updates for Android up to four years and faster rollout
Updates to Android are a tricky issue for many people. Now chipset maker Qualcomm and Google have announced an even better partnership. This means that it is theoretically possible to provide a smartphone with new software for even longer.
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Google and Qualcomm: updates can take longer to roll out
The collaboration is intended to ensure that smartphones can receive Android updates for longer and is part of Project Treble. This was created in 2017 to be able to roll out updates faster. Various parties and factors play an important role in such a rollout.
In addition to the smartphone manufacturer, this also depends, for example, on the type of processor in the device. The recently unveiled Snapdragon 888 chip will receive support for Android and security updates for four years, it has now become known.
Whether that is also the case in practice is still the question. The manufacturer of the smartphone is ultimately responsible for the release of updates for a device. So if you buy a device with that chip and Android 11 at the beginning of 2021, it is not a given that you will actually receive updates for another four years.
Rolling out updates is the Achilles heel of Google’s mobile operating system. There is great fragmentation in the Android country and the exact situation with updates for specific phones is often still too unknown. Apple scores the highest points in that area, with a clear update policy for its own iPhones.
But how long will my device get updates?
If you buy a high-end device from a well-known manufacturer now, you will probably receive security updates for up to three years and two major Android updates. This can (and must) be done a lot better and this could happen with the improved collaboration.
Various manufacturers now see a good update policy as very important and are therefore investing heavily in it. For example, manufacturer Samsung has announced which devices will receive updates for three years.
On Android Planet we publish a summary of security and Android updates that have been rolled out every week. Finally, also check our Android 11 update overview and the overview with security updates. This way you immediately know a lot better until when you can expect updates.
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