Methodology

Patchlife records when a manufacturer says a device will stop getting security updates, and quotes the manufacturer's own words as evidence.

Where the dates come from

Each record uses the highest-ranked source available:

1. The manufacturer's statement of compliance (under Australia's smart device rules or the UK PSTI regulations) or its security support page.
2. The manufacturer's end-of-life or lifecycle page, for dates such as when a model reached end of life.
3. A regulator registry, such as the US Cyber Trust Mark registry.

News, forums, retailers, distributors and AI answers are only leads. They are never used as evidence.

Quotes

• Each record that gives a date or rule quotes, word for word, the shortest part of the source that states the date or rule for that model, up to 300 characters.
• When the source is a table, the quote is the row's cell texts joined by single spaces, for example "Ring Video Doorbell 3 31 December 2027".
• The quotes must state what the record states: the end date, any anchor date such as an end-of-life date, and the number of years in a rule.
• Only quotes and facts are stored, never whole pages or images.

No estimated dates

Dates are never inferred, estimated or rounded. When a manufacturer gives a rule such as "3 years after end of life" but has not published the end-of-life date, the page shows the rule in words and the status is unknown until the date is published. "At least" appears when the source says "at least" or "minimum". If a search finds no published support period, the page says so.

Regions

Each record lists the regions its statement covers, labelled for example "UK statement" or "Australian statement". When a manufacturer's policy names no region, the page says so. A statement for one region may not apply to the same model sold elsewhere.

Status

Status is worked out from the dates each time the site is built, and each page shows the date it applies to. An end date is the last day of the stated period. When the source says "at least", the date is the minimum the manufacturer publishes: updates may continue after it, and some manufacturers give some buyers longer. When the source gives only a month and year, the page shows the month, and the period counts as ended only after that month's last day.

Supported

More than 12 months of the stated period left.

Ending soon

12 months or less of the stated period left, up to and including the end date. For a month-only date, from 12 months before the month starts.

Minimum passed

The source gave a minimum period and its end date has passed. The manufacturer may still provide updates.

Ended

The end date has passed, and the source gave no minimum.

Unknown

No end date can be worked out, for example when a rule's anchor date has not been published.

Checking quotes

An automated check fetches each source page, normalises the text (Unicode NFKC, collapsed spaces, ignoring case) and confirms the quote is still there. When the quote is found, the record shows the date of that check. When a quote disappears, the record is marked "Under review" until new evidence is found. The policy is to re-check every record at least every 90 days.

Disclaimer

Support information is as published by each manufacturer. It may change and is not advice.