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Agreement between Google and Qualcomm

Now some Android phones can get 8 years of system updates

Google and Qualcomm have signed an agreement that could lead to several Android phones receiving up to 8 years of system updates.

Elias Nordling
Published

How long a mobile can receive new system updates is affected by several factors. Partly how long the manufacturer is prepared to bear the cost of supporting older products, partly if new features are not compatible with older hardware. But also how long the manufacturers of the system chips continue to support them.

Now Google and Qualcomm have signed an agreement that affects the lifespan of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset as well as the chipsets in the Snapdragon 7 and 8 series that will be launched later this year. 

According to the agreement, Qualcomm promises to provide these chipsets with updated drivers for eight years, and Google also promises Android compatibility with these chips for eight years.

Several types of updates

According to the agreement, it is not only system updates and security updates that are to be made, but also so-called kernel updates, which will make it easier and cheaper for mobile manufacturers to perform system updates to new Android versions as they do not need to rewrite the code for their user interface to the same extent for new system versions.

The agreement removes several obstacles to providing mobile phones with longer support and durability, but it is still up to the mobile manufacturers themselves to decide how long they want to deliver system updates to their phones. 

Of the mobiles that have so far been launched with Snapdragon 8 Elite affected by the agreement, Samsung, for example, promises 7 years of system and security updates to the S25 series, while Oneplus only promises four system updates and six years of security updates.

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