Google finds way to update Android faster

One of the biggest issues with Google’s Android platform is the delay in the roll-out of the latest updates. However, all of those delays in getting the latest software on your phone is about to be reduced in the upcoming days with Google’s Project Treble.

A post on the Android Developers Blog has detailed Project Treble, a utility that Google wants to implement in the Android ecosystem to roll out the latest updates to the end user, regardless of the device’s make. Project Treble will make it easier for Google to roll out Android updates to a Samsung phone on TouchWiz UI and a Huawei phone on EMUI within days of releasing them on its Pixel phones.

Under the new software code guidelines, OEMs can deliver the next Android update to their users by simply updating the Android OS framework. Initially, manufacturers had to rework on the standard Android Open Source Project ROM (Google’s standard Android software) after the chipset manufacturers modified the source code according to existing hardware compatibility. The additional modification made the rollout of the latest Android reach the user by the time Google readies the next Android update.

However, it will be difficult to rollout an Android update as fast as iOS devices on custom Android devices. The primary reason for that is the development and implementation of a new OEMcustom UI for every new Android release. For example, if Project Treble was available before the release of Android Nougat, the Samsung Galaxy S7 would still have taken months to get it because of a new version of TouchWiz UI specific to the Nougat release.

One major issue with Project Treble is its availability on the existing Android ecosystem. Google clearly states that this new feature will be implemented on devices “launched” with Android O and beyond. It remains to be seen whether or not custom Android manufacturers will implement this on their existing lineup of smartphones destined to get the Android O update.