How long will security updates be made for Windows Phone handsets?

Question

I currently own a Samsung Galaxy S2 and I've been disappointed by the way the "Stage Fright" bug is being handled. Despite my phone only being 3 years old, no-one seems to planning to push out an update fixing this bug any time soon.

Since the Android eco-system have disappointed me so much, I'm looking at switching to a different one. But would I just end up going to a lot of trouble and still be in no better a situation?

Say I go out tomorrow and purchase a shiny new Windows Phone. What if, in three years time, someone finds a vulnerability and I need an OS update. Will I get one? How long should I expect updates be made?

Related: https://android.stackexchange.com/q/116560/13309

Answer 1

In the case of Windows Phone 8.1 Microsoft will release security updates for at least 36 months since release. This however also depends on the carriers willingness to push those updates.

With Windows 10 Mobile carriers will not be able to block those (security) updates, according to Microsoft. As far as I know there's no information yet for how long Microsoft will release security patches for a specific version, but I think it's fair to assume at least the 36 months that we've seen with WP8.1

The Lumia 920 was released almost three years ago and will get the Windows 10 Mobile update, so that should give you some peace of mind. I'd recommend going with a Lumia device as support for those is least likely drop early.