Summary
- Google offers seven years of software updates on the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, but not on older Google phones like the Pixel 5 and 4a (5G).
- The latest bugfixing update for the Pixel 5 and 4a (5G) is minor and doesn’t change the security patch.
- Without constant security patches, the Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 become more vulnerable to exploits and may require an upgrade when Android 15 arrives.
Google may offer seven years of software updates on the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, but this policy is brand-new. Older Google phones don’t benefit from this generous support window. This is also true for the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a (5G), both of which were released in 2020 and aren’t updated by Google anymore since late 2023. Google usually still provides at least one last bugfixing update after that official cutoff date, though. This week, one such update is rolling out to the Pixel 5 and 4a (5G).
As usual, the bugfixing update is as minor as it gets, and it doesn’t even bump up the security patch that the two phones are on. Not even the build number changes much, with the new version just appending a .B2 to the end of the UP1A.231105.001 release. Google hasn’t released an official changelog, making it unclear exactly what issues the company resolved with the new version.
If you still use the Pixel 4a (5G) or the Pixel 5, this update has the potential to fix some lingering or underlying problems. It could make it possible to comfortably hold on to the handset until Android 15 comes around, which neither phone will get. At that point, it might be time to upgrade to a newer phone. Without a constant inflow of new security patches, the Pixel 4a (5G) and the Pixel 5 are more vulnerable to exploits with every passing month.
The Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a (5G), and Pixel 5 next to each other
Note that the Pixel 4a (5G) is a different phone from the Pixel 4a. The latter was released a few months earlier and, as the naming scheme implies, doesn’t support 5G. It stopped receiving updates in August 2023 and is still on Android 13.
You can download the update on the Pixel 4a (5G) and the Pixel 5 by heading to the system section in system settings and tapping the system update entry. The updates are also available as a factory image or an OTA update on Google’s developer website.
The Pixel 5a is next in line to stop getting updates
The next phone in line to stop receiving updates is the Pixel 5a. According to Google’s support page, it’s guaranteed to get updates until August 2024. Given that the Pixel 5a launched with Android 11 and received three Android version updates already, it’s very unlikely to get Android 15 with that last update.
With the Pixel 6 and 7 series and the Pixel Fold, the situation is slightly better. While all these phones are currently only guaranteed to get three full Android version upgrades as well, they are slated to get security patches for two additional years. They won’t get new platform features as part of future Android releases once they’ve received three updates, but at least they will continue to get security patches for two more years after that.
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