Software updates are something that people really look at before buying a smartphone. While Apple provides quite a few years worth of upgrades with every generation, Android phones mostly provide users only two or three years of software updates, at times forcing people to switch phones in order to stay updated. The government of Germany doesn’t seem to like this practice and wants both Android and iOS devices to get at least seven years of software updates. A report in German tech magazine C’t has said that Germany’s federal government is pushing the European Union to require that smartphone makers also provide security updates and spare parts for smartphones for at least seven years after their release.
Germany’s stance to push manufacturers to provide at least seven years of software updates will come in negotiations with the European Commission, which is already looking to make five years of support standard. C’t reports that there is an industry advocacy group named DigitalEurope that is pushing for lesser requirements. This includes capping the software updates at three years and only requiring that batteries and screens are made available as spare parts instead of also supplying camera modules and other parts. Members of DigitalEurope include Google, Apple, and Samsung.
EU’s proposal for five years of security updates will take effect in 2023 and is designed to lessen the impact of smartphones and other devices on the environment by ensuring that devices are used by consumers for a longer period of time.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Assembly Elections Live Updates here.
Comments
0 comment