How long will my Pixel get security updates?

Every phone has a sell-by date that isn't printed on the box: the day the maker stops sending it security updates. For a Google Pixel that date is fixed and published, so you can check it before you buy. Here's every Pixel from the 6 onwards, what the dates mean, and how to check the phone already in your pocket.

What a security update actually is

A security update is a repair. Every month, people find new holes in phone software, some of them serious enough to let a dodgy website or message get into your phone. The monthly update patches those holes. It isn't about new features or a fresh look. It's the lock on the door being changed after someone's found a way to pick it.

That's why the update date matters more than the camera or the screen. A lovely phone that's stopped getting repairs gets a little less safe every month, and nothing you install can fully make up for it.

The dates, model by model

Google promises 7 years of updates for the Pixel 8 and newer, and 5 years for the Pixel 6 and 7 series. The clock starts when the phone first went on sale on Google's US store. Here's what that works out to, alongside what the GrapheneOS project says about each one:

* Google's rule gives September 2031 for the 9 Pro and 9 Pro Fold; GrapheneOS's own table says August 2031. We've shown the earlier date, which is the safer one to plan around. Dates checked September 2026 against Google's Pixel update page and the GrapheneOS FAQ.

“Recommended” means it's on the GrapheneOS project's list of phones it strongly recommends buying: the Pixel 8 and newer, which have both the longer support and newer security hardware. “Supported” means GrapheneOS still runs on it and keeps it updated, but the project wouldn't tell you to buy one today.

The catch with renewed phones

The date runs from when the model first went on sale, not from when you buy yours. A renewed Pixel 7a bought this week has the same end date as one bought new in 2023: May 2028, so about a year and a half left. A renewed Pixel 8a bought this week runs to May 2031, nearly five years. On price alone the older phone can look like the bargain, but divide what you pay by the years of updates left and the newer one often works out cheaper.

That's the main reason we stopped offering the 7a. The phones we set up now are the Pixel 8a (updates until May 2031) and the Pixel 9 (until August 2031). If you're buying your own, our guide to choosing a Pixel goes through the rest.

What happens after the end date

The phone doesn't stop working. It keeps making calls, taking photos and running your apps. It just stops getting repairs, so each month that passes it falls a bit further behind.

GrapheneOS can't change that. Its developers are clear that they can only fully update a phone while Google is still releasing updates for it. After that they sometimes put out “extended support” releases for a while, but in their words these “cannot provide full security patches” and are a last resort while you plan for a new phone. Official updates usually stop shortly after Google's date, occasionally a few months later, and GrapheneOS says not to count on the extra months.

If you have a Pixel 6 or 6 Pro, that point is next month. It's not an emergency, but it is the time to start thinking about a replacement.

How to check your own phone

This works the same on standard Android and on GrapheneOS:

• Open Settings.
• Tap About phone, then Android version.
• Look at Android security update. It shows a date, such as “5 August 2026”.

If that date is within the last month or two, you're up to date. If it's much older, check for an update: type “update” into the search bar at the top of Settings. If your phone says there's nothing new and the date is months old, your model may have reached its end date. Find it in the table above.

The short version

• Buy a Pixel 8 or newer if you can. You get the longest runway.
• On a renewed phone, check the end date, not just the price.
• Check your own phone's security update date now and then.
• Past the end date? Keep using it for now, and plan the next one.