Surveys show Motorola’s chaotic take on Android updates isn’t impressing its fans
Source: Android Authority
Motorola’s mixed signals on Android updates
Motorola has been giving out mixed signals about its Android update policies recently. Over the past few weeks the company showcased both extremes of its software‑support philosophy: launching a budget phone that won’t receive any Android updates at all, while also promoting a new flagship with a seven‑year update promise. With those two very different approaches landing so close together, we ran polls to gauge reader reaction.
Moto G17 – zero Android updates
The Moto G17 is the budget phone Motorola just launched with no Android version upgrades promised. Our colleague Joe Maring wrote a scathing response to the announcement, arguing that a device that doesn’t even ship with the latest Android version shouldn’t be released without any future upgrades. He included a poll to gather reader opinions, and the results were decisive:
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Lost me as a customer | 64% |
| Dislike it but will keep buying Moto phones | 13% |
| Acceptable as a one‑off | 16% |
| Don’t care / other | 7% |
Most respondents indicated they would stop buying Motorola devices because of the zero‑update decision. Comments highlighted that many users had already migrated to Pixel or Samsung phones for longer, more predictable support. Some readers, however, argued that security patches and hardware features matter more than major OS upgrades. As one commenter wrote:
“Honestly, if it came with five years of security updates, I’d have no issues with no major Android updates.”
Motorola Signature – seven‑year update promise
A few weeks before the Moto G17 controversy, we asked readers about the upcoming Motorola Signature flagship, which promises seven years of Android updates. The poll results were:
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Love the seven‑year promise | 29% |
| Good start, but needs to expand to more phones | 57% |
| Other / indifferent | 14% |
While a sizable minority loved the long‑term support, the majority felt the policy would only be meaningful if it applied across the brand, not just to a single flagship.
Analysis
The disparity between the zero‑update budget phone and the seven‑year flagship highlights a lack of a coherent, brand‑wide update strategy. Readers who appreciated the long‑term promise for the flagship were often the same people frustrated by the G17’s lack of support.
A possible compromise could involve offering a modest upgrade path for budget devices—e.g., charging a small premium for two or three years of Android updates. This might mitigate backlash while still keeping the flagship’s ambitious promise.
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