Google silently extends software update cycle for Pixel Fold, Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series | Tech Tips

Google has silently updated its support page to show the Pixel 6, Pixel 7 series and Pixel Fold will get five years of updates. The phones had launched with a promise of just three years of OS upgrades. Google extending the support for its older phones is good news for those who haven’t upgraded to newer generation Pixel models.

Pixel 6, Pixel 7, and Pixel Fold will get two more years of software support

• What this change means is that the Pixel 6 series, which was supposed to only get updates until Android 15 will now receive Android 16 and Android 17 updates as well.
• The Pixel 7 series and Pixel Fold will get Android 17 and Android 18 updates as well when they are released.

• The Google Pixel 6 series (including Pixel 6a), Pixel 7 lineup (Pixel 7a included) and Pixel Fold are now getting five years of software support starting from when they went on sale.
• The 5 years of software support may also include new and upgraded features with Pixel Drops along with OS and security patches.
• This change comes after Google rolled out the Android 16 Developer Preview towards the end of last month to even the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series.
• There are no changes to other Google devices like the other Pixel phones, smartwatches and others. So their software support schedule remains the same.

In comparison, Google offered seven years of software support for the Pixel 8 series when they launched in 2023 and a similar lifecycle support for the Pixel 9 lineup this year as well.

As for the Android 16 developer preview, this was in line with Android’s early release timeline. Google notes this early release as a start of “Android having more frequent API releases as part of the effort to drive faster innovation in apps and devices.” The company also confirmed the next major OS upgrade-Android 16 will launch in Q2 2025. The developer preview will run until December, post which Android 16 will move to beta release between January and April, followed by a stable/final release.

Google also plans to have two Android API updates, with a major release in Q2 that brings behaviour changes, APIs and features and a minor release in Q4 with APIs and features.

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