Google No Longer Supports Android 12 or Android 12L

If you have a smartphone running Android 12 that can't upgrade past that version, I have some bad news: Google is dropping support for your phone.

RIP Android 12

As spotted by Android Authority, Google is no longer seeding security updates for devices running Android 12 and Android 12L. The company omitted the Android version from its April 2025 Android Security Bulletin, which notes security vulnerabilities Google has identified and patched, and as well as which versions of Android receive those patches. The company highlights Android 13, 14, and 15 across a number of different vulnerabilities, but not Android 12.

The outlet isn't basing this news off these omissions alone: Android Authority reports that Google dropped support for Android 12 and 12L as of March 31, based on a source that says the company ended security patch backports for those versions on that date. Backporting is when a developer takes a security patch from a newer version of software and adds it to an older version of that software. It seems Google had been doing that for Android 12 from newer versions of Android, but as of the end of March, has stopped.

Google hasn't said exactly why it is ending support for Android 12 at this time, but it almost assuredly has to do with the OS' age. The company released the version (codenamed Snow Cone) back in October of 2021. It was a relatively big update for Android, notably introducing "Material You" to devices for the first time. Material You significantly changed the look of Android, adjusting UI elements, app icons, and applying a universal theme based on the colors of your wallpaper. The update also included a number of privacy settings as well as a handful of new gesture controls. According to Android Authority, Google stops most Android OS backporting around three and a half years after release, so this timing tracks.

Is your device affected?

The biggest issue here is that there are a lot of devices out there running Android 12. Statcounter says nearly 12.5% of Android phones around the globe are running this version, while 9.14% of Android users in the United States are running it. Blacklinko claims there are more than three billion Android phones active across the world, which means there could be more than 370 million Android phones out there about to lose security updates.

If your Android phone can't update past Android 12, it might be time to upgrade. Sure, you can live without new Android features, but security updates are vital. Inevitably, someone will discover security flaws within Android that affect Android 12, but since Google is no longer backporting patches to this version, those flaws will go unpatched. As such, bad actors can exploit those flaws in targeted attacks, leaving you vulnerable.

If you're looking for a new Android smartphone, Lifehacker's sister site PCMag has a list of its favorite Android phones for 2025. If you opt for a new Google or Samsung phone, know that these company guarantee seven years of software and security support. If you buy a Pixel 9a today, for example, you won't have to worry about a similar situation until 2032.

View the full article