Why Google plans to stop supporting your Chromebook after five years

Google’s End of Life Policy sets a schedule for retiring older Chromebooks, but the details are murky.

- Jared Newman

ONE OF THE BEST things about Chromebooks is that they’re built to last. Thanks to automatic security and feature updates from Google, along with a lightweight browser-based operating system, longtime users may find that their laptops run as well, if not better, than they did on day one.

But despite Chromebooks’ theoretical longevity, it’s possible for Google to cut their lives short. Per the company’s End of Life policy (go.pcworld.com/cbeolpolicy), Chromebooks and other Chrome OS devices are only entitled to five years of feature and security updates. After that, Google doesn’t guarantee that these systems will run safely or properly.

Obsolescence seems nigh for the first wave of browser-based laptops, including Samsung’s Series 5 and Acer’s AC700, which arrived in 2011. Still, the policy isn’t as cut-and-dry as Google’s Chromebook end-of-life chart (go.pcworld.com/cbeolchart) makes it seem. Google has left itself some wiggle room to keep updating Chromebooks in the future, and is continuing to update Chromebooks that have officially lost support.

Read on for details on how the Chromebook end-of-life policy really works.

Chromebook End of Life: What it means for you

According to Google, each Chromebook is guaranteed a minimum of five years of updates after the product’s original release date (not to be confused with the time of purchase). Every six weeks during that time, Google provides automatic security and feature updates.