Is Your Computer or Phone Still Getting Security Updates?

A small window pops up on your laptop: "Your version of Windows has reached end of service." Or your phone's update screen says it's up to date, but the security patch date on it is from last spring. Nothing is broken. Your email opens, your photos are there, the battery lasts the same. So it's fair to wonder whether the warning is just a nudge to buy something new.

Sometimes it more or less is. Other times it means your device has stopped receiving security updates, the fixes that close known holes, and you won't notice any difference until something goes wrong.

This autumn is a busy one for these warnings. Microsoft stopped updating the Home and Pro editions of Windows 11 version 24H2 on October 13, 2026, and a lot of people are still unsure how long they can stay on Windows 10. On top of that, the first Pixel phones covered by Google's five-year promise have now reached the end of it.

This guide gives you a way to check every device in your house in about five minutes, and then sets out the real options, with their costs, for when the answer is "no longer supported." None of them involves buying anything unless you decide to.

What "end of support" actually means

When a company says a product has reached end of support, it is describing what its engineers will stop doing: fixing it. Your laptop or phone keeps working the next morning exactly as it did the night before. Microsoft says so plainly on its Windows 10 end-of-support page: the PC will still run, but there are no more software updates, no security fixes and no technical help, and the risk from viruses and malware goes up.

That last part is the problem. Every month the big platforms publish fixes for security flaws, and the release notes say, in general terms, what was fixed. Once a fix is public, attackers can compare the patched and unpatched versions and work out how to exploit the hole on machines that never got the patch.

A device that has stopped receiving updates doesn't just fall behind on new features. Each month adds more documented weaknesses that will never be closed.

Feature updates versus security updates

Companies often lump two kinds of update together, and it's worth pulling them apart.

A phone stuck on an older Android version that still gets monthly security patches is in much better shape than a phone on a newer version that hasn't had a patch since last year.

So the useful question is when your device last got a security fix, and whether it will get another one. Its age matters far less.

The five-minute check: which devices still get security updates

You don't need any special software for this. Every system shows the information somewhere in its settings, and the table below tells you where to look and what counts as a warning sign.

The menu paths are the ones each maker gives in its own help pages: Google, Samsung, Microsoft and Apple (iPhone, Mac).

Why "three months" for Android

That threshold is my rule of thumb, not an official figure. Google's Pixels and Samsung's flagships get patches roughly every month, so a date three months old means either you haven't installed what's waiting, or the updates have stopped.

Many cheaper phones are on a slower schedule. Samsung, for example, puts the Galaxy S22 series and most A-series models on quarterly updates, so for them a patch from four or five months ago may still be normal.

Once you've written down what each device says, read the section for that device below.

Windows 10 in late 2026: still covered, if you enroll

Here's where a lot of the advice online is out of date. Windows 10 support officially ended on October 14, 2025, and many articles from last year say the paid extension ran out in October 2026. That's not what Microsoft says now.

According to Microsoft's Extended Security Updates page, checked on November 9, 2026, the consumer ESU program runs until October 12, 2027. You can still enroll until that date, and if you were already enrolled your coverage continues on its own, with nothing to do.

If you're on Windows 10 and not enrolled, enrolling is the most useful thing you can do this week. Microsoft offers three ways to pay for it:

• Free, if you're syncing your PC settings to your Microsoft account (the Windows Backup feature).
• 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points, if you have them.
• A one-time payment of $30 (or the local equivalent, plus tax).

One license covers up to 10 devices on the same Microsoft account. Say you have an old family desktop and a laptop, both on Windows 10, signed in with the same account and no Rewards points: you pay $30 once, not $60. If you already sync your settings, you pay nothing.

Who qualifies, and where to find the option

There are conditions. Microsoft's page says the PC must run Windows 10 version 22H2 in the Home, Pro, Pro Education or Pro for Workstations edition, have the latest updates installed, and be signed in with a Microsoft account that has administrator rights and isn't a child account. The license is tied to the account you enroll with.

PCs joined to a work domain or managed by an organization's device management are excluded; those go through their employer's IT department.

Microsoft also notes that the options and timing can differ by region and gives the European Economic Area as an example. If you're in Europe and the screens you see don't match this description, that's probably why.

In practice, you open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. If your PC qualifies, there's an option there to enroll in Extended Security Updates. If you don't see it, the usual culprit is a PC that isn't on 22H2 or is missing recent updates. Install everything Windows Update offers, restart, and look again.

What ESU doesn't cover

A few practical points that save people grief. ESU gives you security fixes only: no new features, and Microsoft's regular support no longer covers Windows 10. Microsoft 365 apps still get security updates on Windows 10 until October 10, 2028, but Office 2016 and Office 2019 lost support in October 2025 regardless of which Windows you use.

Treat ESU as a bridge with a fixed end. October 2027 is less than a year away, so use the time to decide what comes next.

Your options if you're on Windows 10, with real costs

The table below covers the realistic paths. Prices are only listed where the source gives one. I haven't put a figure on a new computer, because the right budget depends on what you do with it.

Checking whether your PC can run Windows 11

Microsoft's minimum requirements are a compatible 64-bit processor at 1 GHz or faster with two or more cores, 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, UEFI firmware with Secure Boot and a TPM 2.0 chip. The free PC Health Check app tells you whether your machine passes.

On paper those numbers are modest. In reality the processor list and the TPM requirement are what rule out many PCs from around 2017 and earlier, even ones that still run perfectly well. Microsoft's Windows 10 page confirms the upgrade itself is free for eligible PCs running 22H2.

ChromeOS Flex for an older laptop

Google describes ChromeOS Flex as a free operating system you install over Windows or macOS on existing hardware, built for the common PCs and Macs of roughly the last ten years. It's officially supported only on models in Google's certified list, so check that list before wiping anything. The paid license mentioned on that page is for organizations that want to manage machines centrally. You don't need it at home.

Linux, if you don't mind learning something new

Linux Mint is the distribution most often suggested to people leaving Windows because its layout looks familiar. The honest answer is that it suits fewer people than its fans claim. I'd only recommend it if most of what you do happens in a browser, or if you enjoy tinkering. If you depend on a particular Windows program, check whether it runs on Linux before you start.

Windows 11: the version number matters too

Many people assume that being on Windows 11 means being safe, full stop. In fact, Windows 11 expires one version at a time. Microsoft supports each yearly version for a fixed period: its Windows 11 release information page says each feature update gets 24 months of support for Home and Pro editions and 36 months for Enterprise and Education.

That's what happened on October 13. In its Windows message center, Microsoft announced that Windows 11 version 24H2 Home and Pro had reached end of updates and that the October 2026 security update was the last one they would get. Its advice is to move to version 25H2 or 26H2. The Enterprise and Education editions of 24H2 continue until October 12, 2027, which explains why your work laptop may still be on 24H2 without any warnings.

Here are the current dates for home editions, taken from Microsoft's release table:

There's also a version called 26H1, but Microsoft says it's meant for new devices launched in early 2026 and isn't offered as an update to existing PCs. If you didn't buy your computer this year, ignore it.

Moving off 24H2

To see your version, press Windows key + R, type winver and press Enter. The small window that opens shows the version (for example, "Version 24H2") and the build number.

If it says 24H2 and you're on Home or Pro, go to Settings > Windows Update and install the feature update you're offered. If there are two choices, pick the newer one: 26H2 is supported a year longer than 25H2.

According to BleepingComputer's report, 26H2 is rolling out in stages. From 24H2 or 25H2 it arrives as a small enablement package that, in Microsoft's words, updates the PC "with a single restart", rather than a full reinstall. That makes it the cheapest fix in the whole article.

If Windows Update doesn't offer anything, check that you have space free on your drive and that no pending updates are stuck, then try again a few days later. Staged rollouts mean not everyone sees the update on the same day.

Phones: how many years of patches you were promised

With phones, the deciding factor is usually how many years of updates the manufacturer promised, and no setting on the phone will extend that. Here is what each of the big three documents.

Google Pixel

Google publishes its policy on its Pixel updates page. The Pixel 8 and every model since get seven years of Android and security updates. The Pixel 6, Pixel 7 and Pixel Fold families get five years. Pixel 5a and older models no longer get any updates.

In both cases the clock starts when the phone first went on sale on the Google Store in the US, not when you bought yours.

Pixel 6 series5

Pixel 7 series5

Pixel Fold5

Pixel 8 series7

Pixel 9 series7

Pixel 10 series7

Guaranteed Android and security updates, by Pixel series (years)

Pixel 6 series	5
Pixel 7 series	5
Pixel Fold	5
Pixel 8 series	7
Pixel 9 series	7
Pixel 10 series	7

Counted from when each model first went on sale on the US Google Store. · Source: Google Pixel Help, About Pixel updates

That start date matters for anyone who bought late. According to Google's list of US availability dates, the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro first went on sale in October 2021, so their five-year window closed in October 2026, even for a phone bought new in 2024. The Pixel 6a arrived in July 2022, so it has until mid-2027. To get the exact month for your model, look it up on that list and add five or seven years.

Samsung Galaxy

Samsung lists its current update schedule on its security updates page. The Galaxy S23, S24, S25 and S26 families, along with recent foldables from the Z Fold5 onward, get monthly patches. The Galaxy S22 series, the S21 FE, the Z Fold4 and Flip4, and most A-series phones are on quarterly patches.

Samsung reviews the list periodically. If your model isn't on it at all, that's a strong sign it's no longer on a regular security update schedule, so finding your model there is the quickest check you can do for a Samsung phone.

For the number of years, Samsung's own announcements are the reference. When the Galaxy S24 series went on sale, Samsung's newsroom said it would get seven generations of OS upgrades and seven years of security updates.

The security page talks about support of "up to" seven years and warns that timing can vary by market, carrier and model. So treat seven years as the upper limit for flagships and check your own model's schedule.

Apple iPhone and Mac

Apple works differently. It doesn't publish a set number of years for each device. What it does publish is a list of every security release, and that list shows Apple often patches older systems for a while after a new one comes out. On October 26, 2026, for example, Apple released iOS 27.2 alongside iOS 26.7.2 and iOS 18.7.11, and macOS Golden Gate 27.2 alongside macOS Tahoe 26.7.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.8.2.

That's reassuring, but Apple makes no promises about it. It doesn't say how long those older branches will keep getting fixes, or whether every fix reaches them.

My practical reading: if your iPhone or Mac can install the current major version, install it. If it can't, keep an eye on that security releases page. When your version stops appearing there, you're on borrowed time.

What the risk looks like in real life

I don't want to overstate this. An unpatched laptop isn't going to be hacked the moment you connect it to Wi-Fi. Most attacks on ordinary people still rely on tricking you: a fake delivery text, a phishing page that looks like your bank, a fake "your device is infected" pop-up. Security updates won't stop you from typing your password into a fake site.

What patches do protect against is the quieter category of attacks that need little or nothing from you: a malicious web page or ad that exploits a browser or system flaw, a booby-trapped document, a file that harms the device just by being previewed. Those are exactly the holes monthly security updates close. On an unpatched device, the list of known ways in grows every month.

The risk also depends on what the device is for. An old laptop that only plays music in the kitchen and never logs into anything is a very different case from the phone that receives your bank's one-time codes and holds your email. I'd be relaxed about the first and strict about the second.

Say your teenager inherits your old phone once its patches have stopped. Used for music and games on home Wi-Fi, it's a modest risk. Signed into the family email, with a payment card in the app store, it becomes the weakest door into accounts the whole household shares. Same phone, very different exposure.

If you can't upgrade or replace it yet

Sometimes a new device just isn't in the budget this year. That's fine. You can still bring the risk down a lot with habits that cost nothing. And because you now know the end date, the replacement is a predictable cost: set a little aside each month in a separate pot rather than counting on your emergency fund, which is meant for the bills you can't see coming.

1. Keep the apps updated even if the system isn't. Browsers and big apps often keep supporting older systems for longer than the system itself is supported. Your browser is the part that faces the internet most, so make sure it's still updating. Look in its "About" page and check that it says it's up to date.
2. Move the sensitive stuff to a supported device. If you have a newer phone or computer in the house, do your banking, tax and email admin there. Use the old device for reading, streaming and video calls.
3. Lock down your accounts as well as the device. A password manager and passkeys mean that even if an old device is compromised, the attacker doesn't get a reused password that opens everything else. Our guide to spotting phishing emails and scam texts explains how passkeys, password managers and two-factor authentication fit together, starting with your email account.
4. Install only from the official app store and only what you actually use. Remove apps you haven't opened in months.
5. Don't open attachments or links on the unsupported device unless you were expecting them. Forward them to a supported device or skip them.
6. Back up anything you'd hate to lose. That covers malware, but also the far more common risk that the old hardware simply dies.

On Windows 10 specifically, all of this comes second to enrolling in ESU, which for most people costs nothing.

A checklist for this week

Here's the order I'd follow for a typical household:

1. On each Windows PC, run winver and write down the version.
2. Any Windows 10 PC: enroll in ESU now (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update).
3. Any Windows 11 PC on 24H2 Home or Pro: install 26H2 (or 25H2 if that's all you're offered).
4. Windows 10 PCs that can't go to Windows 11: run PC Health Check, then try ChromeOS Flex or Linux from a USB stick before ESU ends in October 2027.
5. Each Android phone: read the security update date. Pixel owners, check your model's guarantee on Google's page. Samsung owners, find your model on Samsung's schedule.
6. Each iPhone, iPad and Mac: install the latest version you're offered, and turn on automatic updates.
7. Any device that's out of support: move banking and email to a supported device, and set up a password manager.
8. Add a reminder to your calendar for a month before your next end date, whether that's October 12, 2027 for ESU and 25H2 or your phone's expiry month.

The takeaway

"End of support" sounds like a deadline to buy something. Most of the time the fix is free and takes a few minutes.

Start tonight with whichever device you use for banking and email, because that's where an open hole would hurt most. Read its version or patch date, install what's waiting, and put its end date in your calendar. Replacing a device can almost always wait, and with the dates written down, you get to pick the moment.