Germany wants smartphone makers to offer 7 years of updates
Eric Zeman / Android Authority
TL; DR
- A new proposal by the federal government calls on smartphone brands to offer security updates for seven years.
- This is two years longer than the EU’s own proposals.
Samsung has paved the way for Android smartphone updates lately, promising three years of operating system updates as well as four years of security patches for its most notable devices. This is an important step in the right direction, but it looks like the German government wants manufacturers to go further.
Germany is now urging smartphone manufacturers to deliver security patches and spare parts availability for seven years, Heise Online reported. A government spokesman also told the outlet that replacement parts should be made available “at a reasonable price”. This proposed security update commitment is two years longer than the European Commission’s own proposals.
Heise Online adds that the industry association DigitalEurope, which represents Samsung, Huawei and Apple among others, rejects the German proposal. More precisely, the association proposes that three years of security patches and two years of operating system updates remain the required standard.
It’s worth noting that the security update obligation doesn’t just apply to smartphone brands, as chipset manufacturers and vendors can also act as bottlenecks for update promises. So we hope that these players will also be on board with longer update promises. It also stands to reason that other markets could receive patches for seven years if manufacturers in Germany are actually forced to meet this obligation.
Do you think smartphone manufacturers will have to offer security updates for more than three years? Let us know via the poll below.
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