Google quietly announced a huge change for the Pixel 6, Pixel 7, and Pixel Fold

By Christine Romero-Chan Published December 5, 2024

The back of the Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro. — Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

If you have a Google Pixel 6, Pixel 7, or original Pixel Fold, then we have some good news. Those devices will now last longer, as Google has extended update support for them by an additional two years, according to a change on its support page.

When the Pixel 6 launched, Google also announced that it would be extending software support for future devices from three years to five years. Previously, Google only gave its hardware three years of security and Android OS updates, but at that time, security updates were extended to five years. Android OS upgrades stayed at three.

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However, when Google released the Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 series, it moved to a seven-year commitment to security and major OS upgrades. So, if you get a newer generation of Pixel, you will see longer support after purchasing it.

A person holding the Google Pixel Fold. — Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

With this update, the Pixel 6, Pixel 7, and Pixel Fold are going from three years of OS updates to five years. This is a big change, as Google is retroactively extending support for older models previously not included in the five-year commitment. This is confirmed in a silent change on the Google Pixel support page, first spotted by 9to5Google. Per the support page:

“These phones, including Pixel Fold, will get updates for 5 years starting from when the device first became available on the Google Store in the U.S. This includes 5 years of OS and security updates, and may also include new and upgraded features with Pixel Drops.”

Unfortunately, this change does not apply to the Pixel Tablet.

This retroactive change aligns with Google adding the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro to supported devices for the Android 16 Developer Preview. It’s just officially confirmed now.

It’s not often we see companies extend software support like this, so this is a surprising and welcome move on Google’s end. If you’ve got a Pixel 6, Pixel 7, or Pixel Fold and are still happy with it, you get to keep holding onto it for a while longer than expected.

Christine Romero-Chan

Former Staff Writer, Mobile

Christine Romero-Chan has been writing about technology, specifically Apple, for over a decade. She graduated from California…

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