That's it for smartphones: LG shuts down last update server
Over, over, over: From the end of June, the last LG smartphones will no longer receive updates.
The Wing was one of the last LG smartphones.
(Image: c't)
Following the end of the smartphone division in April 2021, the company has now announced that the last update servers will be mothballed. The LG Bridge PC software will also be discontinued.
LG's last gasp in the smartphone business
In the company's South Korean support announcement, which was discovered by Android Authority, the company writes that it will definitely be over from June 30, 2025: With the shutdown of the last servers, the company will not be able to deliver OTA updates, nor bug fixes, let alone new Android versions to the last LG devices on the market
The LG Bridge PC software, which can be used to create backups and restore smartphones, will also be discontinued. The application was also used to install software updates. The company therefore recommends installing any device updates before the aforementioned deadline.
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LG has kept its update promise
After the withdrawal, LG had promised to provide its high-end G and V series smartphones as well as the Velvet and Wing models with up to three Android updates. Selected models from the K series and the Stylo from 2020 were to receive two version updates. LG has kept this promise and enabled top devices to jump to Android 13.
The last LG smartphones were produced until July 31, 2021, in order to “fulfill existing commitments to mobile operators”, the company announced at the time. Since then, the company has completely withdrawn from the production of smartphones and focused on other business areas such as consumer electronics, household appliances and vehicle technologies.
One of the last attempts to turn the smartphone division around was the striking Wing model. It had two screens, one of which could be tilted 90 degrees. However, as c't colleague Robin Brand wrote in his review of the LG Wing, the second display did not provide any added value in everyday use. One of the manufacturer's last highlights was the Nexus 5 from 2013, which was created in collaboration with Google and was not outwardly recognizable as an LG smartphone.
The manufacturer's merits should not be underestimated: for many years, LG was regarded as one of the more innovative smartphone manufacturers, revitalizing the market with special shapes and display technologies such as the G Flex or the modular LG G5.
(afl)
