Google won’t be rolling out any further software updates for the Nexus 6 or the Nexus 9, the company has confirmed. Neither device will get the Android 7.1.2 update that was announced on Monday, though they will continue to get security patches for some time.
One of the biggest advantages to buying a Nexus device is speedy Android upgrades. Like the new Pixel lineup, Nexus devices are first in line for Google’s latest software releases, but the company can only support its smartphones and tablets for so long.
Now that the Nexus 6 and the Nexus 9 are over two years old, neither will receive another Android upgrade, according to Droid-Life, which had the news confirmed by Google. They won’t even get the upcoming upgrade to Nougat.
That’s Android 7.1.2, which is an “incremental maintenance release focused on refinements, so it includes a number of bugfixes and optimizations, along with a small number of enhancements for carriers and users,” Google says.
Of course, the other great thing about Nexus handsets is that they’re well-supported by the community. Just because Google won’t be providing them with official releases, it doesn’t mean future Android upgrades won’t be available from third parties.
And for at least another year or so, they will continue to receive official Android security patches.
