How long will your phone get updates? Every brand's promise

It depends on the brand more than the price. Google promises seven years of updates for every current Pixel. Samsung promises seven years of security updates for its Galaxy S and Z phones and six for the Galaxy A models we track. Nothing promises six or seven years of security patches. Motorola gives most of its 2026 phones three or four years of security updates, and seven on the razr fold. Apple doesn't publish a fixed number of years at all, though its own pages show long support in practice.

The promises cover two different things:

• OS updates are new versions of Android or iOS, with new features.
• Security updates (patches) fix vulnerabilities. When they stop, the phone keeps working, but newly found security holes stay open.

Below is what each company has put in writing, a table of end dates for every phone we track, and the mistakes people make when reading these promises.

Google: seven years from the US launch

Google's Pixel update page says Pixel 8 and later phones "will get updates for 7 years starting from when the device first became available on the Google Store in the US." That covers Android versions, security updates and Pixel Drop feature updates.

Google doesn't publish an end date for each model, but it lists the start month on a separate availability page: August 2026 for the Pixel 11 series, March 2026 for the Pixel 10a, August 2025 for the Pixel 10, 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL, and October 2025 for the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Add seven years and you get the approximate dates in the table below. For what that promise is worth on an $899 phone, see our Pixel 11 overview.

Samsung: counted in OS versions and years, from the global launch

Samsung counts OS updates as Android versions ("generations") and security updates in years, both from the phone's first global launch. For the Galaxy S26 series, Samsung's US launch release promises "seven generations of OS upgrades and seven years of security updates from the global launch date." The Galaxy A57 5G and A37 5G release promises "up to six generations of Android OS and One UI upgrades, along with up to six years of security updates, from the first global launch." Samsung's US product pages give the exact month security updates end, in the Specs tab, and those are the dates we use.

Two details catch people out. First, the global launch can come well before US sales. Samsung's Galaxy A17 5G page counts from the "date of global manufacture [Q3 2025]", so its security updates end in August 2031 even though US sales started in January 2026. Second, not every Galaxy gets patched as often. Samsung's security update list puts the Galaxy S26 series, Z Fold8 and Z Flip8 on monthly updates, and the Galaxy A37 5G, A27 5G and A17 5G on quarterly ones.

Motorola: shorter, and not a commitment

Motorola's US security update page lists each phone's launch month and the month its security updates stop, with patches "at least bi-monthly." For the moto g power 2026, that's January 2026 to January 2029. The same page adds that this information "is not a commitment or an obligation of Motorola Mobility."

Motorola puts a number on OS upgrades for only a few phones. The motorola edge 2026 page promises "Two guaranteed Android OS upgrades." The razr fold page promises "7 OS updates and up to 7 years of security updates starting from the global launch date." For the other 2026 moto g and razr models, the support page names Android 17 as the next version but gives no count.

Nothing: from the day it went on sale

Nothing states its promise on each phone's US product page and counts from when the phone first went on sale at nothing.tech. The Phone (3) "will get updates for 7 years," made up of "five years of Android updates and seven years of security updates." The Phone (4a) Pro gets "three years of Android updates and six years of security updates."

Apple: no promise, but a public record

Apple doesn't publish how long an iPhone will be supported. What Apple does document:

• The iOS 27 compatibility list still includes the iPhone 11 (2019) and the iPhone SE (2nd generation, 2020).
• The Apple security releases page shows patches for older iOS versions after a phone stops getting new ones. On May 11, 2026, Apple released iOS 15.8.8 for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 7, and iOS 16.7.16 for the iPhone 8 and iPhone X. On August 17, 2026, iOS 18.7.10 went out for the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR.
• Apple's service policy for older products is about repairs, not software. A product is "vintage" when Apple stopped selling it more than 5 and less than 7 years ago, and "obsolete" after 7 years, when Apple ends hardware service.

That record is useful, but it's history, not a promise. If you need a date in writing, only the four Android makers give one.

End dates for the phones we track

Google and Nothing dates are approximate: we added the promised years to the month each phone went on sale. Samsung and Motorola dates are the makers' own. "OS upgrades" means Android versions, not years.

The security column also decides what makes our shortlists. Under our research rules, a phone with fewer than three years of promised security updates can't appear on a shortlist like our midrange picks.

Common mistakes when reading update promises

Counting from the day you buy. Every maker counts from launch, so a phone bought two years after release has two fewer years left. Samsung still sells the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but its security updates end in January 2032, while the S26 Ultra runs to February 2033.

Assuming the carrier version gets updates at the same time. Samsung's S26 policy sheet says "The timing of OS upgrades and security updates may vary by device model, network provider, and market." Its security list adds that some carriers may only support quarterly updates. Motorola's page says some carriers "may only support different cycles of updates."

Reading "7 OS upgrades" as "7 years". Samsung and Motorola count Android versions. Google counts years. On the phones above the two come out close, but they are different promises.

Treating Apple's record as a guarantee. Apple has a long public history of updates, but no written period. Plan on the history if you like, and know that it isn't a commitment.

Ignoring the security date because the phone still works. A phone past its last patch keeps making calls. If you keep phones for a long time, check the security column first.