Not just Google and Samsung: other smartphone makers will also be able to update their devices for 7 years

Google and Samsung are the first Android smartphone makers to start offering 7 major operating system updates. Google has introduced the Longevity GRF programme, which allows chipset manufacturers like Qualcomm to support their platforms with Android updates for up to 7 years. This will allow other smartphone manufacturers to support their devices for as long as Google and Samsung.

Here's What We Know

The GRF (Google Requirements Freeze) programme, launched in 2020, already allowed Android updates to be supported for 3 years by freezing vendors' software requirements. This reduced engineering costs and simplified the update process.

The Longevity GRF now extends this to 7 years, meaning that devices with chipsets that support this programme will be able to receive Android updates for 7 OS versions. However, device manufacturers will have to update the Linux kernel version every 3 years to meet Google's security requirements.

The first chipset to support Longevity GRF is the recently announced Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite.

The programme aims to allow more manufacturers to offer long term support for their devices, as Google and Samsung do. However, it could also limit support for new hardware features added to new versions of Android.

Source: Android Authority