Last year, Google said that new Pixel devices would get seven years of updates. That covers major Android versions, security patches, and feature additions, which arrive every quarter. That’s more than any other smartphone maker and a tough promise to keep for a company like Google, which is known for shutting down projects. Will the Pixel 9 series get the same treatment in terms of updates, or will its lifespan be cut short? Let’s discuss.
New phone, same old taste
Typically, Google releases a new version of Android around September, and its new phone a month later, in October. But this year, Google couldn’t wait until Halloween and launched the Pixel 9 series in August, shipping them with a year-old Android 14. This has sparked a lot of debate online about whether these new Pixels will get an extra year of updates compared to the Pixel 8.
It’s unclear why the company released the phone earlier than usual. One possibility is that Android is not the strong point Google doesn’t want us to focus on AI anymore. And now they want us to focus only on the AI side of things. Android 15 Beta has already been pretty lackluster and not as exciting as Android updates usually are. Plus, AI has been front and center, both at the Pixel 9 launch event and at their Google I/O in May.
Update schedule for Pixel 9 devices
According to Google’s official support page, all new Pixel devices, including the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold, will be supported for the next seven years, starting from the launch date. This means that all of these devices will receive regular updates until August 2031Based on that, here’s 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 (unconfirmed) |
The last one is speculative as Google mentions that the phones will receive updates until August 2031. So if Android 22 is delayed by a month, the Pixel 9 will miss out on the last major update.
Will the Pixel 9 get Android 22?
From the graph, you can see that the phone will continue to receive updates until August 2031. So, the devices are confirmed to get Android 21 at least. But anything after that is a gray area. As I mentioned above, Google’s Android releases are typically scheduled for a September release. So if this trend continues through 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 within the community. We’ll just have to wait until 2031 to find out if the Pixel 9 will receive the promised updates, or even full-fledged updates in its own right. But what’s your take on the matter? Let us know in the comments.
