TO:
All Administrators
FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Michael Heaps, Director of Information Systems
Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Manager in Information Systems
Every Chromebook comes with an expiration date called Auto Update Expiration (AUE) where it will no longer receive critical updates. Google recently announced that new Chromebooks will receive updates for up to 10 years after a model is first released. In addition, Google announced that updates for some older Chromebook models will also be extended. These updates range from keeping your devices secure on the web to continued device stability improvements.
What Does This Mean for You? The extended time before updates expire may allow your school some flexibility in prolonging the life of your Chromebooks. While it remains important for your school to maintain a regular rotation of purchasing new Chromebooks, you may find that your rotation is able to be spread out over a longer period of time, depending on hardware performance, maintenance and deterioration.
When to Surplus Older Chromebooks? It is not necessary to send a Chromebook to surplus solely due to the original AUE date. Rather, the extended AUE date can be used to determine when a Chromebook will no longer receive updates. However, if the Chromebook has performance or hardware issues, continue to surplus the device even if it hasn’t met the extended AUE date. If in doubt, consult with your school tech.
How Long Will My Older Chromebooks Continue to Receive Updates? The chart below shows the extended AUE dates for older Chromebooks.
Chromebook Model | Extended AUE Date |
Chromebook 11 G6 EE* | June 2027* |
Chromebook 11A G6 EE* | June 2029* |
Chromebook 11 G7 EE | June 2029 |
Chromebook 11 G8 EE | June 2029 |
Chromebook 11A G8 EE* | June 2029* |
Chromebook 11 G9 EE | June 2031 |
*IMPORTANT NOTE - Chromebook models with an asterisk will have some features and services that will not be supported through the extended AUE date. According to Google, this includes Google Play Store being removed from the Chromebook and all Android-related data being erased from the Chromebook and not recoverable.