The Pixel 3 and 3 XL will get one final update early next year
It’s almost time for the Pixel 3 and 3 XL to wave goodbye to updates. The two phones launched in October 2018, so following Google’s policy at the time of 3 years of security patches, they will no longer get them.
Indeed, while the 3-series received Android 12 last month, it was left out of the November 1 patch. There is some good news, however.
Google will deliver one last update to the Pixel 3 and 3 XL. That will happen in the first three months of next year. This will allow for one final round of bugfixes for the 2018 phones.
Next on the chopping block are the Pixel 3a and 3a XL – they will get their final security patch in May of 2022. You can consult this official timetable for the last month of guaranteed security updates. The keyword being “guaranteed”, the 3a duo will probably get one last update later on.
| Phone | Guaranteed Android version updates until at least: | Guaranteed security updates until at least: |
| Pixel 5a with 5G | 08/01/24 | 08/01/24 |
| Pixel 5 | 10/01/23 | 10/01/23 |
| Pixel 4a (5G) | 11/01/23 | 11/01/23 |
| Pixel 4a | 08/01/23 | 08/01/23 |
| Pixel 4 & Pixel 4 XL | 10/01/22 | 10/01/22 |
| Pixel 3a & Pixel 3a XL | 05/01/22 | 05/01/22 |
| Pixel 3 & Pixel 3 XL | 10/01/21 | 10/01/21 |
By the way, the 3a phones arrived under a revised update policy that will see guaranteed Android OS updates also until Mag of 2022.That is true for all Pixel phones up to the 5a 5G. It’s not clear what that means for Android 13, though, the two 3a phones might not even get Android 12L.
Anyway, the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro belong to a different table, their guaranteed OS update period will end in October of 2024 (3 years after launch), their security patches will keep rolling on until October 2026 (5 years). Note that “launch” refers to when they became available in the Google Store in the US, so if any other country gets a particular Pixel later on, that won’t extend the support period.
