May 1, 2025, 12:05 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
In 2021, LG exited the smartphone market. Now, the company is finally parting with the last remnants of its mobile phone history.
For many, LG is now just a manufacturer of TVs and household appliances. However, it was once considered a traditional company in the mobile phone and smartphone market. The South Koreans were not afraid of innovations and wild experiments (see LG Wing in the picture). Nevertheless, LG never really established itself in the global market. Four years ago, it discontinued its struggling smartphone division but promised continued updates. Now, even that is coming to an end.
LG Ends Smartphone Support
The company will shut down its update servers on June 30, 2025, as reported by “Android Authority.” In a press release on the South Korean support site, LG announced the discontinuation of Over-the-Air (OTA) updates, Update Center, and LG Bridge. In the future, users will no longer be able to download or install Android updates for their smartphones.
Despite the withdrawal from the smartphone market, the company made an update promise in 2021 for a range of then-current models. Premium devices like the Velvet, Wing, and V60S were to receive three version updates, and mid-range devices like the Stylo were to receive two years of version updates.
These models have not received new Android versions or security patches since 2023. However, LG’s update servers remain online so users can still install the last available updates.
Complete Withdrawal from the Smartphone Market
But that will also end as of the deadline, as LG will completely shut down the update servers. LG advises users to install the latest available software version on their devices before the deadline is reached.
Those who miss this opportunity will have to forgo updates entirely in the future. The shutdown also affects the PC software LG Bridge. This application was used not only for installing software updates but also for backing up and restoring data on LG smartphones.
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LG Never Really Established Itself
The decision is not surprising. It is rather remarkable that LG offered software support for its last models for so long after exiting the smartphone race. Updates have always been a sore point in LG’s history — and one of the many reasons why customers turned away from the company.
LG never firmly established itself in the smartphone market. Although it had a global market share of more than five percent in 2014 (source: Statista), ahead of HTC and Sony, growing competition from China — Xiaomi and Oppo — put increasing pressure on the company. It last claimed seven percent of the U.S. market in 2021 (source: Statista). By that time, the decision to exit the smartphone business had already been made.