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Pixel 8 to have seven years of Android updates
- wnevets 3y agoBetter late than never.
- 2OEH8eoCRo0 3y agoAs a Pixel user I hope this isn't a case of: Be careful what you wish for. Will future OS updates be better across the board or will they remove features?
- baz00 3y agoWell as an iOS user, the last iOS release fucked me up pretty badly. Ergo, I would assume the same is possible from Google. What I'd like is an exit route for my hardware aka LineageOS. But of course the core of Android is Google Play Services, not the OS so that's a painful situation if you want to retain some apps when you switch over. I used a Pixel 6A for 3 months while I was travelling internationally and I liked most of it.
- yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago> What I'd like is an exit route for my hardware aka LineageOS. But of course the core of Android is Google Play Services, not the OS so that's a painful situation if you want to retain some apps when you switch over. I'm not following; it's easy to install Google Play Services on lineage
- baz00 3y agoIt is but I don't want them and half the crap doesn't work without them. I use MSFT apps and OrganicMaps and that's about it.
- opan 3y agoHalf, really? I don't run them and haven't had issues with apps not working in recent memory, though I try to stick to F-Droid stuff almost entirely. A lot of the time you can use your mobile browser instead of some company's app.
- womod 3y agoMicroG is an option, it's an open source implementation of a good portion of play services, though not everything "just works". But for the bare minimum like functional push notifications, location services, etc it's not half bad. There exists a fork[1] of lineage with MicroG installed from the get-go, otherwise installing it can be a little painful. [1] - https://lineage.microg.org/ https://lineage.microg.org/
- yjftsjthsd-h 3y agoIt's still a separate issue though; you can use Google Play Services on an old version of stock Android, an old major version of Lineage, or on a new version of Lineage, or you can decide to run an old major version of Lineage or a new version of Lineage without it. All of these except the first should fix the "vendor removing features from Android" problem.
- kccqzy 3y agoExactly. What I want is only security updates and no feature updates unless I explicitly consent. It's simply in vogue for designers to redesign the software interface every once a while and they invariably fuck up niche use cases. The recent watchOS update from Apple is incredibly disappointing https://furbo.org/2023/09/28/the-timer-in-watchos-10/ https://furbo.org/2023/09/28/the-timer-in-watchos-10/
- baz00 3y agoYeah I stopped wearing my watch almost instantly. It’s a shit show. It was terrible for activity tracking already. So many malfunctions and fuckups when doing hike tracking in the last year I went back to an ass end Garmin eTrex.
- grishka 3y agoOr will they bring even more terrible UI redesigns than "Material You" where a third of the screen area is whitespace? Google's incentive structure does that to products. No one has ever got promoted for fixing bugs or listening to user feedback.
- willk 3y agoIt would be awesome if Google could get 3rd parties to do the same. But, I guess 1 phone out of thousands is better than nothing?
- kllrnohj 3y agoGoogle doing it puts competition pressure on others to do it if it turns into sales results (aka, if people actually care about this when it comes time to fork over money).
- jraph 3y agoIt's a step in the right direction. I wonder if Fairphone has something to do with this, having announced 8 years updates for their latest model.
- cinntaile 3y agoPhones don't change that much anymore so people keep them for longer. It's easier to offer OS updates when not much happens and you're creating new versions of your OS anyway so there is very little downside.
- jzelinskie 3y ago[flagged]
- dotnet00 3y agoSounds believable because Google has built up a reputation of killing projects out of the blue.
- progbits 3y agoQuote a source or take this comment back to reddit.
- willk 3y agoThe Pixel 4 got 3 years of service. I'm not sure that is out of Google's promise. But, it does seem to be short lived.
- jdofaz 3y agoI think people were surprised Google did the work to upgrade it to Android 13 but only did a couple months of patches for it. I think the old promise was 2 years of major os and an additional year of patches.
- wheels 3y agoI feel like the elephant in the room is that there's no phone battery that's going to stay useful in anywhere close to that time frame, and replacing phone batteries is usually a losing proposition. I've tried, several times. Fake, low-quality batteries are rampant (usually degrading within weeks), and genuine ones are prohibitively expensive -- usually a significant fraction of the cost of a new phone.
- willk 3y agoMy wife successfully replaced her Pixel 6's batter with the iFixit kit. I think the kit was $50. It probably took 3 hours for her.
- kwiens 3y agoYou are correct. We sell the Pixel 6 repair kit with an OEM battery for $50 and just the battery for $43. We'll be stocking Pixel 8 parts soon. https://www.ifixit.com/products/google-pixel-6-battery-genuine https://www.ifixit.com/products/google-pixel-6-battery-genui...
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- saltcured 3y agoBut for how long will good batteries be stocked for older phones? My frustrating experience with lots of older tech like cameras and laptops is that the battery formats are constantly changing, and none are being manufactured in the required format 5+ years later, when I'd really want a fresh battery. So even though it is designed for easy field replacement, it is effectively obsolete because the only product available is some dodgy counterfeit part. You never know if it even meets the specs, avoids being a fire hazard, and isn't an outright fraud like relabeled old batteries...
- hn_throwaway_99 3y agoThe fact that it took a 3rd party tool, which cost $50, and 3 hours to change an f'in phone battery is so beyond bonkers nuts. To emphasize, just commenting on the grossly insane state of non-replaceable/difficult-to-replace batteries in phones and laptops and the guaranteed planned obsolescence it entails. For contrast, it took me 10 minutes to change the battery in my car.
- hcnews 3y agoI am still using my Pixel 3 (now without upgrades) without major issues. So, happy to see the new phones have longer promised update cycles. Hopefully Google doesn't clawback this promise in the future.
- smoothgrammer 3y agoI hope you don't get hit with a malware fiesta.
- hcnews 3y agoYeah I use this for very limited functionality like maps, whatsapp, uber eats. I am also mostly interacting with Google playstore for apps/apks etc. This does still leave the phone open for any day0s etc. but we will cross the bridge when we get there. I am not important enough for anyone to target me specifically and I also keep a low profile. I was thinking about upgrading this year but I am now thinking of waiting another year since there are no immediate problems.
- ThePowerOfFuet 3y agoHave you considered GrapheneOS?
- atdt 3y agoWhich applications you use is almost irrelevant -- over the past several years, there has been a steady stream of "zero-click" exploits that allow an attacker to compromise phone with no user interaction. The remote code execution vulnerabilities discovered last year and this year in the modems used in Samsung devices require nothing more than knowing the victim's phone number.[1] And you don't need to be particularly important to be caught in a wide net, cast by criminals looking to build up a bot-net or harvest data from as many devices as possible. [1]: https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2023/03/multiple-internet-to-baseband-remote-rce.html https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2023/03/multiple-inte...
- 3y ago
- manuelabeledo 3y agoWording is a bit confusing: > Today we announced our commitment to providing seven years of software support for Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, including Android OS upgrades, security updates and regular Feature Drops. So is it seven years of full feature OS updates, or the usual ~3 years plus only security updates after that?
- hiq 3y agoFull for seven years according to https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/4457705?hl=en#zippy=%2Cpixel-later-including-fold https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/4457705?hl=en#z...
- ppx11 3y agoduring the presentation it was more clear that it IS 7 years of OS updates
- dagmx 3y agohttps://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/4457705?hl=en https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/4457705?hl=en Site says 7 years of OS versions.
- nilamo 3y agoIt's always promises about the future, and never suddenly adding support for old products. Do people have any faith in the these sorts of notices, when nothing ever produced by the company has yet been supported that long?
- xchip 3y agowhy has this comment been downvoted? I think it is a fair point.
- daveoc64 3y agoIt seems too cynical. Google has supported all of its Nexus/Pixel devices for as long as they have claimed to in the past. The difference now is that the claimed period is longer than before. The claims form part of the advertising and sales material for the product - this is legally binding in many countries.
- notatoad 3y agoit's not a fair point, it's factually incorrect. Google has supported plenty of products for longer than seven years. those things just haven't been consumer hardware.
- devinprater 3y agoMaybe by the time we get to the seventh year of updates, Pixels will be about as good as iPhones for blind people lol.
- synack 3y agoCool, now make the same guarantee for the cloud services the phone connects to.
- kaba0 3y agoI will definitely believe the ADHD-company about such a promise..
- kbenson 3y agoIn the case it's part of their official marketing, it's probably safe to assume they'll either pay out if they don't follow through or a class action would soon follow. As incentives for a corporation to follow through go, those are fairly solid IMO.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- kiririn 3y agoWhen google makes a promise in marketing material they do follow through, see Pixel 1 ‘lifetime’ unlimited photo storage They cancel new services left right and centre, but a promise I would trust
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- remram 3y agoI have a Pixel 5, which has a known defect preventing it from connecting to the mobile network at times. This is a documented issue. Go to the Google Store and they will hand you a new one... which probably has the same issue. I will have to buy a different phone for hundreds of dollars, even though I have a perfect-condition Pixel 5, because it doesn't work and apparently there is nothing that Google will do about it (except giving me a brand-new phone with the same issue). I don't care how long the support is. It's useless.
- bakugo 3y agoI have a Pixel 7 and I have the opposite problem, I often have to use mobile internet while at home because, on wifi, it will randomly lose connection for no reason regardless of what router or network type I connect it to.
- UseStrict 3y agoGoogle hasn't had a track record of actually supporting their products beyond 2-3 years, software or hardware. I'll believe it when I see it.
- KingOfCoders 3y agoNot sure but I think I've been using Googlesearch and Gmail for more then 3 years now.
- withzombies 3y agoCommitting to 7 years is a big step! Apple does't commit to its support timeline at all and seems to average around 6 years, so this is more firm and also longer. I would like to see Apple respond by committing to their timeframe but they won't.
- 369548684892826 3y agoApple averages around 6 years of major OS updates, but I think security patch support goes on for much longer than that. edit: iPhone 5s from 2013 received an update this year
- withzombies 3y agoThey certainly have a few outliers. They released 12.5.7 in January 2023, which supports the iPhone 5s and 6 - 10 years after the 5s was initially released! However, that was an outlier; they haven't backported most security patches to older devices. They only do it when there's clear evidence of in-the-wild exploitation or it's a big compatibility bug that would prevent you from migrating to a newer device. Google's announcement was for full OS support for 7 years, not just security fixes. Comparing it to Apple's ~6 years of OS support is fair.
- amelius 3y agoMeanwhile my parents' landline phone lasted for more than 30 years.
- dragonmost 3y agoBut then again the only thing it can do is receive and send calls. You didn't buy an iPhone only for the call feature.
- AnonC 3y agoApple provides only certain highly critical security updates to older devices. There was an Ars Technica article a year ago on Apple’s support policy for security updates. [1] Officially, Apple guarantees security updates for all known security issues only for the latest version of the OS. [2] Quoting from Apple’s page [2] > “Note: Because of dependency on architecture and system changes to any current version of Apple operating systems (for example, macOS 13, iOS 16 and so on), not all known security issues are addressed in previous versions (for example, macOS 12, iOS 15 and so on).” [1]: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/10/apple-clarifies-security-update-policy-only-the-latest-oses-are-fully-patched/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/10/apple-clarifies-secu... [2]: https://support.apple.com/en-us/guide/deployment/depc4c80847a/web https://support.apple.com/en-us/guide/deployment/depc4c80847...
- Rantenki 3y agoNot sure I trust these guys to do long term support, even after they promise it: https://killedbygoogle.com/ https://killedbygoogle.com/ Hell, I don't even trust that they'll still own/maintain _Android_ in 7 years.
- skeaker 3y agoBeyond this sentiment just being obnoxiously repetitive in these comments, it's also plain as day to see why this might be different. The projects in that link don't have a fixed, set date that support will be extended to from the get-go as a selling point. This phone does.
- celsoazevedo 3y agoI wouldn't expect a Google messaging app to be around 8 years from now, but they've been selling Pixels for 8 years and have always delivered the promised updates.
- amelius 3y agoThat's great, but I'll be installing GrapheneOS on it ;)
- yepguy 3y agoGrapheneOS only supports phones for as long as Google does, though.
- unethical_ban 3y agoSo, 7 years! I was thinking of getting a 7a for graphene, but I think I'll wait for the 8 to get graphene support and spring for that. From what I can tell graphene really is a much more secure OS from an encryption and tracking perspective. Its multi-profile configuration and Google play sandboxing alone would be worth it.
- yepguy 3y agoYeah, it is definitely really nice if you care about privacy/security and can live with some minor limitations. I just switched back to stock Android from GrapheneOS though, to get Android Auto working. My car's built-in navigation just isn't good enough any more.
- unethical_ban 3y agoYeah, that is annoying that Android Auto requires such permissions. OTOH, I have used it twice in two models of car, and in both instances it would stop working until I unplugged and replugged the phone. I just keep the phone visible in the cup holder now.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- butz 3y agoWhatever happened to normal phone design? This thing is huge and has some sort of shelf at the back, that's not very convenient in the pocket, if it is even possible to fit it in pocket. 7 year support promise is great, but what if Google will switch to Fuchsia after year or two?
- KingOfCoders 3y agoMy Xiaomi Ultra 11 with a shelf fits nicely in my pockets.
- rrgok 3y agoSarcasm: Seven years of updates for the first 3 years. On a serious note, it is possible to sue if google suddenly decided, after 3 years, that they don't want to provide updates for the remaninig 4 years?
- jeroenhd 3y agoI don't know if sueing them is an option, but I'm pretty sure you can get (part of) your money back here if you can prove that you've used marketing and claims like these to come to a purchasing decision. You may need to go to court to actually get your money back and third party resellers may pose a problem if they don't copy the guarantees, but I don't think Google stands much of a chance here. With phone prices being what they are, it makes more and more sense to actually take legal action. Google would be foolish not to meet their promises. It helps that they haven't come back on their promises before. The Pixels have always received the years of support ad promised at launch. In some cases that was a mere three years, but customers knew (or could easily have known) that was a possibility when they bought their phone.
- uni_baconcat 3y agoNow I just hope they could supply the replacement components on ifixit for 7 years.
- nblgbg 3y agoThis is a really great step in the right direction, especially with the updates and repairability offered by iFixit with Google partnership. The only fear I have is what if Google shuts down the Pixel line or whatever because they are not doing well a couple of years down the line? Traditionally, they have not been great at keeping their promises. Hopefully Samsung follows the lead set by Google.
- bdcravens 3y agoI'm sure they can keep issuing software updates.
- wing-_-nuts 3y agoI've heard that once a phone no longer gets security updates, the best thing to do is to install a third party rom. Is this still the case in 2023? Is using a 3rd party rom like lineageOS a comparible experience to stock when it comes to running apps and such?
- kllrnohj 3y agoThey're on year 8 of Pixel (and 13 years of selling phones directly) and year 15 of Android. These aren't exactly likely candidates for killedbygoogle.com anymore
- AnonC 3y agoI guess only time will tell. Google also had Nexus from 2010 to 2016. Who’s to say the Pixel line won’t see a similar demise (and as a tangential point, probably an abandonment of support) in the next few years? With the Chromebook obsolescence fallout and the decision to extend software and security support for those recently, one would assume that the Pixel may be subject to similar thinking within Google. But the sales volumes of Pixel phones are a lot lower than Chromebooks. Google doesn’t seem to generally handle hardware quite well.
- kllrnohj 3y ago
- bluSCALE4 3y agoAnd if that turns out to be 6, expect $100 credit on your next Pixel phone.
- bdcravens 3y agoI'd be more impressed if they committed to releasing the Pixel through at least version 15.
- hnburnsy 3y agoJust saying... Nest Secure - 4 years Chromebook Pixel - 3 years Nexus Phones - 7 years Google TV - 4 years OnHub Routers - 7 years
- Yasuraka 3y agoNexus phones were what are now Pixels
- bdcravens 3y agoWhat I'm curious about is why they can't backport this promise to previous phones? Is the hardware in the 8 that different?
- joemazerino 3y agoYes. The SoCs and OEMs who made the whole Pixels and Nexus's vary.
- kllrnohj 3y agoPixel 6 & 7 are still both Google's SoC. The 5 was the last "off the shelf" SoC (Snapdragon 765G)
- joemazerino 3y agoAnd the 5a?
- GuB-42 3y agoI wonder if it has to do with the recently passed EU regulation about sustainable smartphones. The same one that mandates user removable batteries. The regulation mandates 5 years of updates after the end of commercialization. That usually makes it 7 years after launch date. And the Pixel 8 is water-resistant (IP68), so it doesn't need a user replaceable battery according to the regulation (but a repair shop shall be able to).
- Bud 3y ago[dead]
- paulmd 3y agoGoogle themselves are stepping up but this needs to be legislated for the whole ecosystem. I don’t care if it’s hard, it’s important. This is a major stream of e-waste that is directly caused by google and their policies around android. Microsoft can figure out how to enforce hardware standards on new systems via partnership with vendors while maintaining an independent hardware ecosystem for users. Google doesn’t want to, but it shouldn’t be their choice anyway.
- grishka 3y agoSo this implies that seven years from now, Android, a long-time feature-complete OS, will still somehow be incomplete and in need of regular updates. We have this saying in my language: a samurai doesn't have a goal, he only has a path.
- Etheryte 3y agoIn the modern world, every piece of software that isn't cut off from the outside world needs security updates. This isn't the fault of Android developers or anyone else really, it's simply the reality that software (and hardware) is made by humans and humans make mistakes.
- grishka 3y agoBut if you stop adding new features no one ever asked for, you'll eventually run out of bugs.
- jylam 3y agoNo. Bugs are found on software and hardware decades old. Ways to find bugs are evolving, too.
- grishka 3y agoYes, they are found in old software because that software was abandoned by its developer in favor of a version with more features that required refactoring and introduced new bugs in the process. The thing I'm saying, or at least something close to it, was only ever done with games. Games are somehow the only kind of software where everyone agrees that it can have a defined end state.
- mmanfrin 3y ago'Google' and 'commitment' is not a pairing I really trust.
- whatever1 3y agoSure google we believe you.
- oh_nice_marmot 3y ago7 years or up to the Point that Google decides to pull the plug. Whichever comes first. Stadia, Pixelbook, Pixel pass, Jamboard, etc.
- KingOfCoders 3y agoI think the challenge is: Does your hardware support the updates? Hardware vendors from time to time have the tendency to change the OS in ways that it works nice on brand new hardware but is very sluggish on older hardware - to the point of being unusable. So if I get an update 6 years in that renders my phone unusable, I haven't gained anything. I would prefer 7 years of sec updates in that case.
- davidy123 3y agoThat might be part of their calculation. After five years or so, most people aren't going to want them. So they might run poorly, but at least they're not abandoning them. Anyway, it was mostly Qualcomm that was preventing longer upgrades, so I respect them for finding a way out of that. Maybe Qualcomm will now have to support their chips longer, due to new expectations.
- pcurve 3y agoThe pace of hardware improvement has slowed a lot so I’m not concerned about this as much as in the past. I think that’s one of the main reasons why Google decided to make this commitment.
- EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK 3y agoI think we are on the verge of one significant new addition, namely specialized AI chips in smartphones, for on-device inference.
- hengheng 3y agoI'm sure they will find a way to rebrand, reboot, or outright fold the whole Pixel program before 2030.
- HumblyTossed 3y agoGoogle being Google they cancel their phone line in 3 years and tell everyone "sorry!".
- rrrrrrrrrrrryan 3y agoSome bitter people here. Any way you look at it, this is great news, and it sets a wonderful precedent for other manufacturers of all sorts of electronic devices. Lots of people are happy to be able to keep using a phone even if the battery is a bit degraded, and the fact that Google plastered this all over their marketing material means they have some legal obligation to follow through on this promise (or compensate their customers if they don't).
- thefz 3y ago> Some bitter people here. I am in awe at all the "I gave to my 8 years old daughter my original iPhone 1 and she's still delighted by it every day, it's stille great" folks. You could put out a free device with a battery that lasts forever, fast and it fits in every pocket and some crowd woud still make comparisons and have some brand win them.
- perfect-blue 3y agoThat’s because people just want to argue for arguments sake. These are people with nothing to say but want to be heard.
- thebruce87m 3y agoI wonder if they’ll stick to their commitment of not fixing the emergency call issues? https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/y039zn/i_compiled_all_the_pixel_911emergency_call/ https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/y039zn/i_compi...
- dang 3y agoRelated ongoing thread: Pixel 8 Pro - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37766446 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37766446 - Oct 2023 (142 comments)
- thefz 3y agoCTRL-F "iphone" - 41 matches. CTRL-F "apple" - 58 matches. ... it's going to be one of those threads.