Vivo has been doing good work lately with software rollouts. In fact, last year, it released the Android 15 update well before other brands, even before Google released it to their Pixel devices. That was surprising. Vivo users may be expecting a quicker rollout this year, too, and the good news is that the brand is already working on it.
The Android 16 update for Vivo phones will come with Funtouch OS 16 skin on top, which will likely bring a host of new features and improvements. The update will soon start rolling out to Vivo phones. Unfortunately, for some devices, Android 16 will be the end of the road. In other words, these Vivo phones will spend the rest of their lives running Android 16.
We’ve prepared a list of Vivo phones that will receive Android 16 (with Funtouch OS 16) as their final major upgrade. Review the list to find out if you’ll need to upgrade sometime next year.
Vivo phones getting Android 16 as their last major upgrade
Vivo has not officially confirmed the list. So, this is based on the current update policy and a little bit of guesswork.
- Vivo X90, X90 Pro, X90 Pro+, X90s
- Vivo V40, V40e, V40 Pro, V40 Lite, V40 SE
- Vivo V30, V30e, V30 Pro, V30 SE, V30 Lite 4G
- Vivo T3, T3 Pro, T3 Ultra, T3 Lite, T3x
- Vivo Y300, Y300 Plus, Y300 Pro
- Vivo Y200 4G, Y200e, Y200 Pro, Y200+, Y200 GT, Y200i, Y200t
- Vivo Y100 4G
- Vivo Y39
- Vivo Y29 4G, Y29s
- Vivo Y19
- iQOO 11, 11 Pro
- iQOO 11 Pro
- iQOO Z9, Z9x, Z9 Lite, Z9s, Z9s Pro
While this list will be mostly accurate, I still recommend double-checking with the official announcements next year for the final confirmation.
If your device is on the list, expect no major upgrades beyond Android 16. However, the device will continue to receive security updates for a while. To keep receiving new features and the latest enhancements, you may need to upgrade to a newer model next year.
What does Vivo’s software update policy look like?
While the brand has been pretty consistent with software rollouts, its update policy is a bit of a mess. Vivo phones lack a transparent software update policy, particularly for mid-range and cheaper models. This means no certainty about future OS updates.
Premium models, however, get a nice treat — faster updates and extended software support. Take the X200 series, for example: it promises four OS updates. Previously, flagship devices were limited to 3 OS updates. Several iQOO models, such as the iQOO 13 and iQOO 12 series, have also been promised the same extended software support.
The Vivo V50 series also received an additional OS update, previously limited to just two. Meanwhile, the Vivo T and Y series phones usually get just two. The iQOO Z series follows the same trend, but recent Neo models now receive up to three major updates.
While Vivo is gradually improving its update policy, it still falls short compared to industry leaders like Google and Samsung. Both these companies now offer up to seven years of updates on premium models. More importantly, they have a transparent update policy for every phone.
On the plus side, Vivo is a reliable brand when it comes to software updates, and it has recently started offering extended software support on various models. However, there’s still a big room for improvement — especially when it comes to transparency and consistency for lower-tier models. Hopefully, things will continue to improve over time across all price segments.
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