Your Android phone has an expiration date—here's how to find it

Call it planned obsolescence. Call it the need for greed. But your Android phone will eventually stop being functional and useful, even if there's nothing physically wrong with it. Every Android phone has an expiration date, and once you cross it, your device becomes less secure, less compatible, and harder to trust with important data.

Modern Android phones come with a lengthy support promise. Often five or six years. However, if you're buying a used phone or taking advantage of clearance sales on older models, your "bargain" might turn out to be short-lived.

Android phones don’t last forever, but what does that mean?

Is it lights out and game over?

Credit: Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek

When people talk about a phone expiring, what that means can be a little complicated. The first major part of this is the last major Android update the device will receive. For example, I have a Samsung S25 Ultra, which has a seven-year support promise from Samsung. Support ends in 2032, at which point it will no longer get major Android updates.

Is that such a big deal? I have Android devices that are three or four major versions behind, and it hardly makes any difference to their usability. As our friends over at Android Police point out in the video below, these days you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between one major Android release and the next.

Following the end of major Android version updates, the phone will still (probably) get some minor updates for the Android version it's running, and it will still get security updates for that version of Android. So reaching the expiration date is the beginning of the end rather than being the actual end.

Once the phone no longer gets critical security updates at all, and apps no longer support that version of Android, then you can safely say the phone has finally expired.

Quiz 8 Questions · Test Your Knowledge Planned obsolescence on Android and iPhone

Trivia challenge Think your phone is aging naturally? Test how much you know about the tactics keeping you upgrading. iOS Android Software Hardware Industry Begin 01 / 8 Industry What is the primary definition of planned obsolescence in the context of smartphones? A When a phone's battery physically explodes after a set number of charges B A strategy where products are designed or supported to become outdated or less functional over time, encouraging replacement C A legal requirement for manufacturers to stop selling phones after three years D When a phone's screen resolution becomes incompatible with new apps Correct! Planned obsolescence is a deliberate business strategy where a product's useful life is intentionally limited — through hardware design, software support policies, or both. It pushes consumers toward purchasing newer models sooner than they otherwise might need to. Not quite. Planned obsolescence is a deliberate strategy to limit a product's useful lifespan through design or support decisions, not a physical failure or legal mandate. It's a business model choice, and it's why your two-year-old phone can suddenly feel sluggish after a software update. Continue 02 / 8 iOS In 2017, Apple admitted to a controversial software practice affecting older iPhones. What was it? A Disabling the front camera on iPhones older than two years B Intentionally reducing app store access for devices running iOS 10 or older C Throttling CPU performance on older iPhones with degraded batteries without informing users D Automatically deleting photos on iPhones that had not been backed up to iCloud Correct! Apple admitted in December 2017 that it had been throttling processor speeds on older iPhones with degraded batteries. The stated reason was to prevent unexpected shutdowns, but the lack of transparency sparked a massive public backlash and multiple lawsuits. Apple eventually offered discounted battery replacements and added battery health transparency features to iOS. Not quite. Apple admitted in 2017 that it was secretly throttling the CPU performance of older iPhones when their batteries degraded. While Apple framed it as a protection measure against unexpected shutdowns, the hidden nature of it led to global outrage, class-action lawsuits, and a landmark settlement. Continue 03 / 8 iOS How much did Apple pay to settle a U.S. class-action lawsuit related to its iPhone throttling controversy? A $25 million B $113 million C $500 million D $1.2 billion Correct! Apple agreed to a $500 million settlement in 2020 to resolve a U.S. class-action lawsuit over the iPhone throttling scandal. Affected iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, and SE owners were eligible for payouts, though the per-device amounts were relatively modest. Not quite. Apple settled the U.S. class-action throttling lawsuit for $500 million in 2020. While that sounds like a lot, the individual payouts for affected iPhone users were small — typically around $25 per device — a sum many critics felt was a slap on the wrist for a trillion-dollar company. Continue 04 / 8 Software How many years of major OS updates does Apple currently guarantee for new iPhones as of its latest policy commitment? A 3 years B 5 years C 7 years D 10 years Correct! Apple committed to providing 7 years of iOS updates for new iPhones, a policy that aligns it more closely with the extended support Google pledged for its Pixel 8 series. This is a significant shift that gives consumers longer software lifespans and reduces the pressure to upgrade purely for security reasons. Not quite. Apple has committed to 7 years of iOS updates for new iPhones. This was a notable policy update, partly driven by competitive pressure from Google's Pixel 8 promise and increasing scrutiny from regulators in the EU and elsewhere who are pushing for longer device support windows. Continue 05 / 8 Android Which Android phone manufacturer was the first to publicly promise 7 years of OS and security updates for a flagship device? A Samsung B OnePlus C Google D Motorola Correct! Google made headlines when it promised 7 years of Android OS updates and security patches for the Pixel 8 series, launched in 2023. This set a new industry benchmark and put pressure on other manufacturers like Samsung to extend their own support commitments. Not quite. Google was the first major Android manufacturer to promise 7 years of OS and security updates, doing so for the Pixel 8 lineup in 2023. Samsung later followed with a similar 7-year commitment for its Galaxy S24 series, signaling a broader industry shift toward longer software support. Continue 06 / 8 Hardware What hardware limitation most commonly accelerates the perceived obsolescence of a smartphone over time? A Decreasing screen brightness due to LED degradation B Battery capacity loss from repeated charge cycles C SIM card slot corrosion reducing signal strength D RAM chips slowly losing memory capacity over time Correct! Lithium-ion batteries degrade with every charge cycle, typically losing a noticeable portion of their original capacity within two to three years. Since most modern smartphones have non-replaceable batteries, this degradation directly impacts performance and usable screen-on time, making users feel like their device is worn out even when everything else still works fine. Not quite. Battery degradation is the hardware culprit most responsible for making older phones feel obsolete. Lithium-ion cells lose capacity over hundreds of charge cycles, and because most modern phones have sealed, non-replaceable batteries, this often makes an otherwise functional device feel like it needs replacing — which is exactly what manufacturers benefit from. Continue 07 / 8 Industry Which regulatory body fined Apple €25 million in 2020 specifically for slowing down older iPhones without user consent? A The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) B France's DGCCRF (Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention) C The European Commission D The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) Correct! France's DGCCRF fined Apple €25 million in February 2020 for throttling older iPhones without adequately informing customers. It was a landmark ruling under France's consumer protection laws against 'deceptive commercial practices,' and one of the first government-level financial penalties directly tied to the planned obsolescence controversy. Not quite. It was France's consumer watchdog, the DGCCRF, that issued Apple a €25 million fine in 2020 for throttling older iPhones without telling users. This was a significant moment because it was one of the first times a government body imposed a direct financial penalty on Apple specifically for practices linked to planned obsolescence. Continue 08 / 8 Industry What is the 'Right to Repair' movement's primary argument as it relates to planned obsolescence in smartphones? A Consumers should be able to return any phone within 90 days for a full refund regardless of condition B Phone manufacturers should be legally required to release a budget model every two years C Consumers and independent repair shops should have access to parts, tools, and documentation to fix devices rather than being forced to replace them D Manufacturers should be banned from releasing new phone models more than once per year Correct! The Right to Repair movement argues that manufacturers like Apple and Samsung deliberately restrict access to spare parts, repair manuals, and diagnostic software to make independent repairs difficult or impossible. This forces consumers toward costly manufacturer repairs or full device replacements, which critics say is a key pillar of planned obsolescence. Several U.S. states and the EU have begun passing Right to Repair legislation in response. Not quite. The Right to Repair movement centers on the idea that consumers and third-party shops should have access to the parts and information needed to fix devices themselves. Apple and Samsung have historically restricted this access, making repairs expensive or impractical and nudging users toward buying new devices — a core mechanism of planned obsolescence that regulators are increasingly challenging. See My Score Challenge Complete Your Score / 8 Thanks for playing! Try Again

The easiest way to check your phone’s support status

Just Google it

In most cases, if you simply do an internet search for your exact phone model along with a search term like "end of support," you'll get a straight answer. If your phone manufacturer has made a public statement on when the phone will stop receiving updates, it should be easy to find.

If you don't know what model your phone is, you can just look under Settings > About.

Close

Here you can see that my phone's specific model is SM-S938B/DS. Use that from your own phone's About section and search for the end of support date.

Samsung and Google make this especially easy, but other Android brands are much harder to track

Apologies to my hipster phone enthusiasts

Major brands like Samsung and Google make it super easy to find the support date. It's a major selling point for them, so you'll even find the support period included in advertising and spec sheets. Because these companies are so large, they can afford to support their phones for such long periods of time, especially flagship models, where you've essentially paid upfront for the privilege.

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However, mid-range and budget phones don't necessarily have these long 6–7 year support cycles, and phones from smaller brands with fewer resources can have much shorter 2–3-year cycles. More obscure phone makers might not make a clear public commitment, so your phone's support ends when they feel like ending it.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Brand Samsung SoC Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Get the new Galaxy S26 Ultra with AI smarts and an all-new privacy display. It's big, powerful, packed with AI, and you'll love the S-Pen stylus. Display 6.9-inch Dynamic Super AMOLED 2X RAM 12 or 16 GB Storage 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB Battery 5,000 mAh Operating System Android Front camera 12MP f/2.2 Rear camera 200MP f/1.4 main, 50MP f/1.9 ultrawide, 10MP f/2.4 telephoto, 50MP f/2.9 telephoto Dimensions 163.6 x 78.1 x 7.9 mm (6.44 x 3.07 x 0.31 in) Colors Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, Silver Shadow, Pink Gold Weight 214g Charge speed 60W wired Super Fast Charging, 25W wireless Stylus S-Pen

Again, just because your Android phone has reached the end of its support life doesn't mean you have to stop using it right away. As long as it's still getting security updates and the latest versions of apps work on it, just keep using and enjoying your phone.

When the phone is no longer getting security updates, you can still keep using it, but it's not a good idea to use it as your main phone. Don't do things like banking or password management on the device. Instead, you might want to repurpose it as a media player, a smart home controller, or a retro gaming device using emulation. As long as the hardware is still good, you can do something with your phone, but just be circumspect about how sensitive that task is.