Android watches are not made to last. This is not a hardware problem; it’s software. No matter how much you take care of your Android smartwatch, at some point it will fall victim to a lack of software support. Features and security will break down and eventually leave you with the option of suffering the inconvenience or upgrading. Once you see how long some of this expensive equipment lasts, you might reconsider purchasing a smartwatch.
Flagship watches from Samsung or Google will physically last for years if properly maintained. Online user reports focus primarily on a watch’s battery life, as daily charges diminish the watch’s maximum capacity after just two years, according to some owners. It’s the same with lithium batteries, as multiple 100% charge cycles will eventually reduce their efficiency.
Again, the main problem with Android-based smartwatches is how the software support hits a dead end, forcing you to consider replacing the smartwatch itself. The website endoflife.date tracks the lifespan of various devices and reveals that if you own a Samsung watch from before or around 2022, it will be in the security update phase. This means that the operating system, WearOS, will no longer receive functional updates, but only security patches to ensure that it cannot be hacked. The Samsung Watch5 and Watch5 Pro will see support end in six months.
Big brands have different long-term support policies
Meanwhile, the Google Pixel Watch’s situation may be worse than Samsung’s. Of its four smartwatches, only two have full support. Those who purchased the Pixel Watch 1 or 2 will already know that Google discontinued them and ended support for the original model in October 2025. The Pixel Watch 2 will no longer receive updates starting in October 2026. The Pixel Watch 3 and 4 also have update deadlines, ending in October 2027 and 2028 respectively.
For other brands, like Garmin, the situation might be different. Even though the watches will eventually reach their end of life, users online have reported that they still receive maintenance updates from time to time. However, Garmin owners say the company might not release a ton of updates compared to other Wear OS and Android smartwatch makers. Garmin details some of this update information via a PDF but doesn’t appear to have a dedicated support schedule.
Another brand, Polar, is a little more explicit about the lifespan of its watches. All devices benefit from a minimum declared support of five years before entering the end of life phase. The company also says the team “continuously monitors versions of known vulnerabilities.” The Polar Ignite 2, featured on best-of lists by several experts and dedicated outlets, was released in 2021 and will enter end of life this year. It’s still on sale, but at a reduced price.
The lifespan of Android smartwatches is simply not good enough
OnePlus has a fairly opaque support policy for its wearables. It claims to provide a minimum of two years of support, which likely means its products will receive security updates. But the watches on its list are either near or outside of that two-year window. Oppo ended support for the Watch
Xiaomi has seen three watches reach the end of their life this year (Redmi Watch 4 in January, S3 and Watch 2 in February) and is preparing to launch two more in September (Redmi Watch 5 Lite and Active). An underrated hybrid smartwatch from Withings comes with five years of support, but the company makes it clear that once that time is up, the device will no longer receive new features and the company will only support users based on the watch’s last known feature set.
Just like phones and all other technology available in 2026, it doesn’t matter how much you maintain a device or keep hardware up to date – like with PCs running Windows 10 perfectly that can’t upgrade to Windows 11 due to older hardware. Using a smartwatch for many years requires manufacturers to maintain adequate support or, in some cases, users themselves figuring out how to bring smart devices back to life after retailers discontinue them in an effort to force owners to buy a newer model.
