Do you think seven years of software support on the Pixel 8 is overkill?

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Mariyan Slavov
Mariyan Slavov
Phonearena team
Original poster
• 1y ago

Well, what do you know? As it turns out, Google thinks that you, people, are going to use Pixel phones for seven years. One of the hottest topics after the launch of the Pixel 8 series was and still is the super-long software support cycle. What's going on? Most surveys show that people use their phones for around two years before switching to the next model. So, is this a PR move? Or an attempt to beat Apple and Samsung in the numbers game? What do you think about it?

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ArdmAnn
ArdmAnn
Arena Apprentice
• 1y ago
↵MariyanSlavov said:

Well, what do you know? As it turns out, Google thinks that you, people, are going to use Pixel phones for seven years. One of the hottest topics after the launch of the Pixel 8 series was and still is the super-long software support cycle. What's going on? Most surveys show that people use their phones for around two years before switching to the next model. So, is this a PR move? Or an attempt to beat Apple and Samsung in the numbers game? What do you think about it?

Smartphone users and reviewers has been complaining and pleading for long term software support and now to yield to users pleading and setting an example for as a good software company and smartphone manufacturer who take user experiences seriously they gave us longer software supports than the rests in the industry and yet we are still complaining it overkill and we don't need it, little do we forget these phones will still be used and purchased by millions years after their release. Hypocrisies of Humans

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Raykv23
Raykv23
Arena Apprentice
• 1y agoedited
↵MariyanSlavov said:

Well, what do you know? As it turns out, Google thinks that you, people, are going to use Pixel phones for seven years. One of the hottest topics after the launch of the Pixel 8 series was and still is the super-long software support cycle. What's going on? Most surveys show that people use their phones for around two years before switching to the next model. So, is this a PR move? Or an attempt to beat Apple and Samsung in the numbers game? What do you think about it?

The same people who complains about Pixel 8's seven year software updates are the same ones complaining about Android's notorious short life span. Some people are just plain hypocrites.

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Mariyan Slavov
Mariyan Slavov
Phonearena team
Original poster
• 1y ago
↵ArdmAnn said:

Smartphone users and reviewers has been complaining and pleading for long term software support and now to yield to users pleading and setting an example for as a good software company and smartphone manufacturer who take user experiences seriously they gave us longer software supports than the rests in the industry and yet we are still complaining it overkill and we don't need it, little do we forget these phones will still be used and purchased by millions years after their release. Hypocrisies of Humans

Don't get me wrong; I'm not complaining, just asking a few questions. Obviously, in my line of work, I rarely keep a phone for too long, but I wouldn't mind using a Pixel for seven years, IF it works just like in the beginning.


We don't have much info about the Tensor chipsets and Pixel hardware of late and how it ages with different Android versions. For what it's worth, this move may shake the second-hand market for Pixels, if nothing else. And it could potentially force other big players to try and match the seven-year pledge.

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ArdmAnn
ArdmAnn
Arena Apprentice
• 1y ago
↵MariyanSlavov said:

Don't get me wrong; I'm not complaining, just asking a few questions. Obviously, in my line of work, I rarely keep a phone for too long, but I wouldn't mind using a Pixel for seven years, IF it works just like in the beginning.


We don't have much info about the Tensor chipsets and Pixel hardware of late and how it ages with different Android versions. For what it's worth, this move may shake the second-hand market for Pixels, if nothing else. And it could potentially force other big players to try and match the seven-year pledge.

I like what you said regarding the second-hand markets, because not everyone can't afford flagships when they are released and many people purchases those phones as second-hand phones few years after their release. Second-hand market share and loyalty is one important thing Smartphone Companies should keep in mind and software support is what will determine it.

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AsweAre
AsweAre
Arena Apprentice
• 1y ago
↵MariyanSlavov said:

Well, what do you know? As it turns out, Google thinks that you, people, are going to use Pixel phones for seven years. One of the hottest topics after the launch of the Pixel 8 series was and still is the super-long software support cycle. What's going on? Most surveys show that people use their phones for around two years before switching to the next model. So, is this a PR move? Or an attempt to beat Apple and Samsung in the numbers game? What do you think about it?

It is the flagship phone so it's going to be a lot of out updates and edits. So I think 7 years support service is just fine

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Crispin_Gatieza
Crispin_Gatieza
Arena Master
• 1y ago

Personally I think 5 years is a reasonable amount of time for product support but it’s great that Google will do 7. It’s foolish to think anyone would hold onto a smartphone for that long so I’m guessing Google wants to brag about activations a couple of years from now. Ford did ad campaigns many years ago touting 97% of F-150s sold in the previous 10 years were still on the road. Never mind that OEM parts were no longer available for some of those trucks nor did it say anything about the trucks still being with the original owners. Imagine the Pixel 14 being released and Google saying “hey, that Pixel 8 you bought back in ‘23 is still going strong and still supported. Imagine how far this one will take you.”

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rites
rites
Arena Apprentice
• 1y ago

Why not? Apple supports iPhones up to the point where the hardware can no longer support the software.

But... The actual issue here is that we consumers have allowed companies to make us believe that you have to change phones every 2 years in the first place.

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0man22
0man22
Arena Apprentice
• 1y ago

ANY phone should receive needed updates $1000 phones should get a decade of updates and sub 500 Should get at least 5yrs. It's most people's most important and sometimes only computer. Why wouldn't there be needed support for long periods of time?

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TheRealDuckofDeath
TheRealDuckofDeath
Arena Master
• 1y ago

It's hypocrisy, smoke and mirrors.


My 16 years old reserve-reserve laptop is still getting free updates and they are always faultlessly and timely delivered every second Tuesday of every month. Started on Windows Vista, got free upgrades to 7, 8, 8.1, 10. What did I pay for that old Acer laptop? Less than 400 bucks.


Promising 7 years of untimely updates, when it was Google themselves who deliberately sabotaged the built-in self-updating design of Linux, to get rich on planned obsolesce in collusion with global network operators, is bollox.


Fix the automatic software updating feature to give everybody over a decade of free updates instead of this. I'd even argue that Google should be put on trial for ecosystem abuse, by delivering zero updates to competitors while selling their own mediocre trash with these nonsense promises. Google needs to be destroyed as an ecosystem leader. Now that they feel like Android can't grow its usage share compared to iOS, they start sabotaging access for all OEMs in an attempt to take the whole Android cake for themselves.

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