One day I reached for my phone to adjust the temperature of my Nest thermostat, the way I had for years, but the app wouldn’t let me because Google had quietly cut off remote control access for my second-generation Nest, with no warning.
Even if you spent hundreds or thousands of dollars on a phone or other gadget, or are running one of the most common PC operating systems in the world, it’s costly for the company you bought it from to continue to offer software and security updates indefinitely. This is why companies have end-of-life dates for pretty much every device.
Some of these dates are clearly communicated, like the recent end-of-life for Windows 10. But in more frustrating examples, some devices just stop working one day, like with my Nest thermostat.
Here’s a look at some products you might own that are on the verge of being sunset.
Samsung Galaxy S22 and Pixel 6
Once flagships, these phones will soon reach end-of-life
I’ve been hanging on to my Galaxy S22 and S22+ because they’ve been going strong with software updates all the way until One UI 8.0 with Android 16. Because of this support, my four-year-old S22 has most of the same software features and tools found on the latest Galaxy S26 series from 2026.
Samsung promises four years of new Android OS updates and five years of security updates. This means that if you have an S22, you will no longer get future versions of Android, but you’ll continue to get security updates until early 2027. I frankly might stop using my S22 when the security patches stop, as I wouldn’t feel comfortable typing sensitive information (like account passwords) into a phone that lacks the latest security.
Pixel 6 is next
If you have a Pixel 6, you’re also running out of time. For you, Google promised five years of support from its October 2021 release. This means that from October 2026, you’re getting cut off from software updates. You’ll continue to get Google Play system updates and app updates, but like the Samsung Galaxy mentioned above, you’ll get no further major OS or security updates past October 2026.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
Support is now over
Samsung made a promise, and that promise has been fulfilled: if you own a Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 or Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, you have received four generations of software updates. While your watch will continue to work, the software update in August 2026 was your last one.
Older iPads
Still get security updates, but no new features
The main reason Apple devices hold their value so well over time is because the company does a really good job supporting older hardware for many years, offering new versions of iOS going out five to seven years (sometimes up to eight years for iPad Pros) with security updates extending another two to four years. That’s a long window of support for iPads!
But there is a whole generation of iPads that will no longer get updates, including the most recent version of iPadOS 27, which finally brings Siri AI to Apple hardware, among a host of other visual and performance-based improvements.
The iPads that are stuck on iPadOS 26 or earlier that will not be getting these new features now include the base iPad 8th generation from 2020, the 5th generation iPad mini, the 3rd generation 2019 iPad Air, and the 1st gen iPad Pro from 2018.
Windows 10 PCs
Hundreds of millions of computers hit a cliff
Windows 10 has reached end of life officially in October 2025. The saving grace is that you can extend that deadline to October 12, 2027 with their Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. You can enroll at no cost by syncing your settings to your Microsoft account through Windows Backup, or by cashing in 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points or by paying $30.
If you really don’t want to update to Windows 11 and don’t want to pay Microsoft’s fee for ESU, there is a workaround that costs less money that should keep your Windows 10 working until 2032 by using Microsoft’s Long-Term Servicing Channel. For most people, this route is more trouble than it’s worth, and requires you to do a clean install of as stripped-down version of Windows not intended for PCs.
Otherwise, it’s time to upgrade to Windows 11 or get a new PC.
Nest thermostats (first and second generation)
Your smart thermostat can no longer be controlled remotely
This device has already met its fate and it affected me personally.
If you bought a first or second generation Nest thermostat (like I did), your thermostat will continue to work locally, but you can no longer remotely control it via app or web.
Only the newer Nest thermostats, the third and fourth generation models (which came out after Google bought Nest in 2014) are still supported for remote control.
This is important because some might be tempted to buy a used Nest, but I’d caution you not to, unless it’s a third or fourth generation model, because the main benefit of a connected thermostat is being able to remotely control it on your way home from the airport or while you’re in bed and need to change the temperature.
When smart devices turn dumb
Nothing lasts forever
These devices that are soon going to get no more updates, or that have already reached their life expectancy, are not cheap gadgets — they were flagship, important tech products. It’s kind of ironic because a lot of these products you bought specifically because they’d have a long life, but nothing lasts forever, and it’s especially jarring when a device reaches its end, and you don’t find out until one day you try to adjust your Nest thermostat from your bed to only realize that the manufacturer has removed your ability to do so.
So what’s the lesson? Buy the newest generation of product you can if you’re concerned about its lifespan. As soon as you buy, the clock starts ticking.
If in 2026 you bought a Samsung Galaxy S26, you can count on updates until the year 2033. That’s an easier choice since it’s likely that Samsung will fulfill its promise and that in seven years, Samsung will certainly still exist and be able to make good on its promise. On the other hand, you should be skeptical about products that are not backed by big companies.
Nest is a good example of this since it was once a small, independent company before Google bought it. When that happened, Google had to draw a line in the sand and cut off support for some of Nest’s earlier products that don’t align with Google’s smart home business going forward, and in this case, early adopters lose out.