It was a pleasant surprise when it was announced that the Google Pixel 8 and the Google Pixel 8 Pro would be getting seven years of updates – meaning new Android versions all the way to 2030 – and it would seem that Samsung is going to follow suit, to some extent, with its upcoming Galaxy S24 phones.
According to unconfirmed information obtained by Android Headlines, the Samsung Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus, and Galaxy S24 Ultra will all also get seven years of updates direct from Samsung – up from the current five years of support.
This hasn't come completely out of the blue, because Samsung was reportedly mulling the increase last year. It would also make sense for the company to keep pace with Google and its flagship Pixel phones when it comes to software updates.
Everything about the Samsung Galaxy S24 series should be revealed this Wednesday, January 17, when Samsung is holding its next Unpacked launch event. If the rumors that we've heard so far are to be believed, we could see plenty of AI features included, alongside the usual performance upgrades.
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There are actually two types of software updates to know about. The first type is the major Android version update – so most recently, Android 14. This is where you get all of those shiny new features for your mobile operating system, which with Android 14 includes more customization options for the lock screen, for example.
Then there are security software updates, that usually carry on for longer than major version updates. While these updates don't come with any big new features for you to play around with, they do keep your device protected against the newest security threats.
Once these updates stop, your phone doesn't immediately turn into a brick – you can still make use of it, but the hardware and software will become increasingly vulnerable to bugs and hacks. That's why software support time periods are so important.
Google's seven year promise for the latest Pixels covers both major version updates and security software updates, but one tipster says Samsung's seven year pledge will only cover the latter. For reference, the most recent iOS 17 update pushed out by Apple works on iPhones going back to 2018.
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