Germany Wants Handset Makers To Offer Support For 7 Years

When it comes to smartphone software support, no one does it like Apple. The company has a good track record for supporting their phones for years on end, but it’s a different story for Android phones where depending on the brand and model, it will vary. However, Germany wants to put an end to these discrepancies.

In a report from Heise Online, the country’s government has proposed that handset makers should offer support for their phones for at least seven years. This is an extension of an earlier EU proposal which initially asked for five years worth of software and hardware support, so Germany’s proposal is essentially asking for an additional two more years.

This means that should this be passed into law, handset makers like Apple, Samsung, Google, and so on will have to provide software and security updates for at least seven years, while also ensuring that they have the necessary spare parts to repair the devices in the event that they fail.

We reckon the latter will be quite tricky for supply chain management since usually after a few years, companies tend to focus on newer hardware and might stop keeping older components in stock. However, for those who are fighting for the right to repair, this will be a good thing since it means that parts will still be available years after the phone has been discontinued.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Cellphones
Tags: Android, iOS, iPhone, Legal