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This might be a contributing issue, but it seems this is far from the only reason why Android has such shit upgrade lifetimes. Android itself doesn't have a st
by phire 6y ago
This might be a contributing issue, but it seems this is far from the only reason why Android has such shit upgrade lifetimes.
Android itself doesn't have a strict requirement for an updated kernel. It will typically run fine on the original kernel tree the SoC launched with.
OnePlus occasionally does this, they are currently rolling out Android 10 for the OnePlus 5 and 5T, based on the original kernel tree. That's a 3 year old device (and I hate that I'm using a 3 year old device as my best example)
It seems like most Android vendors simply choose not to offer extended updates.
- dstaley 6y agoAndroid device manufacturers make their money when you buy a new device. Apple, on the other hand, makes money when you buy apps (in addition to making money on device sales I'm sure). They have an incentive to make sure that the latest OS runs on as many devices as possible, so that developers can release their apps to a wider audience, and so that Apple can make more money. Google wants apps to run on as many devices as possible, so that's why they bend over backwards to support older devices with their SDK. Samsung doesn't have any incentive to update the Galaxy S6 since that won't bring them any additional revenue.