In brief
- Solana Saga devices are no longer receiving software updates and security patches.
- The product’s support lifecycle lasted just more than two years, far less than devices from Apple and Google.
- Solana Mobile’s focus has shifted to the Seeker, its second-gen mobile phone that will eventually get an ecosystem token.
Solana Mobile is discontinuing support for the Solana Saga smartphone and will no longer offer software updates for the first-generation crypto handset, the firm announced on Monday.
As a result, new software updates and security patches will not be provided for the 20,000 Saga devices that were produced, with support only handling “general inquiries” moving forward.
“Software updates and security patches are no longer provided for Saga devices,” a community manager in the Solana Mobile Discord community said on Monday. “Thanks to all our Saga users for being part of the journey.”
The firm also thanked Saga holders on its website, adding that their feedback was “invaluable in shaping the next chapter of Solana Mobile.”
The Saga was last upgraded to Android 14, first released in 2023, and its final security update is from November 2024.
Solana first released the Saga—an Android phone with baked-in crypto features like a secure seed vault and a decentralized app store—in April 2023 to limited fanfare. But the phone earned a rush of demand later that year after airdrops tied to the phone surged in value, providing holders with potentially thousands of dollars in rewards.
Now it’s essentially obsolete in just over two years—far less time than the marker used by Apple to characterize its mobile devices as “vintage” or obsolete, which only happens after more than seven years from release. Google similarly offers seven years of software support for its Pixel phones, while Samsung has matched that window for some devices.
Granted, the end of software support doesn’t mean that the devices stop working—they remain operational for owners, and of course, the crypto features are still running as usual. A Solana Mobile AI support agent told Decrypt that Saga wallets can also be restored on other devices due to following the “same seed standard.”
With Saga support ending, Solana Mobile is now solely focused on its second phone, the Seeker, a cheaper, similarly crypto-focused mobile device. Announced shortly after the airdrop rush and sellout of the Saga, the Seeker earned more than 150,000 pre-sale orders and began shipping to users this August.
The second-generation Solana phone comes with some of the same features as its predecessor, like the built-in Seed Vault—but it has upgraded hardware and newer features like the SeekerID and an improved decentralized app store.
Additionally, it comes with plans for a native ecosystem token, SKR, an incentive for builders and users that aligns the ecosystem and its outcomes. Details about the token have not been revealed, but the Solana Mobile website indicates it will go “directly to builders and users.”
Decrypt reviewed the Solana Seeker in August and found it to be a capable mid-range Android phone that provided a “more measured” offering than the Saga, arriving at half the launch price with some user-friendly upgrades in tow.
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Source: https://decrypt.co/345262/solana-saga-loses-security-updates-support-seeker-phone-rollout
