How to know when your device has finally reached end-of-life status

Although you may love your laptop, smartphone or wearable device very much, they won't be used forever after all. Parts will wear out, software will slow down, and technology will continue to evolve, making old equipment more and more difficult to use and eventually become outdated.

Industry manufacturers usually announce the end of their life cycle (EOL) when the device reaches a certain life span, but there may be some confusion as to the exact meaning behind this label. This doesn't mean you need to stop using your devices immediately, nor does it mean they will suddenly stop working properly. But you will have some questions you need to know.

What EOL means to your device

Tech companies are not always consistent in their use of terms, especially for the end of life cycle state. Depending on the manufacturer, this concept often has different definitions, and sometimes they break the term down into more specific stages. For example, Apple labeled it as an “old-style product” five years after it stopped selling products, and two more years after it marked it as an “outdated product.”

While the way companies use these terms may vary, even between products under the same brand, there are almost always some widely applicable topics. For example, once the device reaches EOL status, you usually won't get any software updates again. Likewise, manufacturers will generally also cease any type of repair or other support services provided to users of this model.

[Related: When to Repair Your Computer and When to Replace]

Go back to Apple's example, you won't be able to bring outdated products to the Apple store for repair. You might be able to have them fix old-fashioned products, but it depends on the specific equipment you have, so it's hard to summarize. There are sometimes exceptions, but you can always ask if you have any questions.

For its Pixel smartphone, Google doesn't mention EOL, but it details how long you can expect software and security updates to last. For new devices including the Google Pixel 7 Pro, you can get at least three years of Android updates and five years of security patches from the date of your phone’s release. When purchasing new technology, you should definitely pay attention to this guaranteed support window.

Unfortunately, not all hardware manufacturers are as transparent as they should in terms of product life. In fact, end-of-life data is often hard to find, and sometimes you simply can't find it. Some companies — such as Microsoft — constantly publish information to help you decide what to buy next. But if you don't know where to look, you can start with endoflife.date, a useful database of hardware and software products that you can refer to.

Your device has reached EOL. What to do now?

You will not receive any large flashing messages on the device when your device reaches the end of your life cycle. Also, you almost certainly won't receive it. As we mentioned above, you may be able to get this information ahead of time from official or unofficial sources, but the best way is to follow the daily tech news so you can stay up to date with the latest announcements.

Once you find that the device you are using has reached its EOL stage, you don’t need to do anything special except considering an upgrade. Your device won't stop working immediately, but as software updates lag, you'll find that you won't be able to update certain applications anymore. This can be annoying at first because you don't have access to new features and redesigns, but this may end up blocking your user experience from using the app entirely.

But this is just your biggest concern. Security is the most important issue because you won't get regular patches for your hardware and the software will get increasingly obsolete. Fully updated software is by no means invulnerable, but hackers often target their attack targets at old code that has not been properly patched, which puts you at a higher risk of various threats.

[Related: These simple upgrades can prevent you from having to buy a new computer]

Repair is another problem. Your existing equipment may continue to work, but you will find that the problem continues to increase over time. The problem is that you will rely on third-party companies that may not be able to help you, so your choices will be limited.

You need to consider how fast you upgrade your device will depend on the hardware you have. While malicious actors are unlikely to target your first-generation Fitbit tracker or your old iPod, your phone or laptop is another matter entirely. If the device that reaches the end of life cycle is that type of device, you may need to upgrade earlier than you originally thought.

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