Three years after their launch, Android 12 and its 12L version leave the scene. Google draws a final line on their maintenance, by signing their latest security patch in March 2025.
Android 12 and 12L: Google ends safety updates
The cleaver fell without drum or trumpet: Android 12 and 12L will no longer receive any security update. It is not a calendar error – the absence of a fix in April was the symptom. It is now official: the support expired on March 31, 2025. An end of the course which directly affects a substantial park of devices, since more than 12 % of Android terminals in the world still run under these versions, or about 360 million aircraft.
Three years of rigorous patches, flaws filled with the water, and then nothing. The system goes into archive mode, exposed to future vulnerabilities. If some manufacturers (Samsung, OnePlus, and others) sometimes choose to extend the lives of their devices by returning to safety fixes, it must be recognized that this kind of attention remains marginal, and depends a lot on the positioning of the models concerned.
The observation is clear: this end of support is a page that turns into the big book of Android. And for millions of smartphones, it means a brutal stop in their software career. Among the devices now deprived of updates, there is a gallery of models that have marked their time:
- The Samsung Galaxy S10, all variants combined, however still very widespread in nature.
- The Google Pixel 3A and its XL version, which at the time signaled an excellent value for money.
- The OnePlus 7 and 7 pro, formerly spearheads of a manufacturer in full ascent.
- Some models in the Xiaomi Mi 10 range, which have remained blocked on Android 12.
- Several variations of Asus Rog Phone 5 and Zenfone 8, which have not all been updated to Android 13.
- Smartphones of more confidential brands – Oppo, Realme, Motorola – which sometimes never exceeded Android 12, lack of sufficient software follow -up.
Among the victims of this stroke, smartphones still functional, but now exposed. What to do then? Two paths open. The first: accept obsolescence and migrate to a more recent model. The second, more technical: opt for a personalized ROM – like willer – which would extend the lifespan of the device, provided you control its installation.
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