It's good to know how long your phone will get updates before you purchase.

By Gabriela Vătu July 5, 2026 9:30 am EST dee karen/Shutterstock

Picture this: it's sale season and you're browsing for a new phone. You spot one with decent specs that fits your budget, a win right now with prices on literally everything going up. You buy it feeling like you got a bargain, but months later you realize that you'll actually have to get a replacement sooner rather than later because the manufacturer is pulling the plug on its software support.

Unsurprisingly, older phone models are often the ones you'll find on sale. The siren song of a good deal is hard to resist, but that's exactly what you have to do. Before you throw your money at a phone like you're throwing confetti at a parade, you need to check its expiration date because there are loads of smartphones that are in their last year of software support. That means the phone will soon lose access to updates, and your data may become more vulnerable to newly discovered security threats.

Updates are annoying, but necessary

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Your smartphone probably handles your banking, your health data, work emails, and definitely all your personal conversations. So here's a question: when did your phone last receive a security update?

Most phones get those annoyingly persistent push notifications for system updates that somehow always land when you have insufficient battery or you absolutely cannot leave the phone alone for the few minutes it takes to run the update. But as annoying as these notifications are, it's bad news when they don't show up anymore. Manufacturers don't always broadcast when support is about to expire. But once a phone stops receiving updates, it also stops receiving patches for newly discovered security vulnerabilities. And then all your sensitive information could be in danger.

Many phones reach the end of software support sooner than most people expect. And when they do, it doesn't mean your phone stops working. It just means the manufacturer has stopped pushing security patches and OS upgrades to your device. Any vulnerability that gets discovered from that day forward opens up your phone to the risk of your financial and private data being stolen.

When updates come to an end

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Security researchers and cybercriminals alike are constantly digging for new vulnerabilities in all sorts of software, including mobile operating systems. When vulnerabilities are discovered, manufacturers release patches. Once software support ends, newly discovered vulnerabilities may no longer be patched.

Beyond security, end of life phones get frozen in time. New Android and iOS features aren't coming. At some point, apps also stop supporting older OS versions, so you're left unable to use key tools and features.

Even if you manage the security risks and go without certain apps, aging unsupported smartphones tend to struggle with app requirements. Performance tends to degrade as apps are optimized for newer hardware and software.

How Samsung handles software support and what models are nearing end of life

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Samsung's support policy varies quite a bit depending on the device tier. Galaxy devices get up to seven years for flagship models, but mid-range models will max out at five or six years, depending on model, while budget phones get up to four years of support. Here are the Samsung models that will reach end of life before the end of 2027:

• Samsung Galaxy A14 (launched May 2023) — Android updates ended May 2025, security updates end May 2027
• Samsung Galaxy A54 5G (launched March 2023) — Android updates end March 2027, security updates end May 2027
• Samsung Galaxy S23, S23+, S23 Ultra ( launched February 2023) — Android updates end February 2027, security updates end February 2028
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4, Z Flip4 (launched August 2022) — Android updates end August 2026, security updates end August 2027
• Samsung Galaxy A53 5G (launched April 2022) — Android updates ended April 2026, security updates end April 2027
• Samsung Galaxy S22, S22+, S22 Ultra (launched February 2022) — Android updates ended February 2026, security updates end February 2027
• Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (launched January 2022) — Android updates ended January 2026, security updates end January 2027
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3, Z Flip3 (launched August 2021) — Android updates ended August 2025, security updates end August 2026

How Google handles software support and what models are nearing end of life

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Google has improved its support commitment over the years. According to the company's official Pixel support page, Pixel 8 and later devices receive 7 years of OS and security updates from the date they first became available. Older devices, however, only receive 5 years of OS and security updates. Depending on their release dates, several of these models are entering their final years of support. Here are the models that will reach end of life before the end of 2027:

• Google Pixel 7 Pro (launched October 2022) — reaches end of life (EOL) in October 2027
• Google Pixel 7 (launched October 2022) — reaches EOL in October 2027
• Google Pixel 6a (launched July 2022) — reaches EOL in July 2027
• Google Pixel 6 Pro (launched October 2021) — reaches EOL in October 2026
• Google Pixel 6 (launched October 2021) — reaches EOL in October 2026

The Google Pixel 2, 3, 4, and 5 lineups are already no longer receiving updates.

How Motorola handles software support and what models are nearing end of life

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Motorola's commitments to support their products are a lot more limited than what we've seen with Google and Samsung. Traditionally, most Motorola devices only received security updates for 2 or 3 years, with most models only receiving one major Android OS upgrade. Earlier this year, after the European Union demanded at least 5 years of security updates, Motorola improved its policy for its newer devices. Motorola managed to find some loopholes, however, and it won't promise to deploy Android updates on top of the security patches. Here are the models that will reach end of life before the end of 2027:

• Moto G (launched December 2024) — reaches EOL in December 2027
• Moto G Stylus 5G (launched May 2024) — reaches EOL in May 2027
• Motorola Edge 2024 (launched May 2024) — reaches EOL in May 2027
• Moto G Power 5G (launched May 2024) — reaches EOL March 2027
• Moto G 5G (launched March 2024) — reaches EOL March 2027
• Moto G Play (launched January 2024) — reaches EOL January 2027
• Motorola Razr (launched September 2023) — reaches EOL September 2027
• Motorola Razr+ (launched June 2023) — reaches EOL June 2027
• Motorola Edge+ (launched May 2023) — reaches EOL May 2027

How Apple handles software support and what models are nearing end of life

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Apple does things a bit differently and the company doesn't explicitly publish end of life dates the way Android manufacturers do, but they do have a classification system. Vintage products are those Apple has stopped distributing for sale more than 5 years ago, but less than 7 years ago. Obsolete products are those Apple stopped distributing more than 7 years ago.

iPhones typically receive iOS updates for 5-7 years after launch, so if your iPhone is approaching the 5-year mark since its release (not when you bought it), it's worth checking whether it's still listed as compatible with the latest iOS version. iOS 27 is coming this fall and it can run on phones as old as iPhone 11, which was released in September of 2019. Generally, it will be compatible with all phones that support iOS 26. Apple Intelligence features, however, are only supported on the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max and later.

Therefore, iPhone SE from 2020, iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max will likely get their final update with iOS 27, while the iPhone 12 and 13 lineups probably have a couple more years of updates in them.

In the years to come, however, as Apple puts on the focus on Apple Intelligence, the company could start dropping support on older models sooner due to performance and RAM demands.

Older iPhones may not get new OS updates, but Apple still sends security patches their way. In May 2026, Apple rolled out security-focused updates for iOS 15 through iOS 18, extending support to several iPhone models. Even the iPhone 6s, first released in September 2015, got an update, along with the first-generation iPhone SE, all iPhone 7 models, all iPhone 8 models, the iPhone X, all XS models, and the iPhone XR.

What to do if your phone is nearing end of support

You probably shouldn't buy any of the phones above no matter how affordable they are, but what if you already own one of these? Plenty of people keep using unsupported phones for months or years after their end of life because upgrading can be expensive or simply because "it's still working just fine." If either of these is the case for you, here's what you should do:

• Keep updating your apps for as long as possible.
• Avoid connecting to unsecured public Wi-Fi networks.
• Don't install apps from outside the official app store, and generally be selective even when picking them from there.
• Be extra cautious about links you get in emails or messages.

Ultimately, however, the best advice is to upgrade to a newer model as soon as the budget allows.

Your smartphone is one of the most personal devices you own, filled with data that you want to keep as secure as possible. While each brand handles support differently, it's important that your phone — be it one you just bought or one you've owned for a while — gets security updates. An unsupported phone is a liability, not just an inconvenience. Knowing where your device stands is one of the best steps you can take to protect your data. After all, the only thing worse than seeing that persistent "update available" notification is realizing it'll never pop up again.