2025 has been a busy one on the smartphone scene with countless launches – but it’s also spelt the end of other handsets too.
And this year marks the end for a much-loved iPhone model, as well as another big tech brand that put the final nail in the coffin of its dying mobile business.
While your mobile can technically keep working for as long as the hardware will allow, there is a major point that requires upgrading before that.
And it’s those important security software updates.
Yes, it may sound like a stuck-record by now but software updates are key to keep out hackers.
Manufacturers have got better at providing free updates for longer – some as much as seven years after release – but they can’t go on forever.
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Not only is it inefficient for companies to keep working on handsets with dwindling user numbers, it’s harder for them to adapt the new features built for faster up-to-date kit on the inside.
So there comes a point when support is dropped, resulting in no security updates.
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Without security updates, bugs and flaws go unfixed making your phone ripe for fraudsters to hack.
Here are mobiles that lost support in 2025.
#1 LG
LG announced that it was giving up on mobiles entirely in 2021 due to poor sales.
But the firm continued to offer security updates for its last remaining phones – until the end of June 2025.
On June 30, servers for updates closed down so it was the last chance to download any missed software updates.
If you’re still using an LG smartphone it’s really high time you upgrade to something else.
#2 iPhone
Apple is fairly good at offering security updates for years after an iPhone model’s release.
This year saw the first generation iPhone SE join the company’s “obsolete” list.
When a product is made obsolete it means the device is beyond repair.
Apple will sometimes continue to offer important security updates – some were issued for the iPhone SE in 2025.
But don’t bank on more coming in 2026.
#3 Samsung
Samsung ended support for several devices in 2025.
The entire Galaxy S20 Series received their final update.
This includes:
- Galaxy S20
- Galaxy S20+
- Galaxy S20 Ultra
- Galaxy S20 FE
The Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra also lost support.
On the budget end, the Galaxy A02s and Galaxy A12 also stopped receiving updates.
WHY DO GADGETS GET DISCONTINUED?
By Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun
It’s never good news to hear that your favourite gadget is no longer repairable and you’ll have to buy an expensive new one altogether.
Apple is fairly good for making tech last as long as possible, providing plenty of software updates for years after a product was released.
However, there comes a point when even they have to stop.
For something like a mobile or smartwatch it’s simply not financially viable to keep producing parts for items that few people now own.
Given the iPhone SE was released nine years ago, a lot has changed since then.
If you do still own one, chances are it’s probably quite battered and slow now.
It also is unlikely to receive important security updates which keeps your data safe.
So if you’re still using one it’s well worth upgrading now.
Image credit: Getty
