How do I upgrade Android from 5 to 6 when it thinks is already up-to-date?

[Android Central Question]

In Android I go to Settings -> About tablet -> Software Update -> Check now for update. I see a pop-up window called "Software Update" with the message "You are using the latest software version for current OS." Some apps don't work with Android 5.

 

[hallux]

What device do you have? There is a point at which devices stop receiving updates because the manufacturer stops developing them. For example - I had a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) that went as far as Marshmallow (I think) and then got no further updates.

Bottom line - just because the device is not on the latest Android OS available does not mean it's as up to date as it can be. To get around that you'd need to investigate 3rd-party options or consider replacing the device with a newer one. Android 5 was released 4 years ago now, that's encroaching on the oldest devices that even Apple releases new OS versions for.

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[Rukbat]

Even if the manufacturer issues an update for some variants of your particular device model, it may not issue an update for all variants. (It takes a lot of work to create an update - and if not enough of that variant has been sold, they may not have thought it was worth their time. (This is all in the past, of course - 6 was released 3 years ago.)