Google won’t support its Pixel 6, 7 and Fold as announced at launch, and that’s a good thing. The company is quietly promising two more years of operating system updates.

At launch, Google promised three years of operating system updates and five years of security updates for its Pixel 6, 7 and Fold. While this was a fairly normal period of time when it was launched, manufacturers now usually promise longer updates for their high-end devices. For example, the Pixel 9 will receive seven (actually six) Android updates. Google is now more or less quietly adapting the support promise for its older devices to today’s expectations.

Specifically, this means that the three models will receive operating system updates for not three, but five years. The security updates remain limited to the same five years for the time being. This means the devices will remain up to date for five years. The updated plans apply to all variants of the range: Pixel 6, 6 Pro, 6a, 7, 7 Pro, 7a and Fold.

The Pixel 8 and its variants do not fit into the list because, like the Pixel 9, it came with a seven-year update guarantee at launch.

Electronic waste

Google’s decision is commendable, although it does not improve the usability of the devices. Because how long you can keep a smartphone safely depends largely on the security updates. In practice, the lack of operating system updates makes people more inclined to replace their device and thus throw a perfectly working smartphone in the trash. Thanks to the decision, the Pixel 6, 7 and Fold are less likely to end up in e-landfill.