Can someone briefly explain how Android software updates work?

[martin2345uk]

So having an iPhone currently I’m used to getting a major software update every year, with smaller incremental ones throughout. Most current phones are supported.

What’s the score with Android? If I got a recent Samsung phone... how often are major updates released? Are most phones supported? Is it manufacturer dependent..?

Thanks!

 

[mito88]

@mito88 this is 8 years old but might help shed some light on the topic. I'm sure it's probably changed some since this was released.
https://www.droid-life.com/2013/12/...-of-an-android-os-update-from-pdk-to-ota/amp/

thanks!

this is what I was looking for.


View attachment 335503


I believe samsung does tne same.


my point is, no matter what modifications the carriers so easily impose, samsung never relinquishes control of the firmware.

 

[mito88]

Just to add to this dated thread -- Google releases monthly security patches but there's a much more complicated and inconsistent path those patches need to go through before they 'might' be released to Android device users -- basically it's a matter where Google releases security patches on a monthly basis, then the phone manufacturers review and curate them, then the carriers do the same, and then only if we're lucky we might have them pushed out to our Android devices. So there there is no brief explanation, there are too many players involved in the process and too many variables.
This is a nice summary on the what happens before we 'might' see an OTA patch get to our device:
https://www.xda-developers.com/how-android-security-patch-updates-work/
The Android platform is a very different one compared to Apple. With Android, there's the base Android operating system and there's a countless number of different manufacturers who use it on a wide range of different hardware configurations. With Apple, it maintains tight control over both the operating system development and the hardware manufacturing process. So the former is a matter of an OS that runs on varying hardware, while the latter is a matter where the OS is optimized to run on specific hardware. Android is more open but less structured, Apple is more proprietary but more curated -- two different business models that essentially result in the same thing -- any typical smartphone has the same general appearance with a touch screen and we tap on icons to do stuff.

thank you for the reply.

the reason for my query is to gather enough info to have Samsung support refrain from dodging requests involving carrier features. They are notorious for this. They would have us believe they cannot troubleshoot something Samsung did not create. So they simply refer to the carriers, ignoring the issue being reported. That's misleading.

Samsung should provide 1st tier support to any feature available in their products and escalate if necessary. Brushing aside legitimate support requests tarnishes Samsung's reputation.

 

[mustang7757]

thank you for the reply.

the reason for my query is to gather enough info to have Samsung support refrain from dodging requests involving carrier features. They are notorious for this. They would have us believe they cannot troubleshoot something Samsung did not create. So they simply refer to the carriers, ignoring the issue being reported. That's misleading.

Samsung should provide 1st tier support to any feature available in their products and escalate if necessary. Brushing aside legitimate support requests tarnishes Samsung's reputation.

Start a petition

 

[smvim]

There is a very gradual process in place where Google is taking control updates and upgrades to the base Android operating system, leaving the manufacturers to focus on firmware that's relative to their hardware and carriers adding their branding fluff and bloat to devices they sell. With all our phones, there's a base OS running underneath, the software that directly interacts with the hardware, and then there's the user interface that runs on top of that, the part that we all interact with. As Google takes back control of updating just the OS itself, that should result in a much, much more consistent delivery of updates to our phones, a problem that has hampered the Android platform for years.
So each new Android version release enables this increasing separation but the issue is there are a massive number of Android devices that are running older versions of Android and will never be upgraded/updated. Plus there are a lot of existing contractual agreements in place between Google, the manufacturers, and the carriers so the process isn't just a matter of one party wanting to do what it wants or needs to.