Why You Can Trust CNET Google Promises Pixel 8 Phones Will Get Software Updates Through 2030
The new update commitment more than doubles Google's prior timeline, and brings it closer to what Apple provides for the iPhone.
Apple's iPhone 15 in pink and the Pixel 8's rose model.
Google's Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will be getting Android software updates, Pixel Feature Drops and security updates through 2030. Announced during the company's Made by Google event Wednesday, the new seven-year policy is a significant increase from what Google promised for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 line: Those phones are getting three years of software updates and five years of security updates.
Even though Google's Pixel phones are regularly among the first Android phones to receive major software updates every year, the company has lagged behind Samsung in promised years of software updates. The latter company's Galaxy S and Galaxy Z phones are promised four years of software updates and five years of security updates. Google last extended its own policy with the Pixel 6, as earlier Pixel phones received only three years of software and security updates.
The new policy isn't the longest we've seen on Android. Currently that belongs to the Fairphone 5's promise of at least eight years.
The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro's seven-year timeline also puts the phones in the general range of how long Apple supports the iPhone with software and security updates. While Apple has not published a firm timeline commitment for iPhone updates, the iPhone 8 and iPhone X received five major iOS software updates from 2017 through 2023, but will not receive iOS 17 or later. However on the security update side, Apple has provided 2015's iPhone 6S and later with new iOS 15 updates this year -- meaning the iPhone 6S has received eight years of security updates. I've reached out to Apple for further clarification.
Along with Google's Pixel 8 phone line, the company on Wednesday also debuted the Pixel Watch 2 and AI enhancements planned for Fitbit's fitness tracking. Both Pixel 8 phones are getting Audio Magic Eraser for eliminating unwanted sounds from video, while the Pixel 8 Pro gets a temperature sensor along with several camera enhancements.
