Chromebook automatic update cut-off dates

Every Chromebook model carries an automatic update expiration (AUE) date, after which the device no longer receives ChromeOS security updates.^[1] Google's AUE policy page lists the Lenovo 300e Chromebook 2nd Gen, a model widely deployed in schools, as reaching expiration in June 2029.^[2]

The Lenovo 300e Chromebook 2nd Gen was first released on 28 February 2019, as an affordable and durable option for schools.^[3] ChromeOS's central device management and ongoing security updates made Chromebooks a common choice for education, and Google's low-cost education devices have been widely deployed in school fleets.^[4]

A May 2023 report by the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, Chromebook Churn, argued that Chromebooks' fixed expiration dates cause schools to replace devices early and that only about one-third of the resulting electronic waste is properly recycled.^[5] The report recommended that Google extend Chromebooks' expiration dates, stating:

We shouldn't allow planned obsolescence that keeps us buying more all the time.^[6]

PCWorld's coverage of the report characterized the AUE dates as an artificial limit that pushes schools to retire Chromebooks on a fixed schedule rather than when the hardware fails.^[7]

Google has since extended its Auto Update policy: ChromeOS devices now receive 10 years of automatic updates, and Chromebooks released before 2021 are eligible for extended updates reaching 10 years from their platform's release.^[8][9]