Google's Pixel 4 Smartphones Just Got Their Final Guaranteed Update

pcmag.com:

The October 2022 Google Pixel Update has just been released(Opens in a new window), and it counts as the final guaranteed update for anyone still using a Pixel 4 or Pixel 4 XL smartphone.

As Android Police reports(Opens in a new window), Google switched to guaranteeing five years of updates with the launch of the Pixel 6, but earlier generations of Pixel smartphone are limited to three years(Opens in a new window). For the Pixel 4, that guaranteed support ran out with the October 2022 monthly update.

For Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL owners, nothing really changes in the short term. Your device is as up-to-date as all the other Pixel smartphones running Android 13. However, the monthly updates will now stop and Google will, like it has with previous phones, offer a final patch for the Pixel 4 models in the near future. That's likely to arrive by January next year.

Google discontinued the Pixel 4 models back in August 2020—just nine months after they launched. At the time they had class-leading cameras and a 90Hz display, but lacked storage options and battery life was poor. The Pixel 4 XL also suffered a problem where the glass back would start peeling off.

What followed was the much more impressive Pixel 4a, which owners will be happy to hear has guaranteed Android and security update support until August 2023. If you own the 5G version, that support extends to November 2023. And if you think now is the right time to upgrade to a new Android phone, hold out a couple of extra days and see if the Pixel 7 is worth waiting for.

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