Christine Romero - Chan / Digital Trends
For years , Apple ’s smartphones have hold a decisive upper hired man over Android devices in one all important face : the longevity of the software support cycle . In a nutshell , as long as your phone stay fresh getting updates , it will run just about o.k. .
Brand self-assurance take on a all-important role in vendee behavior , as long - term update documentation means your headphone will not only get novel tricks but also security defect patch up . Notably , Apple is not into the riding habit of quoting how many age it will offer software support for each twist , but it has arrest the pate for a while .
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
But thanks to a regulation in the U.K. , Apple has finally specified a number . It ’s not underwhelming , but it is a goodly two eld behind Android ’s top player . In compliance with the U.K. ’s Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure ( PSTI ) Act , Apple enounce it will provide security update for a lower limit of five year for theiPhone 15 Pro Max , the latest phone in its portfolio .
In the PSTIdeclarationtitled “ Connectable Devices Statement of Compliance , ” the company has assign “ Minimum 5 Years from the first provision date ” as the “ Defined Support Period . ” According to the Security Requirements for Relevant Connectable Products draftguidelinesunder the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Regulations ( 2023 ) , this is the exact definition of a Defined Support Period :
“ The minimum length of metre , expressed as a geological period of sentence with an end date , for which security updates will be provided . ”
Now , OS and security update are two different things . Usually , a company commits to more years of security updates than mainline atomic number 76 updates . That ’s primarily because as the hardware gets older , it is no longer take for powerful enough for next - gen capabilities that are introduced three or four days down the route .
In Apple ’s case , it is committing to a lower limit of five year ’ worth of security update for the iPhone . Google and Samsung , on the other hand , havecommitted to providing security updates for seven years . What ’s impressive is that we are talking about an adequate continuance for software program updates , as well , which mean mainline Google Pixel phones and Samsung flagship will keep getting young software experiences for seven days .
permit ’s say Google introduce the next major Android update in 2028 . The Pixel 8 will be in line of products to get the yearly o upgrade , but it in all likelihood wo n’t get all the same feature that the Pixel flagship of 2028 will receive , principally because of hardware shortcomings . The situation was clearly apparent earlier in 2024 when Google said some of the AI - driven features would be limited to the pricier Pixel 8 Pro and would n’t be check on the entry - point Pixel 8 due to resource limitations .
disregardless , that does n’t take away from how far the Android world has hail in this regard . Apple used to have a exculpated and unrivaled lead for software update . Now , it ’s openly admitting defeat to both Google and Samsung . What strange times we live in .
