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How Long Do iPhone, Galaxy and Pixel Phones Get Security Updates? End Dates by Model

Updated 7 min read

TL;DR

  • Galaxy S phones get 7 years of security updates from the S24 series on, and the S20 to S23 series get about 5.
  • Pixel 8 and later get 7 years, and the Pixel 6 and 7 generations get 5.
  • Apple announces no iPhone end date. The iPhone 8 still got a security update 8.6 years after its release.
  • The update period starts when the model is released, not when you buy it. A phone bought 2 years after release gets 2 years less.

Galaxy S phones from the S24 series on and Pixel 8 and later get 7 years of security updates. The Galaxy S20 to S23 series get about 5 years, and the Pixel 6 and 7 generations get 5. The update period starts when the model is released, not when you buy it. A phone you buy 2 years after release gets 2 years less. Apple announces no end date for iPhone security updates.

How long Galaxy phones get updates

At the Galaxy S24 launch in January 2024, Samsung said the series would get 7 years of security updates (Samsung Newsroom). But Samsung gives no end date per model. So the dates below come from the community project endoflife.date, which keeps dates based on each maker's policy. The S24's end date, for example, is its release date plus 7 years. endoflife.date says most of its Samsung update end dates are approximate to the year, so a month in the chart can be off by a few months.

Bars on one timeline: Galaxy S21 to S26, Z Fold and Z Flip 5 to 7, and A54, A55 and A56 5G, from release to the end of security updates (open full-size image)
Sources: endoflife.date, safeuntil data. As of October 25, 2026.

Galaxy S phones from the S24 series on and foldables from the Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 on get 7 years. The S20 to S23 series and the Z Fold5 and Z Flip5 get about 5 years. The A series differs by model: the A54 and A55 5G get about 5 years, and the A56 5G gets 6. Updates for the Galaxy S21 ended around February 2026, and the S22's end around February 2027. The other Galaxy phones safeuntil tracks are on its Samsung page.

How long Pixel phones get updates

Google states the rule on its Pixel updates page. Pixel 8 and later get updates for 7 years. Pixel 6, 6 Pro, 6a, 7, 7 Pro, 7a and Fold get 5 years. For a Pixel, release means the month the model went on sale on the US Google Store. Google lists that month for each model but gives no end date. So I added 5 or 7 years to that month to get the end month.

Bars on one timeline: Pixel 6 to Pixel 11, from going on sale on the US Google Store to the end of security updates (open full-size image)
Sources: Google's Pixel updates page and its list of when each Pixel became available. As of October 25, 2026.

By Google's rule, the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro get security updates through October 2026. The end is known only to the month, so safeuntil counts a Pixel 6 as getting updates until October 31, 2026. Google lists the Pixel 5a with 5G and every older Pixel as no longer getting updates. The other Pixels safeuntil tracks are on its Google page.

How long iPhones get updates

Apple does not announce when each iPhone stops getting security updates. Its security releases page only lists which models each update is for. It does state a period in the statements it files under the UK's product security law (PSTI). Each statement for the iPhone 11 and later promises support for at least 5 years from the day the model was first supplied in the UK.

The iPhone 11 still gets updates after Apple's 5-year minimum ended. That minimum ended in September 2024. Yet the iOS 27 security update, released on September 14, 2026, still supports the iPhone 11. Apple released the iPhone 8 on September 22, 2017. On May 11, 2026, about 8.6 years later, it still got a security update: iOS 16.7.16.

The newest security update for each model, as of October 27, 2026:

ModelNewest security update
iPhone 8, 8 Plus, XiOS 16.7.16 (May 11, 2026)
iPhone XS, XS Max, XRiOS 18.7.11 (October 26, 2026)
iPhone 11 to iPhone 17eiOS 26.7.2 or iOS 27.2 (October 26, 2026)
iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro MaxiOS 27.2 (October 26, 2026)

iPhone 11 to iPhone 17e run either iOS 26 or iOS 27, and each version gets its own updates. On iOS 26 the newest security update is iOS 26.7.2, and on iOS 27 it is iOS 27.2.

Because Apple announces no end date, safeuntil gives each iPhone an "Estimate threshold" month. That month is safeuntil's estimate, not a date from Apple. It is 6 months after the last security update. If Apple's 5-year minimum ends later, the threshold is the month that minimum ends. The iPhone 8's "Last security patch" is May 11, 2026, so its threshold is November 2026. With no update by then, the safeuntil page changes its label to "Likely ended (estimate)".

How to check that your phone has the newest update

  • iPhone: open Settings, General, Software Update to see the installed iOS version (Apple). Compare it with the table above.
  • Galaxy: open Settings, Software update, Last update. It shows the security patch level as a date (Samsung).
  • Pixel: open Settings, About phone, Android version, and look for "Android security update" (Google). A Pixel with the October 2026 update shows 2026-10-05 (Pixel security bulletin).

When your phone's updates have ended

Install the last update your maker released for it. After the end date, fixes for problems found later may never reach it.

If you buy a used phone, look up its end date before you agree on a price. Bought today, a Galaxy S22 gets security updates until about February 2027, and an S24 until about January 2031.

FAQ

Do OS upgrades and security updates end at the same time? Not always on Galaxy phones. endoflife.date notes that Samsung's guaranteed Android upgrades usually end before its security updates, and never after.

Can my carrier or country change the timing? Yes. Samsung says the availability and timing of updates may vary by market, network provider and model. Some carriers may only support quarterly updates for models Samsung updates monthly. Google says Pixel updates roll out gradually, depend on carrier and device, and may take a few weeks to arrive.

Sources

Dates are as each source gives them: Google's Pixel pages as months, its Pixel bulletin for October as published October 6, 2026, Samsung's newsroom post as January 18, 2024 (its page date), and Apple's security releases page, UK statements and newsroom post as calendar dates with no time zone. endoflife.date gives calendar dates but calls most of its Samsung update end dates approximate to the year.

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