How Many Years of Android Updates Does Your Phone Actually Get?

Last updated: September 2026

Software support has quietly become one of the few genuinely differentiating specs left in smartphones. Cameras have converged, chips are fast enough across the board, and batteries are large everywhere. What varies enormously — and what almost nobody checks before buying — is how long the phone will keep receiving updates.

This matters more in India than in most markets, because replacement cycles here are long. When a phone is expected to last four or five years, buying one with two years of patch support means spending most of its life on software that no longer receives security fixes. Here is how to read the numbers properly, and what the major brands have actually committed to.

The Two Numbers That Get Confused

Every update promise is really two promises, and manufacturers rarely make the distinction clear in advertising.

OS upgrades are new major Android versions — Android 17 to Android 18, and so on. These bring new features and interface changes. A "4 OS upgrades" promise means the phone will be moved forward four major versions from whatever it shipped with.

Security patches are the monthly or quarterly fixes for vulnerabilities in Android and in the chipset's firmware. These carry no new features and are the ones that actually matter for safety. Crucially, patch support usually runs longer than OS upgrade support. A phone promised "4 OS upgrades and 6 years of security updates" will stop getting new Android versions after four, then continue receiving fixes for two more years.

If you have to prioritise one, prioritise the patch window. New Android versions are pleasant. Security fixes are the thing protecting your banking apps.

What the Brands Have Committed To

The figures below are the manufacturers' announced commitments, as compiled in Android Authority's manufacturer update-policy tracker (last updated November 2025). Two important caveats: these are announced policies rather than delivered results, and they vary sharply within each brand. Always verify against your exact model.

• Google Pixel — Pixel 8 and newer, including the a-series and Pixel 10: 7 OS upgrades and 7 years of security patches. Older Pixel 6 and 7 models: 3 upgrades, 5 years of patches.
• Samsung — Galaxy S24 and S25 series and the recent foldables: 7 upgrades and 7 years of patches. The Galaxy A56, A36, A26 and A16 5G: 6 upgrades and 6 years of patches. Older flagships: 4 upgrades, 5 years.
• Nothing — Phone 3: 5 upgrades, 7 years of patches. Phone 3a: 3 upgrades, 6 years. Earlier models: 3 upgrades, 4 years.
• Oppo — Find X8 and X9 series: 5 upgrades, 6 years of patches. Mid-range Reno, F and K lines: 2 upgrades, 4 years. Budget A-series: 0 to 1 upgrade, 3 years.
• OnePlus — OnePlus 13: 4 upgrades, 6 years. Nord series: 2 upgrades, 3 years. Nord N series: 1 upgrade, 2 years.
• Xiaomi / Redmi / Poco — Xiaomi 15 and Poco F7 Ultra: 4 upgrades, 6 years. Most Redmi models: 1 to 2 upgrades with a shorter patch window.
• Vivo — X300 series: 5 upgrades, 7 years. X200 Pro: 4 upgrades, 5 years.
• Motorola — Edge 50 Neo and Moto G75: 5 upgrades, 5 years. Budget models: 1 upgrade, 2 years.
• Realme — typically 2 upgrades and 3 years of patches, with 4 upgrades on the GT flagship line.
• Honor — Magic 7 Pro: 7 upgrades, 7 years. Standard models: 2 upgrades, 2 years.

The Gap Nobody Advertises

Look at that list again and one pattern stands out: the spread between a brand's flagship and its budget phone is often five or six years of support. The same logo covers a phone that will be patched until 2033 and one that stops in 2028.

That gap sits awkwardly against how Indians actually buy. The bulk of the market sits under ₹20,000, which is exactly the tier where update commitments are shortest — and it is also the tier where phones are kept longest, because replacing them is a real expense. The mid-range squeeze is real: as component costs have pushed prices up, some brands have protected the price point by trimming elsewhere, and software support is an easy place to trim because nobody checks it at the counter.

There is one bright spot worth naming. Samsung's decision to extend six-year commitments down into the A-series has moved the floor meaningfully, and it puts pressure on rivals in the segment where it counts most.

How to Check Your Own Phone

You can find your current patch level in about ten seconds. Open Settings, go to About phone, then Android version, and look for Android security update. That date tells you the last patch your phone received.

If that date is more than six months old and your phone is still supported, check for a pending update. If it is more than a year old, your phone has most likely aged out of its support window. That is not an emergency — but it does mean being more careful about what you install and where you enter banking details.

Should You Buy Based on Update Policy?

Honestly, it should be a factor rather than the deciding one, and the weight depends entirely on how long you keep phones.

If you upgrade every two years, update policy is close to irrelevant. Almost every phone sold today will still be supported when you replace it. Spend the money on the camera or the screen instead.

If you keep phones for four or five years — which describes most Indian buyers — it deserves real weight. Paying ₹3,000 more for a model with six years of patches instead of two is straightforwardly better value than most other upgrades at that price.

Two honest caveats. First, a promise is not a delivery; some brands have historically been slow to ship the updates they committed to, and a policy announced in a press release is not enforceable. Second, long update support does not extend battery life or repairability, and a five-year-old phone often needs a battery replacement before it needs a new Android version. This is part of why the refurbished market in India has been growing — well-supported phones hold their usefulness longer.

Keeping a Phone for Six Years Means Protecting It

If you are buying a phone specifically because it will be supported until 2032, the physical device has to survive that long too — and a cracked screen or a worn-through back ends a phone's life far sooner than a missed patch does.

These are cases for Samsung's A-series 5G models, the range that carries six-year update commitments, all in stock now:

Browse the full back covers range, or add a tempered glass protector while you are there.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an OS upgrade and a security update?

An OS upgrade moves your phone to a new major Android version and brings new features. A security update patches vulnerabilities without changing features. Security support usually continues for longer than OS upgrade support, and it is the more important of the two.

How do I check when my phone last received a security update?

Go to Settings, then About phone, then Android version, and look at the "Android security update" date. That is the patch level your phone is currently running.

Which brands offer the longest Android update support?

Google's recent Pixels, Samsung's recent flagships and Honor's Magic Pro line have announced seven OS upgrades and seven years of security patches. Nothing and Vivo have committed to seven-year patch windows on specific models. These apply to named models, not to entire ranges.

Is a phone unsafe once updates stop?

Not immediately, but the risk rises over time as newly discovered vulnerabilities go unpatched. If your phone is out of support, keep apps updated from official stores, avoid sideloading, and be more cautious about which apps you trust with banking or identity details.

Final Thoughts

Update support is the rare spec that costs a manufacturer real money to improve and costs a buyer nothing to check. Before your next purchase, spend two minutes finding the specific commitment for the specific model — not the brand, the model. In a country where phones routinely last five years, it may be the single most consequential number on the spec sheet, and it is the one least likely to be printed on the box.

If you want more help decoding the rest of a spec sheet, our guide to what Snapdragon and Dimensity model numbers mean covers the other commonly misread number, and our comparison of silicone, polycarbonate and leather back covers helps if you are keeping a phone for the long haul.

Stay tuned to our blog for the latest mobile news, launch updates and accessory guides from Royal Star.