Apple iPhone 15 is guaranteed fewer updates than the Galaxy S24

Apple has long been the leader when it comes to software updates for mobile devices. While Apple never made any official guarantees, every iPhone tends to receive five major iOS updates and 7+ years of security updates (the iPhone 7, for example, launched in 2016 and still gets security updates).

Story continues after the video…

Galaxy flagships, on the other hand, were eligible for four major Android OS upgrades and five years of security updates until the Galaxy S24 series came along, with Samsung promising to deliver seven major Android OS upgrades and seven years of security updates to the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and S24 Ultra.

While Apple could take a page out of Samsung's book in the future, the Cupertino company has not changed its policy for existing iPhones, just like Samsung didn't extend the seven-year update policy to flagships launched before the Galaxy S24.

As part of complying with a new regulation that went into effect in the UK last month, Apple revealed that the defined support period for the iPhone 15 series is a “minimum 5 years from the first supply date.” This defined period applies to both OS and security updates, meaning the iPhone 15 series is not guaranteed any updates after 2028.

Of course, Apple will likely continue providing security updates for the iPhone 15 for more than five years, similar to what it has done for older iPhones, and right now, with Samsung only promising seven years of updates to Galaxy S24 buyers, Apple hasn't lost its lead.

We can expect the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 to be eligible for seven years of updates as well, but Samsung will probably have to extend the policy to mid-range devices before it claim to offer better/longer support than its archrival. Whether or not it will do so anytime soon remains to be seen, though we are keeping our fingers crossed.