number 64.0.3282.134 (Platform version: 10176.65.0).
A few days ago, Sony Xperia XZ Premium owners may have seen news about the promised Android 8.0 Oreo release for their phone. According to Xperia Blog, Sony in Japan confirmed that the update would be coming in December, which fell in line with the earlier assurance that it would be rolled out before the end of the year.
Carriers are notoriously slow to update their devices to newer versions of Android, and while this is not only annoying for users who want to try out new features, it also has implications for the security of devices. Until now, the Verizon HTC Desire 530 had been running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow (released by Google in December 2015) with anything but up-to-date security patches. A new update has just been announced, and it does improve the situation, if only a little bit.
The September 2017 Android security update is here, and the bulletin contains the usual details about vulnerabilities that could be affecting various Android devices. Images and OTAs that include the September patches should protect against any possible issues, but so far they're only available for the Nexus 9 on Android 7.1.1. There are no Android 8.0 Oreo images with September patches for Pixel or Nexus devices live yet, but it shouldn't be too long before they are added.