Your Android has an “end of life” date, like any other smartphone

Whether it’s an iPhone or an Android device, your smartphone doesn’t come with an expiration date like the dates printed on packaged foods. Smartphones don’t expire in the same way. However, there is a convenient expiration date that applies to all smartphones, one that every buyer should be aware of, regardless of which software platform or smartphone vendor they prefer. The “end of life” date for smartphones is the day the vendor stops releasing software updates to the handset. It’s less about the major software releases that bring new features to smartphones every year. These are security updates that protect you from software vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit and put your digital data and money at risk. When the smartphone no longer receives security updates, it becomes a handicap. The good news is that there is an unofficial way to find out when your smartphone is supposed to expire: the End of Life website. Even without this resource, there’s good news for Android fans, as several vendors are offering much longer support than before, extending up to seven years past the phone’s manufacturing date.

Samsung and Google are two of the leading Android device vendors that offer up to seven years of software updates for their latest flagship devices. These guarantees are recent, as both companies started making these commitments in 2023 and 2024. Before that, Samsung flagships went for up to four years, while some Pixel devices received up to five years of updates. Cheaper Samsung devices can get support for up to six years, which is still a long support period for buyers who want to use a device for longer. Other Android vendors have also followed Samsung and Google’s lead, but most of them don’t honor seven-year warranties.

Samsung’s practice is similar to what Apple has done with the iPhone since the original model. Apple has been offering updates for older iPhone models for several years. For example, the oldest iPhone to run iOS 27 is the iPhone 11, released in 2019. Not all smartphone buyers may know how many years of support their smartphone should receive when purchasing a new device. Some people may not even care, especially buyers who upgrade their handsets more frequently. The newer and more expensive the phone, the better the software support. But since tools like endoflife.date exist, you may not need to remember that the support window for your Android phone is set to receive.

Simply load the website in a browser, go to the Devices section and search for the product you own. The website lists smartphones from various vendors, including Apple, Samsung, and Google. The list of devices also includes smartwatches and tablets, so owners can check the end of life of other products as well.

For example, the Google Pixel category includes all Pixel models released to date in reverse chronological order. The latest entry is the Pixel 10a, released in early March 2026, according to the table. Google announced the phone in February 2026. The End of Life website mentions the date the phone will stop receiving Android updates as March 1, 2033. Google will also provide security updates until the same date. Scrolling down to the Pixel 8 Pro, released in early October 2023, shows “expiration” data for that model. Android and security updates will end on October 1, 2030. The Pixel 6 Pro will “expire” much earlier, in early October 2026.

The Pixel 6 Pro in the example above will not stop working once official support expires. Owners can still use it for as long as they want, as long as the handset can deliver a reliable and fast experience and the battery life and health are still good. However, using a phone after software support has ended is risky, especially for users who are unfamiliar with online security threats and likely to click on malicious links or download content from questionable sources. Hackers can take advantage of potential Android exploits that won’t be patched on older devices that no longer receive security updates from the vendor. These attacks can target a user’s mobile banking apps and personal data stored on their device.

That’s why the End of Life website can be a useful tool, especially for Android users who don’t buy Samsung and Google phones with long software update warranties. They can easily research products from other vendors to determine whether a phone should still be reliable for everyday operations, including browsing the web and using sensitive applications.

That said, Android users also need to consider other factors when deciding whether to upgrade a phone. Even if a Galaxy or Pixel device is rated for seven years of updates, it might not be worth using the handset for that long. The battery will inevitably deteriorate and need to be replaced. Other components can become damaged over time, such as the screen or the charging port. Additionally, the processor may seem slower after a few years of use. In such cases, it may be better to upgrade the handset rather than wait for the software to reach the end of its lifespan.