Confusion over security patches: Why Motorola specifies different update timeframes for smartphones

Motorola is at it again: The EU database EPREL and the manufacturer’s official support page show different update schedules for the clamshell foldable Razr+ 2026 (approximately US$ 1,100 on amazon.com). What does this mean?

Everything looks good in the official EU database

While the EPREL database promises a full six years of update availability, the manufacturer mentions only four years of updates on its own website. New Android versions are supposed to be available for three years, that is, until 2029. 

Now, one could interpret this to mean that Motorola might be providing users in Europe with two additional years of security patches and has bowed to pressure from the EU. Unfortunately, however, that’s likely not the reason; rather, it has to do with Motorola’s interpretation of the regulation’s text. 

In its Ecodesign Requirements, the EU mandates via regulation that all smartphones receive at least five years of updates starting in mid-2025. And this period begins not from the release date, but from the date the last unit is placed on the market—so the actual timeframe is likely to be significantly longer.

Subtleties in interpretation

However, Motorola does not interpret the regulation to mean that manufacturers must provide new patches for five years, but rather that the most recent patch must still be available. This means that if the last patch is released after three years, it must still be possible to download it after five years. According to Motorola, this is sufficient to meet the requirements.

And so, in the EU’s central EPREL database, Motorola boasts a (self-reported) six-year update period for the Razr Plus 2026 after its end-of-life, while in reality, new updates are likely only made available for four years following its market launch.

Not particularly customer-friendly

Now, one might be annoyed that the text of the regulation apparently allows for this interpretation and that no one noticed it. But one can also accuse Motorola of not acting in a particularly customer-friendly manner here. Inexperienced users can now fall for the supposed promise of six years of up-to-date software even more easily.

That’s a shame, because the Razr Plus 2026 is an interesting foldable, as we found out in our in-depth review.