5 years of updates: How smartphone manufacturers deal with the new EU regulation

With the introduction of the EU's new Ecodesign Regulation on June 20, smartphone manufacturers are facing new challenges. Among other things, they are now obliged to provide their devices with functional and security updates for five years after the end of sales. Heise online asked manufacturers whether they are up to the task.

Heise online contacted Apple, Google, Samsung, Motorola, Nothing, OnePlus, Sony, Honor, Asus, Xiaomi, HMD and Oppo. The last three companies – i.e. Xiaomi, HMD and Oppo – have not responded to our inquiries even after almost two weeks and another inquiry.

Only Apple does not officially promise an update

All Android manufacturers from whom heise online received responses assured us that they would adhere to the EU requirements and provide their new products with updates for at least five years after the end of sales. Some of them, such as Google, Samsung, Fairphone – at least from the new model – or Honor (for the top models) also promise seven years of updates from the start of sales. As products are usually taken off the shelves after one year in favor of a new generation, these manufacturers offer an update guarantee of six years from the end of sales.

Google names specific models that already comply with the Ecodesign Regulation with regard to the update guarantee: These include the Pixel 8a, Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL and the Pixel 9a. Industry leader Samsung mentions the current Galaxy S25 series by name in its statement, but other models – now also receive six years of system updates and security patches, including entry-level devices from the manufacturer such as the Galaxy A16, which costs less than 200 euros. This was previously a rarity in this price range. Also on board: The OnePlus 13 series announced in January complies with the specifications, according to the manufacturer. However, OnePlus promises four years of Android updates and six years of security patches. In view of the fact that the EU is demanding the aforementioned five years of Android updates, the manufacturer would have to go one better.

Companies such as Asus, Sony and Motorola, which are known for their rather short update supply, will also have to comply with the EU requirements in future. However, it is not clear whether Motorola will continue to sell its cheaper G and E series models in full in the EU. The manufacturer has so far only supplied a system update for these. The company did not respond to our inquiries.

The only company that does not want to be tied down by the EU when it comes to the update guarantee is Apple. The company already fulfills the requirement, but continues to refrain from making a concrete update promise. When asked, the company merely referred to its existing practice for security patches for old devices and its longevity approach. In view of the fact that there is not a particularly good atmosphere between Apple and the EU due to the forced break-up of the iPhone ecosystem, this reaction should come as little surprise.

Higher prices, more bloatware, fewer models?

We also asked whether manufacturers were considering increasing the prices of their devices, launching fewer models in the EU and pre-installing more third-party apps – also known as bloatware –. Hardly any company wanted to answer this directly. Only Nothing said: "Nothing stands for a clear, minimalist and monochrome user experience. There will be no pre-installed third-party apps." The company is also not planning any price increases: "Instead, we are continuously optimizing our supply chain to offer our users the best possible price-performance ratio."

The situation is similar for Google when it comes to bloatware. Only Google's own applications are pre-installed on the Pixel devices. Fairphone is also known for not pushing any additional apps onto its devices.

Samsung's response to these questions was not very informative: "We generally welcome initiatives that promote the efficiency and long-term usability of electronic devices. We cannot and do not wish to speculate on future cost, price and portfolio developments resulting from this, as they are influenced by many factors."

Similar statements were also made by manufacturers such as Honor, Motorola and Sony. Honor said the following about future products: "We re-evaluate our prices with every product. We evaluate according to many criteria, such as the expected sales volume, manufacturing costs, logistics and so on. All of these factors are constantly in flux, which is why prices could naturally change."

Honor is also not planning any changes to the portfolio or a reduction in the model range. However, all of the manufacturer's models have never been offered in the EU. When asked about the availability of future models and pre-installed apps, Sony simply replied: "We do not make any statements about future models."

Nevertheless, Sony was optimistic that it would be able to meet the deadlines for the provision of future updates. With the Ecodesign Regulation, the EU stipulates that updates must be made available on devices no later than six months after publication in the AOSP (Android Open Source Project). All of the companies surveyed want to be able to meet these requirements.

(afl)