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When you buy an Android device, even if it has just hit the market, you are probably on borrowed time when it comes to your manufacturer’s support for it. Sometimes after a year you no longer receive software updates, and after two years you are also abandoned in the arena of security updates. So Germany seems fed up with this situation, and according to a report, it is trying to push the EU to oblige Android makers, and even Apple, to support devices for much longer with security updates.
Manufacturers in the sights of the EU
According to the report, Germany is pushing the EU to enact the new law that will require smartphone manufacturers to provide security updates for at least 7 years, while also ensuring a stock of spare parts. These days the very EU is considering the option of charging manufacturers 5 years of such support, but it seems that Germany wants to challenge technology companies even more.
It is nevertheless important to separate security updates from software updates, especially when we are talking about Android, as these are completely separated from each other at the operating system level. Apple has also decided to adopt this separation, and although it supports iPhones for an average of 5 years with regular updates (more than any other Android maker), it will allow users to receive security updates without updating the operating system – so it is relatively pre-arranged in case of a bill You will pass.
Top of the list of updating Android manufacturers are Google with the Pixel devices that receive regular updates for 3 years from their release to the market (including updates to the operating system) and now also Samsung which promises to provide 4 years of security updates for all its devices released since 2019. Now their devices, they will stay up to date and safe for a long time, so their value will be higher.
Neither the EU nor Germany seem to be trying to push manufacturers to provide software updates throughout this extended support period, but only security updates, so if you’re dreaming of getting Android 19 with the device you bought in 2021 – that’s not the case, even if the bill passes. .
40% of Android users are not even on Android 9 or higher
Those who are not happy about this are a group called DigitalEurope, which demands that the support period be reduced to 3 years of security updates, and limit the spare parts inventory to batteries and monitors only, instead of also providing spare parts for speakers, cameras and other components that may break down over the years. In case you haven’t guessed by now, DigitalEurope is an association that includes 61 technology companies that include Apple, Samsung and Google.
The EU proposal is scheduled to take effect as early as 2023, and could greatly alleviate the problem stemming from the fragmentation of the Android device market: according to StatCounter data from last month, only 40% of Android users run version 9 or higher of the operating system, which means many no longer accept Even security updates are separate and exposed to a host of vulnerabilities and security issues.