forcing manufacturers to 7 years of updates, is that a good idea?
The German government wants smartphone makers to continue to roll out security updates for their phones for seven years. We are curious about your opinion.
Updates and Android
Updates and Android have always been hot items on Androdiworld and that’s why it’s good to see that manufacturers are also spending more time and energy on this. For example, Samsung leads the top 10 when it comes to a good update policy. Many Galaxy phones can count on new Android versions for three years and security updates for four years. For example, the Galaxy S21 series will get Android 12 in 2021, Android 13 in 2022 and Android 14 in 2023. Samsung even gives its high-end Enterprise smartphones five years of security updates.
Other manufacturers are also paying more attention to the security of their phones. OPPO and Vivo recently extended the update deadline from two to three years, and OnePlus has also recently made some changes to its update policy. Google is still lagging behind with its Pixel phones. The search giant guarantees Android version updates for three years and security updates for at least three years. The new Pixel 6 phones may receive updates for five years.
Germany goes one step further
Germany now wants to go a lot further by enforcing updates for smartphone manufacturers for seven years. That’s longer than the European Commission’s proposal that guarantees five years of updates to customers. During this period, the German government wants manufacturers to roll out security updates and make spare parts available.
It is not easy to achieve this because chip makers such as Qualcomm and MediaTek will also have to be involved in this process. In addition, in addition to seven years of security updates, the phones will also have to receive new version updates for longer. Phones that receive security updates for longer are used longer. But many apps like WhatsApp no longer support older Android versions, and certain functions will no longer work in older Android versions. Then the question arises, who uses their phone for seven years and who is willing to pay more for longer support?
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AW Poll
What do you think, is seven years of support a reasonable proposition, or are you happy if manufacturers continue to support your phone for five years or less? Leave your vote in the poll and tell us in the comments too.
