Your next Android phone could get up to eight years of software updates – but there are catches

• Phones running the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip can get up to eight years of software support.
• This will extend to future Android phones running Qualcomm chips.
• However, will anyone actually use a phone for eight years? We're not so sure.

More and more Android phones could come with longer software and security support, thanks to a partnership between Google and Qualcomm.

The crux of this partnership means that the two companies will aim to extend software and security support for devices running Snapdragon chips to up to eight years of consecutive updates. The first phones that’ll fall into this initiative will be ones that sport the flagship-grade Snapdragon Elite 8 chipsets, with the partnership set to cover the next five generations of Qualcomm chips.

“What this means is that support for platform software included in this program will be made available to OEMs for eight consecutive years, including both Android OS and kernel upgrades, without requiring significant changes or upgrades to the platform and OEM code on the device,” explained Qualcomm, noting: “This software support can lower costs for OEMs interested in supporting their devices longer and can show consumers the advantages of Snapdragon mobile processors and software support.”

In a nutshell, this move should help extend the longevity of Android smartphones. Given that, in general, phones have become so iterative in the new features they offer and in how much of a step up they offer over their predecessors, there’s more scope for people to hold onto their phones for longer.

A lack of software and security support did stymie this somewhat, but with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S25 series and Google Pixel 9 already offering seven years plus of support, such a problem could be consigned to the virtual bone orchard.

However, there are two ‘buts’ to this situation. The first is it’s ultimately up to phone manufacturers to decide how they implement software support, with some still lagging behind and even OnePlus acknowledging that it doesn't feel the need to provide more than four years of software support.

The second builds upon that latter point, in that eight years is an age for a smartphone, with a lithium-ion battery likely to have worn out in that time and struggling to hold a decent charge for a phone unless it gets replaced, and software advancements like baked-in AI features tend to demand more powerful chips. So it’s unlikely that a smartphone will last most people eight years unless they use it very sparingly and have no interest in the latest software features.

Nevertheless, at a time when there’s concern over electronic waste and the environmental impact of technology, this partnership between Google and Qualcomm is a positive step forward in making smartphones more sustainable, as it certainly doesn't look like the world’s appetite for them is going away anytime soon. Speaking of which, check out our roundup of the best phones if you’re in the market for a new device.

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