Google drops Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL support for Android 13 quarterly update onwards

It seems that Google is beginning to wind up software support for the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, its the effective predecessors to the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. For context, Google announced the Pixel 4 series on October 15, 2019 and started shipping the pair a week later with Android 10. Undeniably still capable smartphones, the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL have now been removed from the Android Beta program following Android 13's stable public release.

Hence, neither smartphone will receive the Android 13 Quarterly Platform Release (QPR1), the beta for which starts in September. Instead, all Pixel smartphones released after the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are eligible, including the Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a (5G) and the Pixel 5a. Incidentally, the Pixel 4 flagships are more powerful than the Pixel 5 too, which occupies a middle ground between a mid-range and flagship smartphone in the Pixel series.

Based on Google's past behaviour, the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL will receive two more security updates and a final software update to fix any outstanding bugs. Based on current expectations, the Android 14 Developer Preview could arrive in February 2023 for the Pixel 4a series onwards. By contrast, it may only be another two months until Android 14 Beta arrives. Presumably, community developers on the likes of the XDA Developers Forums would deliver Android 14 and beyond.

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