Google has silently made a change to the OS upgrade policy for the Google Pixel smartphones. The company has now extended the update cycle for the Pixel 7 and 6 series, along with the Pixel Fold. Here’s a look at the details.
Google’s New Update Policy for Older Pixel Smartphones
The Pixel 7 and 6 series, and even the Pixel Fold will now get 5 years of updates. For those unaware, the Google Pixel 7 and 6 smartphones were launched with just a three-year update policy. The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones were the first Pixel smartphones with support for seven years of updates.
The updates will include the Android OS upgrades, security updates, and regular Feature Drops. It will be available to users for up to seven or five years, depending on the device, when it was first available on the Google Store in the US.
Here is the list of smartphones eligible for seven and five years as per the updated information on the Google Support page:
| Seven Years | Five Years |
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These smartphones will receive regular software updates, including, new features, security enhancements, operating system updates, bug fixes, and more.
Previously, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series smartphones were set to receive their last OS update in 2024, i.e., Android 14. The list confirms that the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, which went official in October 2021, will receive Android 17.
Meanwhile, the Pixel 6a, which was introduced in July 2022, is also expected to receive up to Android 18 updates. The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro were launched in October 2022 and will get Android 18.
In related news, the Pixel Drop for December 2024 is live for all Pixel smartphones. The updates will be available gradually. Interested users can head to Settings -> System -> Software Update to manually check for the update.
