Update Support by Brand: How Long Phones Stay Patched

The 30-second version

The longest written promises for phones sold in India come from Google (seven years of Android and security updates for Pixel 8 and newer), Samsung (seven OS upgrades and seven years of patches for the Galaxy S26 series) and vivo (seven years of security updates for the X300). Most 2026 mid-range phones we looked up promise six years of patches, while some budget models stop at four. Every countdown begins at the model’s launch, not at your purchase, so find your exact model on the brand’s own page and subtract the time already gone.

A phone without security fixes still works, but every flaw discovered after the cut-off stays open, and that matters when one handset carries your UPI, banking and email apps. Here is how to read a support promise, what each major brand selling in India publishes, and how to check a phone before paying. For the rest of the spec sheet, see our line-by-line guide to smartphone specs.

In this guide9 sections

Start from how long you will keep the phone
The four parts hidden inside every promise
Phone by phone: what the brands have published
Check the phone in your hand
Older stock, used and refurbished phones: do the arithmetic
After the last patch: what changes
Why UK and EU buyers get firmer wording
Update support: reader questions
Where these facts come from

Start from how long you will keep the phone

There is no single “good” number. A student who upgrades every two years needs far less than a parent who plans to pass the handset on. Count forward from today and shortlist only phones whose remaining support covers that stretch.

You expect to use it for	Security promise to look for	Examples from official pages
About two years	At least four years on a fairly new model	Almost any current model from a big brand, including budget phones such as the Redmi 15 5G
Three to four years	Six years on a recent model	Galaxy A57 5G and A37 5G, OnePlus Nord 6, REDMI Note 15 Pro+ 5G, Nothing Phone (4a)
Five years or longer	Seven years on a recent model	Pixel 10a and the Pixel 11 series, Galaxy S26 series and S26 FE, vivo X300, Nothing Phone (3)
Until a family member inherits it	The longest promise you can find, bought soon after launch	The seven-year group; skip anything two or more years past launch

Compiled from each brand’s product page, newsroom or support list, read on 29 October 2026.

The four parts hidden inside every promise

Major OS upgrades. New versions of Android or iOS, with new features and design changes. Some brands promise a count, as OnePlus does with “4 Android OS updates” for the Nord 6. Others promise a period: vivo advertises “5-Year OS Upgrades” for the X300. Note which kind you are offered.
Security support. Smaller releases that close newly found holes, promised in years. On Android the result appears as a date, the security patch level. Google publishes its Android Security Bulletin on the first Monday of each month; the October 2026 bulletin came out on 5 October with patch levels 2026-10-01 and 2026-10-05.
Patch rhythm. Monthly, quarterly or “once in 90 days”. Samsung and realme both publish which models sit on which schedule; a longer gap means fixes reach you later.
Start date. Always a launch milestone. Google counts from a Pixel’s first day on sale at its US store, Samsung and Motorola from the first global launch, Xiaomi from first shipment, Nothing from first availability, and Apple’s UK filing from first supply.

Tip: Security years often outnumber OS years, and that is normal. The Nord 6 gets six years of fixes against four Android versions, so it stays patched for a while on its final release.

Phone by phone: what the brands have published

We read each brand’s own product page, press release or support list, not reseller listings. Promises are set per model, so treat each row as an example, not a brand-wide rule.

Phone, as named by the brand	New OS versions	Security fixes	Clock starts at	Stated on
Google Pixel 8 and later, including Pixel 10a and the Pixel 11 series	7 years	7 years	Its first day on sale at Google’s US store	Google’s Pixel support site
Samsung Galaxy S26, S26+, S26 Ultra and S26 FE	7 generations	7 years	First global launch	Samsung Newsroom
vivo X300	5 years	7 years	Not stated on the page	vivo India product page
Nothing Phone (3)	5 years	7 years	First availability on nothing.tech	Nothing India product page
Samsung Galaxy A57 5G and A37 5G	Up to 6 generations	Up to 6 years	First global launch	Samsung press release, 25 March 2026
OPPO Find X9 and Find X9 Pro	5 years	6 years	Not stated	OPPO India press release, 18 November 2025
OnePlus Nord 6	4 Android updates	6 years	Not stated	OnePlus India product page
REDMI Note 15 Pro+ 5G	4 years	6 years	Not stated on the page	Xiaomi India product page
Nothing Phone (4a)	3 years	6 years	First availability on nothing.tech	Nothing India product page
motorola edge 70 pro	3 upgrades	Up to 5 years	Global launch	Motorola India website
Apple iPhone 16 (model A3287)	No count published	At least 5 years	First supply, 20 September 2024	Apple’s UK filing
Redmi 15 5G	2 years	4 years	Not stated on the page	Xiaomi India product page

Read on official brand pages on 29 October 2026. “Up to” is the brand’s own wording. Promises change, so check again before you pay.

One rule for a whole range: Google and Samsung

Google gives every Pixel from the Pixel 8 onwards seven years of OS and security updates. The Pixel 6, 6 Pro, 6a, 7, 7 Pro, 7a and the original Pixel Fold get five years, and the Pixel 5a with 5G and older models are finished. Google also warns that each release rolls out gradually and can take a few weeks to arrive.

Samsung commits the Galaxy S26 family to seven years of security patches and seven OS generations, and the Galaxy A57 5G and A37 5G to up to six of each. Its security update lists show the rhythm: monthly for the S23 to S26 series, the Z Fold5 to Z Fold8 Ultra, the Z Flip5 to Z Flip8, the Z TriFold and, as enterprise models, the A54 to A57 5G; quarterly for the S22 series, the A36 5G, A37 5G, A26 5G, A27 5G and most M and F phones, such as the M36 5G. Samsung adds that timing varies by market, network provider and model.

Promises printed model by model

OnePlus. The only brand-wide written rule we found is its UK statement: at least three years of security updates for phones and tablets after launch. It warns that an OS upgrade can hold up that month’s security release and that some chip-supplier patches may come later. On its India pages the Nord CE5, like the Nord 6, is listed with four Android versions and six years of security updates.
vivo and iQOO. The vivo X300 page headlines “5-Year OS Upgrades & 7-Year Security Updates”. For iQOO we found the iQOO 15’s figures only in launch coverage and user posts on its forum, not on an iQOO product or policy page, so ask the seller to show you the promise in writing.
OPPO and Nothing. OPPO states its figures in the Find X9 launch release. Nothing prints a footnote on each product page; besides the models in the table, the Phone (3a) series gets three Android updates and six years of security updates.
Motorola. The edge 70 pro figures carry a note that they may vary by market, network provider and model. Motorola’s support site also has a per-model Security Updates list; we could not open it while researching this guide, so look your model up there.

End dates in black and white: Xiaomi and realme

Xiaomi, which also sells Redmi and POCO phones, sets a modest floor in its security policy: typically at least two years of security updates after a model’s first shipment, and three years or more for some models. More useful is its Product Software Support Information list, which gives each model a security end date. Examples: Xiaomi 17, February 2032; REDMI Note 15 Pro+ 5G, January 2032; POCO F7, June 2031; Redmi 15 5G, August 2029; REDMI A5, April 2029. Xiaomi says delivery times vary by region and model.

realme lists end dates on its security page for models in Google’s Android Enterprise Recommended programme, which it patches once every 90 days. The realme 16 Pro 5G runs to February 2032, the 16 Pro+ 5G to January 2032, the 14 Pro 5G to March 2031 and the C71 to July 2031. realme notes that OS upgrades can delay scheduled patches and that timing differs between countries. For other models, rely on the India product page.

Apple: no published count, but a long record

We found no Apple page stating how many iOS versions an iPhone will get. For model A3287 of the iPhone 16, Apple’s UK filing promises at least five years of security support, counted from first supply on 20 September 2024, and A3287 is the number Apple lists for “other countries and regions”, the group that takes in India. Its record goes past that floor. iOS 27, released on 14 September 2026, runs on the 2019 iPhone 11 and every later model, and on 26 October 2026 Apple shipped iOS 18.7.11 with fixes for the 2018 iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, which stopped at iOS 18. A record is not a guarantee, though. Still choosing a platform? Our Android or iPhone guide weighs both for Indian buyers.

Check the phone in your hand

Pixel and most other Android phones

Open Settings → About phone → Android version. According to Google’s help page, this screen shows your build number and Android version alongside two dates: the security update and the Google Play system update.
Go to Settings → System → Software updates, install whatever is waiting, then read the security date again.
If your brand names the menus differently, type “security” into the search box at the top of Settings.

Samsung Galaxy

Open Settings → About phone → Software information for the One UI version, Android version and security patch level.
Open Settings → Software update → Download and install to fetch anything pending.

iPhone

Open Settings → General → About and note the iOS version. Apple delivers security fixes inside iOS releases, so the version number is what you compare.
Open Settings → General → Software Update and tap Download and Install if a release is offered.
Under Automatic Updates, switch on Automatically Install; Apple says the phone then updates overnight while charging on Wi-Fi.

Note: Stock can spend months between factory and shop shelf, so the patch date on a freshly opened box tells you little. Judge it only after every pending update has installed. If a model on Samsung’s monthly list is still well behind the current bulletin month, take it up with the brand.

Older stock, used and refurbished phones: do the arithmetic

Because every promise hangs off the launch date, a phone bought late in its life gets less of it. Two real cases:

The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro first went on sale in October 2021 with five years of support, so their window closes this month. An unsold Pixel 6 is a poor buy today, however low the price.
Xiaomi’s list ends security support for the Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G in January 2029. A unit bought now has a little over two years left, not the roughly four it had at launch.

The same sum applies to second-hand and refurbished handsets, where leftover support is part of what you pay for. Our second-hand phone inspection checklist covers the physical checks, and our comparison of refurbished, used and new phones helps you weigh the price gap.

After the last patch: what changes

The handset does not die when support ends: it still makes calls, takes photos and runs your apps. What stops is the maker’s work on newly found holes, and the brands say so:

Google states that the Pixel 5a with 5G and older Pixels no longer receive Android version or security updates.
Xiaomi says that for models on its end-of-life list it maintains no software or firmware updates, security ones included, and may stop responding to vulnerability reports, though it may still patch a very serious flaw.
Apple occasionally patches an older iOS line, as with iOS 18.7.11, but publishes no schedule for doing so.

Warning: Once a handset is outside security support, move UPI, net banking and work email to a supported phone. Until you do, update its apps only through the official app store and never install APK files sent through chats or downloaded from websites.

Why UK and EU buyers get firmer wording

United Kingdom. Since 29 April 2024, makers of connectable products sold there must publish the minimum period for which they will provide security updates, with an end date. The OnePlus and Apple statements above exist because of this rule.
European Union. Since 20 June 2025, ecodesign rules have required OS updates for at least five years after the last unit of a model is sold in the EU. The European Commission says phones with flexible main displays, meaning foldables, are excluded.

Both rules cover phones sold in those markets. For a handset bought in India, the brand’s published promise is what you have, so take a dated screenshot of it before you pay.

What to do now

Write down the year you expect to retire the phone. Strike out every candidate whose security end date, worked out from its launch, falls before that year. Among the survivors, favour monthly patching, confirm the patch date after setup, and keep a dated screenshot of the brand’s promise. A slightly slower chip with three extra years of fixes is usually the smarter purchase.

Update support: reader questions

Is a monthly patch schedule really better than a quarterly one?

Yes, because fixes arrive sooner. Google’s Android bulletin is monthly, so a quarterly phone collects up to three months of fixes at once. Samsung patches many Galaxy A, M and F phones quarterly, so a two- or three-month-old date is expected on them.

Does a UK or EU rule protect a phone I buy in India?

No. Those rules govern products sold in the UK and the EU. An Indian unit relies on what the brand publishes for India, and Samsung and Motorola both say timing can differ by market.

What does the Android security update date in Settings tell me?

It shows which month’s Android Security Bulletin the phone’s fixes have reached. A date such as 2026-10-05 means the phone is current as of the October 2026 bulletin; a date from the spring means it is months behind.

Will my iPhone stop getting updates after five years?

Not necessarily. Five years is the minimum in Apple’s UK filing for the iPhone 16. In practice iOS 27 still supports the 2019 iPhone 11, but Apple makes no promise that later models will be treated the same way.

Can a phone keep getting fixes after its final Android version?

Yes, whenever the security period is longer than the OS period. The Redmi 15 5G, for instance, is promised two years of Android upgrades but four years of security updates.

Where do I find the promise for a model that is not in this guide?

Look for a “Software”, “OS” or “Updates” line or footnote on the brand’s India product page, then check its support list if it has one (Samsung, Xiaomi, realme and Motorola all do). Failing that, ask the seller to put the promise in writing.

Where these facts come from

Every page below was read on 29 October 2026.

How Many Years of Updates Will Your Phone Get? Brands Compared

Start from how long you will keep the phone

The four parts hidden inside every promise

Phone by phone: what the brands have published