Every smartphone has an expiration date. That day arrives when the software updates stop coming and you start missing out on new apps and security protections. With most phones, this used to happen after about only three years.

But things are changing. The new number is seven.

I first noticed this shift when I reviewed Google’s $700 Pixel 8 smartphone in October. Google said it had committed to providing software updates for seven years, up from three years for its previous Pixels as it was the right thing to do.

This year, Samsung set a similar software timeline for its $800 Galaxy S24. Then Google said it would do the same for its $500 Pixel 8A.

Both companies said they had expanded their software support to make their phones last longer. In the past few years, smartphone sales have slowed down worldwide as their improvements have become more marginal. And people want their phones to endure.

Samsung and Google are playing catch-up with Apple, which has provided updates for iPhones for roughly seven years. Google said it had expanded its software commitment for the Pixel 8A because it wanted customers to feel confident in Pixel phones. And Samsung said it would deliver seven years of software updates, which increase security and reliability, for all its Galaxy flagship phones from now on.

Why is this happening?

In the past, Android phone-makers said the process of providing software updates was complicated, so to stay profitable, they dropped support after a few years. But tech companies are now under intense external pressure to invest in making their devices last longer.

In 2021, the US Federal Trade Commission announced it would ramp up enforcement against tech firms that made it difficult to fix and maintain their products. That accelerated the “right to repair” movement, a piece of proposed legislation that required companies to provide the parts, tools and software to extend the lives of their products. In the past few years, states including California, New York, Minnesota and Oregon have enacted such legislation.

Google announced its new commitment for smartphones after it was pressured to make a similar move for its laptops.

What else is needed?

Software updates are a big part of what keeps a phone working well; there are other steps to lengthen their lives.

Replace the phone battery every two years: The lithium-ion batteries in phones have a finite life. After about two years, the amount of charge they can hold diminishes, and it’s wise to replace the battery.

Replacing a battery isn’t easy, so it’s best to get help from a professional. To find repair shops that service Pixel and Galaxy phones, you can contact Google and Samsung on their websites. You could also look up a reputable shop nearby.

For iPhones, customers can schedule a battery replacement appointment at an Apple retail store through the website. But in my experience, repair centres at Apple Stores are a gamble. So, I booked an appointment at a local repair shop.

Protect it: Smartphones are still mostly made of glass, so to make a phone last seven years, it’s wise to invest in a high-quality case. A screen protector is an extra safeguard, though many won’t enjoy how it distorts the picture quality of the screen.

Unless you’re very accident-prone, I recommend against buying extended warranties because their costs can exceed the cost of a repair.

Clean it: Smartphones have few moving parts, so there’s little we have to do to physically maintain them. But most of us neglect cleaning the parts that we rarely look at: charging ports and speaker holes.

Over time, those holes are clogged with dirt, pocket lint, makeup and such things. That built-up debris can make a phone take longer to charge or a phone call more difficult to hear.

“It’s the belly button lint of cellphones,” said Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit, a site that publishes instructions and sells parts to repair electronics. Fortunately, he said, you don’t need a fancy tool. Just use a toothpick to dig out the gunk.

I always recommend buying a product based on the here and now — what it can do for you today, as opposed to what companies say it will do in the future. You should continue to buy a phone based on this principle.

Plenty of people will choose to upgrade sooner for other reasons, like getting a new feature such as a better camera or a longer-lasting battery.

But those who just want to buy a phone that lasts as long as possible should pick one that will be economical to repair when things break. Wiens said Google’s Pixel phones, whose parts are affordable, fit this criterion. Owners of those phones will now have longer-lasting software to keep up with the hardware.

NYTNS