With the launch of the Pixel 8, Google rocked the trade with its resolution to supply seven years of full OS upgrades — surpassing rivals Samsung and even Apple. That assist covers every part, together with full Android updates, the common Pixel function drops and safety updates. However how did Google resolve on that seven-year mark? We obtained our reply this week from the corporate’s Vice President of Units and Companies, Seang Chau, spoke concerning the promise on the most recent episode of the Made by Google podcast.
Because it seems, that seven-year promise wasn’t an arbitrary resolution; it was calculated after finding out the lifespan of Google’s first Pixel smartphone based mostly on energetic person knowledge, Chau defined:
“So after we have a look at the trajectory of the place the unique Pixel that we launched in 2016 landed and the way many individuals have been nonetheless utilizing the primary Pixel, we noticed that really, there’s fairly energetic person base till in all probability concerning the seven-year mark. So if we take into consideration, okay, we would like to have the ability to assist Pixel for so long as persons are utilizing the gadget, then seven years is about that proper quantity.”
To place that into perspective, the Samsung Galaxy S23 is promised to get 4 years for software program updates and 5 years of safety updates. And whereas Apple would not promise a predetermined variety of years for safety and software program updates, we are able to have a look at the iOS 17 gadget assist to get a ballpark estimate. The oldest cellphone on the listing is the iPhone XR, which had a launch date of 2018, so iPhone customers can anticipate roughly 5 years of assist.
Higher processors and QA testing assist lengthen assist
With its shift to utilizing customized Tensor processors, Google has been in a position to progressively supply higher software program assist. It is a course of that began with the Pixel 6, which noticed a soar to 5 years of software program and safety updates (up from three years with the Pixel 4 and Pixel 5).
“After we obtained a pair extra years of Tensor below our belt…we’re actually having the ability to determine easy methods to finest do these updates,” Chau mentioned, including that the corporate “obtained much more snug saying we are able to go to that seven years and be capable of ship to our prospects that prolonged time.”
The transition to year-round beta packages with quarterly platform releases has additionally performed a major function within the resolution to make this sort of dedication.
“Now that we now have these beta packages year-round, we now have rather more confidence that we’ll have a dependable replace for customers on a quarterly foundation as a result of we now have plenty of beta testers,” Chau mentioned. This ensures that “options that we’re transferring from the annual releases to those quarterly releases are going to work and work effectively for our customers.”
Chau mentioned that, as customers get towards the latter finish of that seven-year promise, Google plans to prioritize software-only options that do not want further RAM, storage, co-processor, or “another {hardware} functionality” to hopefully hold Pixel telephones operating easily for longer. That is comforting to listen to now figuring out that Gemini Nano AI was virtually unique to the Pixel 8 Professional as a result of it is such a RAM hog on the usual Pixel 8. Ideally, new options added later will not require new {hardware} to work. Sadly, it is nonetheless unclear whether or not any fashions moreover the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional may even profit from extensions of the older five-year and three-year replace commitments.
