One of the big advantages of buying a Nexus device is fast, guaranteed Android updates, and while the same is true of Pixel phones, Google hadn’t revealed how long it would support them for – until now.
According to Google’s support site, both the Pixel and Pixel XL will get Android version updates for at least two years from when the phones became available, which takes us to October 2018 and likely Android P. Updates will come to the phones fast too, usually within two weeks.
After that, Android version updates can’t be guaranteed and while the text doesn’t rule them out completely we’d say they’re unlikely to get updated beyond that, given that Google has typically stuck to a two-year plan for Nexus devices.
Safe and secure
You will still get security patches though, keeping your Pixel safe to use even if it’s not up to date. These will be provided for at least three years from when the phones first became available (taking us to October 2019), or at least 18 months from when they were last sold on the Google Store – whichever is longer.
Again, that’s in line with Nexus devices, which is what we expected, but it’s nice to have confirmation.
Of course, while the Pixel and Pixel XL will be updated for the next two years there’s no guarantees that they’ll get all the latest software features, given that even last year’s Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P don’t currently have Google Assistant, but for now the Pixel phones are your best shot at having access to the latest, purest version of Android.
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