Motorola’s response to a new set of rules for updating smartphones in Europe has revived an old complaint. According to a report from ITdaily, the company is contesting the interpretation of EU laws governing software support, claiming that the law states only that updates must be free if companies are selling them but did not set a minimum period for how long they should continue. For a brand that’s spent so long being accused of selling users short on software longevity, it’s another new reminder of why Motorola feels like an eternal exception to the Android upgrade rule.
The industry has gone decisively in the opposite direction. Now, Google and Samsung are both committed to seven years of Android OS and security updates for their most recent flagships, and even some important midrangers. OnePlus and Xiaomi are known to offer four Android OS upgrades and five years of security patches for select devices. Against that backdrop, Motorola’s flagship and midrange policy — around three or two Android OS upgrades respectively — looks increasingly off base from both user expectations and regulatory momentum.
What Set Off the Latest Controversy Over EU Update Rules
The flashpoint is the EU’s ecodesign standard for smartphones and tablets, which seeks to prolong device lifespans, improve repairability, and provide long-term security. The overview from Motorola that ITdaily has read aims to confine the practical consequences of the rule by arguing that the text doesn’t expressly require a minimum support term. In other words, what Motorola seems to be saying is that as long as the updates, if released at all, do not cost anything, you have fulfilled the obligation.
If that reading holds, not much would change for Motorola customers. The company might push two or three years’ worth of platform updates to most devices while competitors have nailed down far longer support. It would be a legal win with clear consumer downsides — shorter security windows, less frequent feature drops, and quicker obsolescence.
How Motorola Compares on Smartphone Update Promises
Motorola’s affordable Moto G range tends to receive two Android OS upgrades. At the high end, even the Razr Ultra tier has been given only three OS updates. Long-term support of seven years is also a standard that will filter down to value-focused models, now that the likes of Google’s Pixel 8 series and later and Samsung’s Galaxy S24 series are all getting, or will get, updates for that amount of time — often at price points beneath where Motorola’s flagships sit. Other rivals, from OnePlus to Xiaomi, are also working on adopting 4+5 policies (four OS versions, five years of security), while Fairphone is aiming for even longer windows for eco-conscious purchasers.
Speed matters, too. Motorola in the past has typically been late in the cycle. It took months for Android 14 to roll out on many Motorola devices, whereas competitors were quick enough to fill the hole between Google’s release and when updates reached most users. So too with the security patch cadence; some models have been behind carrier and OEM trackers by several cycles. It does not take long for businesses and privacy-aware individuals to spot these holes.
Why It Matters for Consumers and the Market
And longer support is not just a checkbox. It means more years of critical vulnerability updates, support for new APIs and services, as well as features that can drastically improve battery life, camera performance, and connectivity. “A strong software roadmap is good for resale value and enterprise adoption, and conversely a short upgrade window leads to lower (trade-in) prices and shorter device lifecycles,” wrote analysts from Counterpoint Research, who pointed out that companies like Apple and Google cover their devices with much longer upgrade support.
The EU’s position is meant to address e-waste and bolster security throughout the bloc. Most big Android vendors have already fallen in line with the spirit — and increasingly the letter — of those goals. If Motorola doesn’t comply, it risks government scrutiny, retailer objections, and losing out on bids for managed rollouts where update SLAs are set in concrete. Consumers, in the meantime, have a simple calculus to consider: Much of the competitive hardware from rivals now offers meaningfully longer peace of mind.
A Pattern That Erodes Consumer Faith in Motorola Updates
There have been flashes of movement. The Motorola Edge 50 Neo came with a five-year update guarantee, implying that the company will be able to meet higher standards when it wants. But the improvement has not been uniform across the portfolio. When one headline device receives long-term support and the rest don’t, that sends a mixed message to consumers, hurting brand perception for an otherwise reliable product line.
That dissonance is precisely why this EU spat has struck a chord. It is not so much one legal argument as a pattern. Anyway, in a seven-year-updates-are-the-new-North-Star kind of year, and where most midrange phones are now benefiting from processes once reserved for $1,000 flagships, Motorola is still arguing that it should be given some slack to keep on doing less. That’s difficult to reconcile with consumers’ interests — or the competitive reality of the Android ecosystem.
What to Watch Next and What Buyers Should Do Now
Look for the European Commission to provide more enforcement guidance and for national authorities to start testing compliance. Also watch what Motorola does in terms of extending the five-year long-term support beyond one or two models, and when it will start posting public model-by-model update roadmaps with clear timelines.
For buyers now, the pragmatic advice is straightforward: Make update commitments a central spec. If two phones are similar in hardware, then the one with seven years of support is the wiser long-term buy. Until Motorola changes its tune to something that echoes loudly throughout the industry, this debate has no other effect than to highlight once again the fact that Motorola is Android’s slow coach.