New Chromebooks will now ship with ten years’ value of safety patches and updates, Google mentioned Thursday, serving to ease a persistent downside: the restricted lifespan of Chromebook {hardware}.

Google can even assist Chromebooks that had been launched in 2019 or later by an extra two years, additionally giving them ten years of patches and updates, Google mentioned.

Windows PCs don’t final without end, however Microsoft historically has by no means positioned an end-of-life date on a Windows PC till 2021, when it restricted some older PCs from upgrading to Windows 11. One of the differences between laptops and Chromebooks is that Google really tells you when it’ll cease supporting Chromebooks. A Chromebook once exited support in just five years; in 2019, Google extended the Chromebook support window to eight years as an alternative.

(Google oddly hides this info, also referred to as the Auto Update Expiration date, on the linked assist web page. If you match your Chromebook’s mannequin quantity in opposition to the Google database, you’ll find out when your Chromebook’s assist window will expire.)

Further studying: The best Chromebooks

The downside, although, hasn’t gone away: sooner or later, Google will cease supplying patches, placing a selected Chromebook and its person in danger. For a house person, utilizing an out-of-date Chromebook could also be an appropriate danger; for a faculty or authorities, it possible violates IT coverage. As not too long ago as April, teams have argued that this “Chromebook churn” contributes to e-waste. In truth, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) argued that Google should extend the Chromebook support lifespan to 10 years — precisely what Google has executed.

It’s not an computerized improve, nevertheless. If you personal a Chromebook that was shipped in 2021, you’ll routinely get ten years of updates, Google mentioned. But should you personal a Chromebook that was shipped earlier than that, you or an IT supervisor should “turn on” the extra assist. It’s not clear precisely how that may occur.

“You can find more information about the extended updates in our Help Center, Admin console or in Settings,” Google mentioned.

The prolonged assist window nonetheless doesn’t remedy the core downside: Chromebooks will exit of assist, sometime. But Google highlighted greener options like global recycling drop-off points that can be found in Google Maps, to permit colleges and customers to recycle their Chromebooks. Google additionally highlighted its ongoing restore program, to maintain Chromebooks already within the discipline up and operating.

You don’t have to fret in regards to the the AUE assist window in our list of the best Chromebooks; they’re all new sufficient that they’ll finish assist in a few years. But retailers could attempt to foist older, expiring Chromebooks on you in what we name trap deals: should you’re not paying consideration, you should buy a Chromebook that may basically be defunct in a 12 months or two. That downside received’t go away, both.

Still, Google’s choice signifies that no matter Chromebook you purchase ought to last more earlier than you should recycle it. That’s a constructive step, both manner.