Qualcomm and Google partner to offer up to 8 years of Android updates

Qualcomm

Since 2023, Google and Samsung have promised seven years of Android updates for their flagship and midrange devices, which ensures you can use these phones for more than a few years. However, Qualcomm wants to take things up a notch, as the chipset brand has teamed up with Google to offer Android updates for up to eight years, increasing the longevity of Android-powered smartphones.

Android phones to get extended support

Earlier this week, Qualcomm announced a program extending support for Android updates on their latest Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile processor. This means devices shipping with this SOC will be eligible to receive 8 years of Android updates and security patches. Moreover, the program runs for the next five generations and will support the upcoming Snapdragon 7 series and Snapdragon 8 series chips, which will launch later this year.

However, the US-based chipmaker has stated that the decision whether to give a particular phone eight years of Android and security updates is up to each manufacturer or OEM. Qualcomm will provide the support framework for Android manufacturers, and the program will allow leveraging of the company’s Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) and Google’s Project Treble, which won’t require any major changes from the OEM and would reduce costs as well.

Unfortunately, Qualcomm has added that Android devices that have already been released using Snapdragon chipsets older than the Snapdragon 8 Elite cannot take advantage of this extended updates program. While this announcement is a step in the right direction, its impact on the broader Android ecosystem remains to be seen in the future.