- Google's Pixel 9 series is promised seven years of updates, covering major Android releases, security patches, and feature drops.
- The Pixel 9 was launched with a year-old Android version, causing debate about its update timeline.
- The new devices are in line to get Android 21, but whether they'll get Android 22 depends on Google's release schedule.
Google said last year that new Pixel devices would receive up to seven years of upgrades. This covers major Android releases, security patches, and feature drops, which come quarterly. It is more than any other smartphone manufacturer and a challenging promise to keep for a firm like Google, which is notorious for shutting down projects. So will Pixel 9 series get the same treatment in terms of updates, or will its life get cut short? Let’s discuss.
New Phone, Same Old Flavor
Typically, Google releases the new version of Android somewhere around September, and their new phone just a month after it, in October. But this year, Google couldn’t wait till Halloween and launched the Pixel 9 series in August, shipping them with a year-old Android 14. This sparked a lot of debate online about whether these new Pixels will receive an additional year of updates over the Pixel 8.
It’s unclear why the company released their phone earlier than they usually do. One possibility is that Android is not the highlight for Google anymore. And now, they want us to only focus on the AI side of things. Android 15 Beta has already been pretty lackluster and not as exciting as Android updates usually go. Plus, AI has been front and center, during the Pixel 9 launch event and their Google I/O held in May.
Update Timeline For Pixel 9 Devices
If we go by Google’s official support page, then all the new Pixel devices, including the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will be supported for the next seven years, from the date of launch. That means, all these devices will receive regular updates till August 2031. Based on this, here is a timeline of when the Pixel 9 will receive new Android updates.
Year Android Version 2024 Launched with Android 14 (Will receive Android 15) 2025 Android 16 2026 Android 17 2027 Android 18 2028 Android 19 2029 Android 20 2030 Android 21 2031 Android 22 (Not confirmed)
The last one is speculative because Google mentions that the phones receive updates till August 2031. So, if Android 22 gets delayed by a month, the Pixel 9 will miss out on the last major update.
Will Pixel 9 Get Android 22?
From the chart, you can see that the Phone will continue to receive updates till August 2031. So, the devices are confirmed to get Android 21 at the very least. But any point after this is a gray area. As I mentioned above, Google’s Android releases are usually scheduled for a September release. So if this trend continues till 2031, then the Pixel 9 devices might not see Android 22.
Google’s odd choice to release the Pixel 9 with Android 14 and its early release has become a cause of confusion among the community. Now we’ll only have to wait till 2031 to find out whether the Pixel 9 gets its promised updates, or even proper full-fledged updates for that matter. But what are your views on the matter? Let us know in the comments.
