Sony backtracks on Android update promise for the Xperia 10 VI and other brands might follow

Date:
Fri, 16 Oct 2026 11:06:07 +0000

Description:
Technical limitations have caused Sony to backtrack on an update promise for the Xperia 10 VI, and it's possible other phones could one day face the same issue.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Sony won't deliver the final Android update it had promised for the Xperia 10 VI This is due to issues
with the phone's storage configuration While the explanation seems
reasonable, it also shows that these support commitments might not be guarantees Nowadays, most Android phones are sold with the promise of a fixed number of major Android version updates, with top-end phones like the Samsung Galaxy S26 series and the Google Pixel 11 line promising an impressive seven. But it seems these promises might, in some cases, be more hopeful than guaranteed.

While neither Google nor Samsung have so far shown any sign of reneging on their update commitments, Sony just did with the Xperia 10 VI. In a support post spotted by Phandroid , the company explained that while it had
originally promised that the Sony Xperia 10 VI would receive three Android version updates, it will actually only receive two, as due to limitations related to the devices storage configuration, the Xperia 10 VI does not support an Android 17 upgrade experience that we consider adequate. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

The phone will at least still receive the promised four years of security updates, and Sony claims that this issue wont affect other models, but it
goes to show that these support promises arent as ironclad as you might have expected. This could be the first of many rollbacks The Samsung Galaxy S26 is supposed to get seven major Android version updates (Image credit: Future) Of course, if updating the Sony Xperia 10 VI would genuinely have degraded the experience of using it, Sony probably made the right choice in not doing so. But thats cold comfort for anyone who bought the phone off the back of Sonys update commitment. You may like Google confirms the end of software updates for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro Global smartphone shipments just hit a 14-year low here's why Samsung Galaxy S27 series leak suggests the RAM and storage upgrades will be very limited

And whos to say something similar couldnt happen with other phones, whether those from Sony or other brands. In fact, expensive high-end phones might be even more at risk of unfulfilled commitments, with most offering up to seven years of promised updates; seven years is a long time in the tech world, so whos to say whether Android 24 will actually work well on a phone that launched this year.

So, if you werent already doing so, you should probably take any support commitments as a goal rather than a guarantee. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Today's best Android phone deals Samsung Galaxy S26 $680 View See all prices Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra $1,399.99
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/sony-xperia-phones/your-phones-android-update -promise-might-not-be-a-guarantee-after-all-sony-just-backtracked-on-its-commi tment-to-the-xperia-10-vi


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