Android’s extra Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 updates weren’t just because of Tensor

In December 2024, owners of older Pixel devices were greeted with a great surprise when the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 received a lifespan extension. Both devices were set to get three years of guaranteed updates with the Pixel 6 entering its end of life, but Google extended that at the last minute to five years, giving it a lifeline for two more years. The Pixel 7 will last for an extra two years too, taking it through to 2027.

While this isn’t as many as the Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 series, which both get seven years of upgrades, this surprise is a boon for owners of the older phones. Google didn’t share in December why it made the decision, but many assumed it was connected to the Tensor chipset that was first introduced in the Pixel 6 series. Google says that is part of it, but it’s also due to development changes within the Android team.

Google’s President of the Android Ecosystem, Sameer Samat, spoke to Android Police at MWC 2025 confirming the company’s move to Trunk Stable development allowed for the extension on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7.

“Trunk Stable development means that everyone working on Android is contributing to the same branch of code,” said Samat. “We can build the entire system more regularly and more often. That’s opposed to all working on different branches, and then we merge them all at the end. Then we need a lot of time to work out problems and challenges.”

“We found that by moving to that model, we were able to gain a lot of efficiency. As a result of having those older devices in the same development model, we were able to apply the new capabilities back to those devices in a much simpler form.

“That’s opposed to integrating everything, and then you go back to an older branch where you try to use an older device and try to rework it. Instead, we’re doing all of it at the same time, simultaneously. It was a nice surprise that we were able to do that.”

Speaking to the introduction of Tensor and its impact on the decision, Samat says it was part of it, but it wasn’t the whole story. Samat said, “I think having one consistent chipset across the entire Pixel base is a part of it. But in this case, I would say the software development model was a really big part as well.”

The Pixel 6 will see updates until October 2026, while the Pixel 7 series will go through to 2027. Google’s now promising seven years of updates on its flagship phones, with the Pixel 9 getting a guarantee of new Android software until 2031, and the Pixel 10 expected to follow suit by getting updates until 2032.

Will we ever see updates beyond seven years?

Could Google ever extend its software support beyond the seven-year promise that has taken over Android? Samat’s team is unsure, but they’re open to it if they can find efficiencies to make it work. Samat said, “We will have to see. We know it’s something people care deeply about. But we’ll have to see what’s possible.”

For now, seven years of software updates allow Google to match its main competition with Apple’s iPhone, which has historically been the market leader at keeping its older devices on its newest software. Since Google made its change, Samsung and Honor have now both begun promising seven years of updates on flagship phones.

We’ve yet to see any other manufacturers match Google, Samsung and Honor, but we’re hopeful the increased competition for longer software support will continue to rage so we see further promises from other Android makers.