Google Sends Final Software Update To Legacy Nexus 5X And Nexus 6P Phones
If you've been clinging on to one of Google's Nexus-branded Android flagship smartphones, the end is near. No, we're not talking about your smartphone suddenly refusing to operate; instead, Google has just pushed out the final “guaranteed” official software update for Nexus devices.
The last Nexus smartphones to launch from Google were the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, which debuted in late 2015. Under Google's three-year update policy, both smartphones have received two major Android releases (Android 7.0 Nougat in 2016 and Android 8.0 Oreo in 2017) along with three years of monthly security updates.
The monthly security updates should have ended in September, but Google out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve through November 2018. So now, we're seeing the [likely] last updates that the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P will ever receive. Google has provided both OTA files and complete factory images that you can download for your devices.
The November update for both smartphones carries the final build number of OPM7.181105.004, running Android 8.1 Oreo.
We should mention, however, that this just marks the official end of Google's guaranteed updates for the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P. There's nothing stopping the company from releasing a stray update in the future, but it's highly unlikely. After all, the company has three generations of Pixel smartphones to maintain and would likely prefer not to dedicate many resources to "elderly" devices. Speaking of Pixels, be sure to check out our most recent review of the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL.
