Your Android phone may expire sooner than you think, simple check shows when

Android phones remain the most popular on the planet, and it's not hard to see why. They are often cheaper than Apple devices, can be adapted and customised more easily plus there's a much wider range of handsets available due to the huge number of manufacturers making them. There is just one confusing issue as different devices are supported for different amounts of time.

For example, newer Galaxy S26 models and Google Pixel phones receive up to seven years of Android and security updates. By comparison, some older Galaxy A-series devices only receive around four years of support. Certain phones from manufacturers such as Xiaomi and Motorola may only receive updates for three years.

While the device itself won’t suddenly stop working, it will eventually stop receiving important security patches and software updates — and that can happen sooner than many people expect.

Android updates generally fall into two categories. The first is major Android version updates, which Google releases every year and which introduce new features, improvements and changes to the operating system.

The second type is security updates. These are released throughout the year and are designed to fix vulnerabilities, patch bugs and protect devices from potential threats.

Many Android manufacturers, including Samsung and Google, have extended the length of time they support their phones in recent years. However, plenty of older devices don’t receive the same level of support.

If you’re unsure how much life your Android phone has left, there’s a simple way to check.

First, find your exact phone model by opening the Settings menu. Then visit endoflife.date, where you can see a list of devices, their expected support periods and when updates are scheduled to end.

The site also uses amber and red warnings to highlight when a device is approaching the end of support or has already reached it.

Even after a phone reaches its end of life, it can still be used for basic tasks such as making calls and sending messages. However, it will no longer receive new features or security improvements, which could leave it more vulnerable to cyber threats.

As TechAdvisor explains, continuing to use an unsupported device can be especially risky for activities such as online banking, shopping, accessing email accounts or storing passwords. Unpatched security flaws may eventually be exploited by malware.

It’s worth checking your phone’s update timeline now so you know when support is ending — and when it might be time to consider upgrading to a newer device.