After hints of extended support for the Pixel 6 phones, Google confirmed on its support pages that the Pixel 6, 7, and Fold phones will get extra years of Android upgrades. It’s not quite the same level of support as the newer models but it’s still excellent news for Pixel customers.
To recap, the Pixel 6, 7, and Fold models were originally promised three years of Android upgrades (plus 5 years of security upgrades). Now, the support page for the Pixel family update policy now lists five years for both.
Early signs of that change were noticed by the community when the Pixel 6 was listed on the Android 16 beta program. The phone is already past its three-year original support phase, so the phone owners had some hope they would still be getting new features to the original Tensor chip flagship.
In practice, the change means that the Pixel 6 should get not only Android 16 but also Android 17. The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro should be supported until Android 18. The Pixel 7a and the original Google foldable, meanwhile, should get Android 19. That is, if Google doesn’t change its development schedule once again, of course.
Things get a bit complicated in the case of the Pixel 6a, while the phone was announced in May 2022, it was released only in July. So, as the update policy starts from the sales start, and Google’s current plan for Android is to release new versions in the second quarter, the Pixel 6a should get the same Android 18 upgrade as the 7th-generation phones, and stop receiving Feature Drops in July 2027.
All in all, it is great news for owners of Pixel phones. The older Tensor models will not only get security updates but also all the features made available in both Android versions and the frequent Pixel Drops. Granted, OS updates are getting smaller and less exciting, but the new goodies brought in the intermediate updates are getting more and more feature-packed.
What do you think of this change? Would you delay a phone upgrade because of the news? Or would it make you more inclined to recommend an older Pixel to friends and family? Share your opinions in the comments below!
