<https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2026/04/20/eu-to-force-replaceable-batteries-in-phones-and-tablets-from-2027/>

The article is about batteries:

*Brussels will require all phones sold in the EU to have replaceable
batteries from 2027 ? and use USB-C chargers*


But there is also this paragraph inside:

®Since 2025, system updates must be available for at least five years
from the date the last unit model is sold, according to the same
regulation.¯

WOW!

But that "law" is not being enforced :-(


--
Cheers, Carlos.
ES??, EU??;


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

<https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2026/04/20/eu-to-force-replaceable-batteries-in-phones-and-tablets-from-2027/>

The article is about batteries:

*Brussels will require all phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027 ? and use USB-C chargers*

But there is also this paragraph inside:

®Since 2025, system updates must be available for at least five years
from the date the last unit model is sold, according to the same regulation.¯

WOW!

But that "law" is not being enforced :-(

How does the manufacturer who provides the updates know when was the
last date of purchase for a model? They don't sell the phones. They
just make them. A phone could sit in storage for an indefinite term,
like many many years. I bought a phone that was introduced in 2016, but
I bought it in 2019. I'm sure there are other phones that have sit in
storage a lot longer.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 2026-04-24 00:27, VanguardLH wrote:

"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

<https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2026/04/20/eu-to-force-replaceable-batteries-in-phones-and-tablets-from-2027/>

The article is about batteries:

*Brussels will require all phones sold in the EU to have replaceable
batteries from 2027 ? and use USB-C chargers*

But there is also this paragraph inside:

®Since 2025, system updates must be available for at least five years
from the date the last unit model is sold, according to the same
regulation.¯

WOW!

But that "law" is not being enforced :-(

How does the manufacturer who provides the updates know when was the
last date of purchase for a model? They don't sell the phones. They
just make them. A phone could sit in storage for an indefinite term,
like many many years. I bought a phone that was introduced in 2016, but
I bought it in 2019. I'm sure there are other phones that have sit in storage a lot longer.

It would read as when they sold the last one to sellers.

--
Cheers, Carlos.
ES??, EU??;

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Fri, 24 Apr 2026 02:38:28 +0200, "Carlos E.R."
<robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

On 2026-04-24 00:27, VanguardLH wrote:

"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

<https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2026/04/20/eu-to-force-replaceable-batteries-in-phones-and-tablets-from-2027/>

The article is about batteries:

*Brussels will require all phones sold in the EU to have replaceable
batteries from 2027 ? and use USB-C chargers*

But there is also this paragraph inside:

?Since 2025, system updates must be available for at least five years
from the date the last unit model is sold, according to the same
regulation.?

WOW!

But that "law" is not being enforced :-(

How does the manufacturer who provides the updates know when was the
last date of purchase for a model? They don't sell the phones. They
just make them. A phone could sit in storage for an indefinite term,
like many many years. I bought a phone that was introduced in 2016, but
I bought it in 2019. I'm sure there are other phones that have sit in
storage a lot longer.

It would read as when they sold the last one to sellers.

The actual wording of the EU regulation is as follows:

"Operating system updates:
(a) from the date of end of placement on the market to at least 5
years after that date, manufacturers, importers or authorised
representatives shall, if they provide security updates, corrective
updates or functionality updates to an operating system, make such
updates available at no cost for all units of a product model with the
same operating system;"

?date of end of placement on the market? is defined as follows:

"?date of end of placement on the market? means the date of placing on
the market of the last unit of a product model;"

That last definition doesn't seem to be very clear to me.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

On 2026-04-24 00:27, VanguardLH wrote:

"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

<https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2026/04/20/eu-to-force-replaceable-batteries-in-phones-and-tablets-from-2027/>

The article is about batteries:

*Brussels will require all phones sold in the EU to have replaceable
batteries from 2027 ? and use USB-C chargers*

But there is also this paragraph inside:

®Since 2025, system updates must be available for at least five years
from the date the last unit model is sold, according to the same
regulation.¯

WOW!

But that "law" is not being enforced :-(

How does the manufacturer who provides the updates know when was the
last date of purchase for a model? They don't sell the phones. They
just make them. A phone could sit in storage for an indefinite term,
like many many years. I bought a phone that was introduced in 2016, but
I bought it in 2019. I'm sure there are other phones that have sit in
storage a lot longer.

It would read as when they sold the last one to sellers.

But that could be years, many years, after the manufacturer sold off the
last lot of a model. The law may read system updates must be available
for 5 years after last sale from mfr, but lots of users may not buy the
stocked phones for many years later, so the requirement has expired.
They'd still not get updates.

I know a lot of users "buy" their phones with a contract attached. They
get the phone for free, or at a big discount, if they buy into a
long-term contract with a cellular provider. That means those same
users often get new models (released in the last year, or two), and do
not keep their phones for more than 2.53 years. It's why those same
users never experience the reduced capacity of the batteries. For those
users engrained in the marketing mantra "newer is better", that law
might apply to them. Everyone I know keeps their smartphones until some
major issue arises, like the apps upon which they rely get updated and
mandate a later version of the OS that they cannot get installed, when a cellular protocol gets deprecated and dropped (e.g., 2G), or are somehow
forced to get a new smartphone, not because they feel some need spurred
by marketing to get a new phone. For the later crowd, phone makers are
also going to switch from non-servicable batteries to user-replaceable batteries; however, again, for many users that keep switching to a new
phone every couple of years, they don't care, because they never had to
replace the battery.

My last phone was bought late in 2018. Got a new one at the end of
2025. So, about 7 years for my prior phone on ownership. Before that
was even longer, because I didn't get into smartphones, and just need a
flip phone that fit in my pants pocket (I just needed only a phone). I
don't buy when the phones are new as they are way too overpriced to
start with. Typically I wait a couple years. On the prior phone, it
was released in 2016, but I bought in 2018. My car is 24 years old, and
still functions 100%. For those that hang onto functioning devices way
longer than marketing tries to convince for replacement, that law
doesn't help much, if at all.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Chris in Makati <mail@nospam.com> wrote:

On Fri, 24 Apr 2026 02:38:28 +0200, "Carlos E.R."
<robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

On 2026-04-24 00:27, VanguardLH wrote:

"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

<https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2026/04/20/eu-to-force-replaceable-batteries-in-phones-and-tablets-from-2027/>

The article is about batteries:

*Brussels will require all phones sold in the EU to have replaceable
batteries from 2027 ? and use USB-C chargers*

But there is also this paragraph inside:

®Since 2025, system updates must be available for at least five years
from the date the last unit model is sold, according to the same
regulation.¯

WOW!

But that "law" is not being enforced :-(

How does the manufacturer who provides the updates know when was the
last date of purchase for a model? They don't sell the phones. They
just make them. A phone could sit in storage for an indefinite term,
like many many years. I bought a phone that was introduced in 2016, but >>> I bought it in 2019. I'm sure there are other phones that have sit in
storage a lot longer.

It would read as when they sold the last one to sellers.

The actual wording of the EU regulation is as follows:

"Operating system updates:
(a) from the date of end of placement on the market to at least 5
years after that date, manufacturers, importers or authorised
representatives shall, if they provide security updates, corrective
updates or functionality updates to an operating system, make such
updates available at no cost for all units of a product model with the
same operating system;"

?date of end of placement on the market? is defined as follows:

"?date of end of placement on the market? means the date of placing on
the market of the last unit of a product model;"

That last definition doesn't seem to be very clear to me.

Yeah. Could be interpreted as the release date, or when the mfr
declares a model has been discontinued, unsupported, or end-of-lifed.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 23.04.26 22:45, Carlos E.R. wrote:

<https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2026/04/20/eu-to-force-replaceable-batteries-in-phones-and-tablets-from-2027/>

The article is about batteries:

*Brussels will require all phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027 ? and use USB-C chargers*

But there is also this paragraph inside:

®Since 2025, system updates must be available for at least five years
from the date the last unit model is sold, according to the same regulation.¯

WOW!

But that "law" is not being enforced :-(

How would you know in 2026?
Did you ever read the detailed legislation concerning this topic?
BTW: Has absolutley nothing to do with selling phones to individual buyers.

--
"Roma locuta, causa finita" (Augustinus)

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

je Chris in Makati <mail@nospam.com> wrote:

On Fri, 24 Apr 2026 02:38:28 +0200, "Carlos E.R."
<robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

On 2026-04-24 00:27, VanguardLH wrote:

"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

<https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2026/04/20/eu-to-force-replaceable-batteries-in-phones-and-tablets-from-2027/>

The article is about batteries:

*Brussels will require all phones sold in the EU to have replaceable
batteries from 2027 ? and use USB-C chargers*

But there is also this paragraph inside:

®Since 2025, system updates must be available for at least five years
from the date the last unit model is sold, according to the same
regulation.¯

WOW!

But that "law" is not being enforced :-(

How does the manufacturer who provides the updates know when was the
last date of purchase for a model? They don't sell the phones. They
just make them. A phone could sit in storage for an indefinite term,
like many many years. I bought a phone that was introduced in 2016, but >>> I bought it in 2019. I'm sure there are other phones that have sit in
storage a lot longer.

It would read as when they sold the last one to sellers.

The actual wording of the EU regulation is as follows:

"Operating system updates:
(a) from the date of end of placement on the market to at least 5
years after that date, manufacturers, importers or authorised
representatives shall, if they provide security updates, corrective
updates or functionality updates to an operating system,

That "or" provides a lot of wriggle room. For models on a yearly cycle like iphones and the Samsung galaxy models it'll make no difference.

make such
updates available at no cost for all units of a product model with the
same operating system;"

?date of end of placement on the market? is defined as follows:

"?date of end of placement on the market? means the date of placing on
the market of the last unit of a product model;"

That last definition doesn't seem to be very clear to me.

As other recent threads have highlighted it's cheaper models that'll just continue being treated poorly.

The real question is, how will this be monitored and sanctioned where necessary.?

In my analysis of the EU efficiency ratings there are several models which officially don't meet the minimum requirements, yet are still on the
market. How?


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote:

Chris in Makati <mail@nospam.com> wrote:

On Fri, 24 Apr 2026 02:38:28 +0200, "Carlos E.R."
<robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

On 2026-04-24 00:27, VanguardLH wrote:

"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

<https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2026/04/20/eu-to-force-replaceable-batteries-in-phones-and-tablets-from-2027/>

The article is about batteries:

*Brussels will require all phones sold in the EU to have replaceable >>>>> batteries from 2027 ? and use USB-C chargers*

But there is also this paragraph inside:

®Since 2025, system updates must be available for at least five years >>>>> from the date the last unit model is sold, according to the same
regulation.¯

WOW!

But that "law" is not being enforced :-(

How does the manufacturer who provides the updates know when was the
last date of purchase for a model? They don't sell the phones. They
just make them. A phone could sit in storage for an indefinite term,
like many many years. I bought a phone that was introduced in 2016, but >>>> I bought it in 2019. I'm sure there are other phones that have sit in >>>> storage a lot longer.

It would read as when they sold the last one to sellers.

The actual wording of the EU regulation is as follows:

"Operating system updates:
(a) from the date of end of placement on the market to at least 5
years after that date, manufacturers, importers or authorised
representatives shall, if they provide security updates, corrective
updates or functionality updates to an operating system, make such
updates available at no cost for all units of a product model with the
same operating system;"

?date of end of placement on the market? is defined as follows:

"?date of end of placement on the market? means the date of placing on
the market of the last unit of a product model;"

That last definition doesn't seem to be very clear to me.

Yeah. Could be interpreted as the release date, or when the mfr
declares a model has been discontinued, unsupported, or end-of-lifed.

Or replaced by a newer model like the Galaxy S series. Now the 26 series is
out are the 25 series considered "end of placement "?


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 2026-04-24 08:40, VanguardLH wrote:

"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

On 2026-04-24 00:27, VanguardLH wrote:

"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

<https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2026/04/20/eu-to-force-replaceable-batteries-in-phones-and-tablets-from-2027/>

The article is about batteries:

*Brussels will require all phones sold in the EU to have replaceable
batteries from 2027 ? and use USB-C chargers*

But there is also this paragraph inside:

®Since 2025, system updates must be available for at least five years
from the date the last unit model is sold, according to the same
regulation.¯

WOW!

But that "law" is not being enforced :-(

How does the manufacturer who provides the updates know when was the
last date of purchase for a model? They don't sell the phones. They
just make them. A phone could sit in storage for an indefinite term,
like many many years. I bought a phone that was introduced in 2016, but >>> I bought it in 2019. I'm sure there are other phones that have sit in
storage a lot longer.

It would read as when they sold the last one to sellers.

But that could be years, many years, after the manufacturer sold off the
last lot of a model. The law may read system updates must be available
for 5 years after last sale from mfr, but lots of users may not buy the stocked phones for many years later, so the requirement has expired.
They'd still not get updates.

No, I mean 5 years since the manufacturer sells the last batch.



--
Cheers, Carlos.
ES??, EU??;

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 2026-04-23 22:45, Carlos E.R. wrote:

<https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2026/04/20/eu-to-force- replaceable-batteries-in-phones-and-tablets-from-2027/>

The article is about batteries:

*Brussels will require all phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027 ? and use USB-C chargers*

But there is also this paragraph inside:

®Since 2025, system updates must be available for at least five years
from the date the last unit model is sold, according to the same regulation.¯

WOW!

But that "law" is not being enforced :-(

Perhaps the law does not apply to a model that was first sold in 2024.

--
Cheers, Carlos.
ES??, EU??;

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Thu, 23 Apr 2026 22:45:24 +0200, Carlos E.R. wrote:

But there is also this paragraph inside:

®Since 2025, system updates must be available for at least five years
from the date the last unit model is sold, according to the same regulation.¯

WOW!

But that "law" is not being enforced :-(

That may be, my Pixel 10 has support for 7 years. I think Samsung upped
their support as well.

--
s|b

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 24.04.26 10:29, Andy Burns wrote:

Chris wrote:

VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote:

Could be interpreted as the release date, or when the mfr

declares a model has been discontinued, unsupported, or end-of-lifed.

Or replaced by a newer model like the Galaxy S series. Now the 26 series is >> out are the 25 series considered "end of placement "?

Samsung (UK) are still selling S25 and S24 models ...

That is a different story.

--
"Roma locuta, causa finita" (Augustinus)

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 24.04.26 16:06, s|b wrote:

On Thu, 23 Apr 2026 22:45:24 +0200, Carlos E.R. wrote:

But there is also this paragraph inside:

®Since 2025, system updates must be available for at least five years
from the date the last unit model is sold, according to the same
regulation.¯

WOW!

But that "law" is not being enforced :-(

That may be, my Pixel 10 has support for 7 years. I think Samsung upped
their support as well.

+1


--
"Roma locuta, causa finita" (Augustinus)

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

s|b <me@privacy.invalid> wrote:

On Thu, 23 Apr 2026 22:45:24 +0200, Carlos E.R. wrote:

But there is also this paragraph inside:

?Since 2025, system updates must be available for at least five years
from the date the last unit model is sold, according to the same regulation.?

WOW!

But that "law" is not being enforced :-(

That may be, my Pixel 10 has support for 7 years. I think Samsung upped
their support as well.

True, that's why we've switched to Samsung for our latest phones.

BUT, the regulation is not only for the major brands, but also for
non-major ones and for *those*, a guarantee of five years of updates is
a big improvement.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

How does the manufacturer who provides the updates know when was the
last date of purchase for a model?

I suspect it should be read as "the date a given model is withdrawn from sale" which would be the same way e.g. google handles it, when a pixel
model is withdrawn from their online sales ...

That's easy for google who mainly sell direct, but what about Samsung or Motorola who sell through retail channels?


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 24.04.26 18:48, Andy Burns wrote:

Chris wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

I suspect it should be read as "the date a given model is withdrawn from >>> sale" which would be the same way e.g. google handles it, when a pixel
model is withdrawn from their online sales ...

That's easy for google who mainly sell direct, but what about Samsung or
Motorola who sell through retail channels?

Just include the period where google are selling them wholesale

+1

My goodness. So much nonsense in this thread!


--
"Roma locuta, causa finita" (Augustinus)

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

J”rg Lorenz <hugybear@gmx.net> wrote:

On 24.04.26 10:29, Andy Burns wrote:

Chris wrote:

VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote:

Could be interpreted as the release date, or when the mfr

declares a model has been discontinued, unsupported, or end-of-lifed.

Or replaced by a newer model like the Galaxy S series. Now the 26 series is >>> out are the 25 series considered "end of placement "?

Samsung (UK) are still selling S25 and S24 models ...

That is a different story.

Actually it's not. Samsung (France) are doing the same. https://www.samsung.com/fr/smartphones/galaxy-s/

Which is going to be problematic for Samsung as the S24 is not covered by
their 7 year support guarantee.


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 24.04.26 19:03, Chris wrote:

J”rg Lorenz <hugybear@gmx.net> wrote:

On 24.04.26 10:29, Andy Burns wrote:

Chris wrote:

VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote:

Could be interpreted as the release date, or when the mfr

declares a model has been discontinued, unsupported, or end-of-lifed. >>>>

Or replaced by a newer model like the Galaxy S series. Now the 26 series is
out are the 25 series considered "end of placement "?

Samsung (UK) are still selling S25 and S24 models ...

That is a different story.

Actually it's not. Samsung (France) are doing the same. https://www.samsung.com/fr/smartphones/galaxy-s/

Which is going to be problematic for Samsung as the S24 is not covered by their 7 year support guarantee.

Things seem to be rather simple: The S24 is not covered by the
legislation. The S26 is. Not the sales in the retail channels are
relevant IMHO. In reality I doubt that this matters with these expensive models.

Things are much more complicated with the mide range and more affordable models.

--
"Roma locuta, causa finita" (Augustinus)

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Chris <ithinkiam@gmail.com> wrote:

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

How does the manufacturer who provides the updates know when was the
last date of purchase for a model?

I suspect it should be read as "the date a given model is withdrawn from sale" which would be the same way e.g. google handles it, when a pixel model is withdrawn from their online sales ...

That's easy for google who mainly sell direct, but what about Samsung or Motorola who sell through retail channels?

I don't know off hand about other countries, but in The Netherlands,
both Google and Samsung sell both direct and through retail channels.

Probably Carlos can fill us in on how Motorola sells their phones.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 4/24/26 4:59 PM, Maria Sophia wrote:

Chris wrote:

Which is going to be problematic for Samsung as the S24 is not covered by
their 7 year support guarantee.

Hi Chris,

As far as I'm aware, the first Samsung phones to receive the 7-year promise >of software support are the Galaxy S24 series (S24, S24+, and S24 Ultra).

<https://www.sammobile.com/news/galaxy-smartphones-seven-years-android-one-ui-updates-eligibility/>

Question is will they be able to keep their 7 year promise...

<https://sammyguru.com/samsung-mx-could-lose-money-for-the-first-time-in-2026/>


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Chris <ithinkiam@gmail.com> wrote:

J”rg Lorenz <hugybear@gmx.net> wrote:

On 24.04.26 10:29, Andy Burns wrote:

Chris wrote:

VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote:

Could be interpreted as the release date, or when the mfr

declares a model has been discontinued, unsupported, or end-of-lifed. >>>>

Or replaced by a newer model like the Galaxy S series. Now the 26 series is
out are the 25 series considered "end of placement "?

Samsung (UK) are still selling S25 and S24 models ...

That is a different story.

Actually it's not. Samsung (France) are doing the same. https://www.samsung.com/fr/smartphones/galaxy-s/

Which is going to be problematic for Samsung as the S24 is not covered by their 7 year support guarantee.

My mistake the S24 were the first series to be covered by the 7 years of support. We'll see how well that turns out in reality...


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Chris in Makati <mail@nospam.com> writes:

On Fri, 24 Apr 2026 02:38:28 +0200, "Carlos E.R."
<robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

On 2026-04-24 00:27, VanguardLH wrote:

"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

<https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2026/04/20/eu-to-force-replaceable-batteries-in-phones-and-tablets-from-2027/>

The article is about batteries:

*Brussels will require all phones sold in the EU to have
replaceable batteries from 2027 ? and use USB-C chargers*

But there is also this paragraph inside:

®Since 2025, system updates must be available for at least five
years from the date the last unit model is sold, according to the
same regulation.¯

WOW!

But that "law" is not being enforced :-(

How does the manufacturer who provides the updates know when was the
last date of purchase for a model? They don't sell the phones.
They just make them. A phone could sit in storage for an indefinite
term, like many many years. I bought a phone that was introduced in
2016, but I bought it in 2019. I'm sure there are other phones that
have sit in storage a lot longer.

It would read as when they sold the last one to sellers.

The actual wording of the EU regulation is as follows:

"Operating system updates: (a) from the date of end of placement on
the market to at least 5 years after that date, manufacturers,
importers or authorised representatives shall, if they provide
security updates, corrective updates or functionality updates to an
operating system, make such updates available at no cost for all units
of a product model with the same operating system;"

?date of end of placement on the market? is defined as follows:

"?date of end of placement on the market? means the date of placing on
the market of the last unit of a product model;"

That last definition doesn't seem to be very clear to me.

And what does 'the same operating system' mean? Is it just Android, or
is Android 16 different from Android 15?

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 2026-04-25 11:02, Chris wrote:

Chris <ithinkiam@gmail.com> wrote:

J”rg Lorenz <hugybear@gmx.net> wrote:

On 24.04.26 10:29, Andy Burns wrote:

Chris wrote:

VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote:

Could be interpreted as the release date, or when the mfr

declares a model has been discontinued, unsupported, or end-of-lifed. >>>>>

Or replaced by a newer model like the Galaxy S series. Now the 26 series is
out are the 25 series considered "end of placement "?

Samsung (UK) are still selling S25 and S24 models ...

That is a different story.

Actually it's not. Samsung (France) are doing the same.
https://www.samsung.com/fr/smartphones/galaxy-s/

Which is going to be problematic for Samsung as the S24 is not covered by
their 7 year support guarantee.

My mistake the S24 were the first series to be covered by the 7 years of support. We'll see how well that turns out in reality...

I wonder: Are there Samsung tablets with 7 years of support?

--
Cheers, Carlos.
ES??, EU??;

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 2026-04-24 20:08, Frank Slootweg wrote:

Chris <ithinkiam@gmail.com> wrote:

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

How does the manufacturer who provides the updates know when was the
last date of purchase for a model?

I suspect it should be read as "the date a given model is withdrawn from >>> sale" which would be the same way e.g. google handles it, when a pixel
model is withdrawn from their online sales ...

That's easy for google who mainly sell direct, but what about Samsung or
Motorola who sell through retail channels?

I don't know off hand about other countries, but in The Netherlands,
both Google and Samsung sell both direct and through retail channels.

Probably Carlos can fill us in on how Motorola sells their phones.

You can buy them direct, or in shops. Amazon too.

--
Cheers, Carlos.
ES??, EU??;

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

On 2026-04-24 20:08, Frank Slootweg wrote:

Chris <ithinkiam@gmail.com> wrote:

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

How does the manufacturer who provides the updates know when was the >>>>> last date of purchase for a model?

I suspect it should be read as "the date a given model is withdrawn from >>>> sale" which would be the same way e.g. google handles it, when a pixel >>>> model is withdrawn from their online sales ...

That's easy for google who mainly sell direct, but what about Samsung or >>> Motorola who sell through retail channels?

I don't know off hand about other countries, but in The Netherlands,
both Google and Samsung sell both direct and through retail channels.

Probably Carlos can fill us in on how Motorola sells their phones.

You can buy them direct, or in shops. Amazon too.

I guess it's just as complicated for google phones, then.


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)