It’s a fact, Android updates are a mess, always have been, and probably will be for a long, long time. The mobiles they take a long time to update to the latest version, and that’s where it happensbut it may not be as bad as it seems.
We all like to be up to date, but the truth is it is less and less important to have the latest version of AndroidWell, Google has been working for years on decoupling news so it doesn’t become part of the elusive OTA. The news arrives today on our mobiles not by a single front, the OTAs, but by several.
It’s okay if you don’t have the latest version of Android
We all like to be up to date, it is a fact. Every time there’s a new version of Android, we read that it’s better, more secure, more private, and usually adds one or two more things we’ve been waiting for and want now. But the normal thing is that we have to wait months until the update reaches our mobiles, and that’s when it arrives.
When the update finally arrives, sometimes we are left with disappointed because everything is basically the same. If our mobile has a layer -which is usual- it is relatively common that it neglects some of the new features of the new version of Android and we have to search and search to find any difference, beyond the internal changes, the number and easter egg in service.
Android updates are overrated. If they come, they are welcome. Otherwise, nothing happens either.
Not only that, but sometimes system updates produce regressions that complicate the life of users of certain types of applications. For example, starting with Android 9, call recording apps stopped working properly. Luckily, that’s usually not the case, and we should remember that many of these changes are meant to protect user privacy.
We don’t mean that updating to the latest version of Android isn’t necessary, but it’s not as important today as it was a few years ago. The main reason is that news comes to our mobiles from many different fronts
All the ways your mobile is updated
The news is good, but the key point is that it’s been a long time since they stopped arriving exclusively through Android updates. Google has been working on this for a decade, ever since it began to separate Android components to update them more easily, starting with Google Play Services.
Google hasn’t updated Android version distribution data for us since last year, so we can’t estimate how many devices are up to date, although with complete certainty it will be a ridiculous number if we compare it with the adoption rate of the latest iOS version. Google doesn’t seem to care too much. Unlike iOS, Android phones can update many of its parts regardless of system version.
We don’t need a complete OTA of the system to have security improvements or new functions: they come to us from more and more fronts
There are so many different ways news comes to our android mobiles, that it is easy to forget some of them. Honestly, it would be easier for everyone if all Android phones that have a certain version had exactly the same features and functions as they do in iOS, but that’s one of the virtues and complications of ‘Android. Instead, we have changes happening all around us, sometimes without us even knowing it.
android updates
We begin our review of the types of updates that reach our mobiles with the most classic of all: the system update, commonly known as OTA. That is, the update that installs you a brand new version of Android on mobile and you usually have to wait longer than you would like for it to appear as available.
This is the most classic type of update and it has been on Android since time immemorial. Fundamentally, the firmware is downloaded and installed later, for which you have to restart the mobile and, sometimes, wait a long time. However, Google has recently developed some innovations to speed up the process, such as secondary partitions or background installation.
be brand new firmware, OTAs can change everything from the new version of Android to all installed apps. The negative part is that the process from when there is a new version until it is available to reach users is long, as there are many intermediate steps. Therefore, minor changes come in other ways. It must be emphasized, yes, that we will also receive small updates of this style with specific corrections and/or optimizations.
security updates
It is not necessary to have the latest version of Android to be up to date with security. Updates like this come through security patches with the latest fixes. Security updates are monthly
Security updates don’t add any functionality – unless the same update is used to update something else – but they do take care of resolve security issues of the system, the system applications or one of the components of the mobile. By going separately from Android updates, it is faster for them to reach much more mobiles, much sooner.
Google Play system updates
From Android 10, Google started detach some system modules of the operating system itself, so that they can be updated separately, from Google Play. It started as an experiment under the codename of Project Mainline and the idea has come to fruition, as each new version of Android has since added new modules, making it easier to update separately from system updates. .
Updates to these modules are coming as they come. Google Play system updates, which also come with a monthly version (although that doesn’t mean you’ll get one every month). They are accessible from the security menu of the mobile, and one of the main advantages is to be able to update the components of a module in a simple way when there is a security problem.
The advantage over lifetime security patches is that when they arrive through Google Play, they will continue to update critical system components even if mobiles no longer receive security updates. There are all kinds of modulesand we’re probably getting more with each new version of Android, so it’s possible that at some point the changes that come to us through these updates go beyond security.
Google Play Services Updates
One of Google’s first attempts to modularize the system was the creation of Google Play Services, in 2012. Instead of having to include the same libraries in each of its applications, the services unify common tasks in one place. which have now become essential, such as the messaging, maps, location and a long, long etc.
Many apps and Android itself – at least the version with Google apps – depend directly on Google services, which are updated directly from Google Play. This is one of the most effective ways that Google has found to extend the life of old mobiles: there are many examples of functions of newer versions of Android that also reach older versions through Google Play Services.
For example, one of the new features of Android 11 is that it can automatically revoke permissions from apps you haven’t used in a long time. In order not to leave anyone behind, the function is also present on mobiles with older versions via Google Play Services and in Google Play.
App updates
One way to receive news on our mobiles that everyone knows is simply with app updates through Google Play. Of course, you will need to have a recent version of WhatsApp or Telegram to access their respective news, but the system is even more relevant when it comes to preinstalled apps.
It is becoming increasingly common for manufacturers list the applications that come to the mobile in Google Playso they can be updated to refresh or fix bugs much more quickly and efficiently than if a full system update or security patch is involved.
It is precisely through Google app updates so many new features arrive on our mobiles, without needing to have the latest version of Android. Of particular relevance are updates to the Google app and Google Play itself.
Fixel Feature Drop (on Google Pixel)
To further entice you to get their mobiles, Google has released the Pixel Feature Drop Pouch, new bundles with exclusive features for Google Pixelat least temporarily.
Pixel Feature Drops are coming when they arrive and include a potpourri of news ranging from new wallpapers to accident detection, improvements to exclusive applications like the recorder or “It’s Playing” and everything possible.
Removal of Android features
From time to time, Google surprises us by announcing a news pack coming soon to our phones. These novelties can be of all kinds and, although they tend to focus on Google’s own applications, after all, they are the ones we use the most on our mobiles. Sometimes the news is thematic, for example, Android Auto.
In most cases, this news ends up reaching us by updates to Google applications and/or Google servicesa few weeks or months later and whether or not we have the latest version of Android.
Being up to date is good, but…
We repeat once again: if your mobile has the latest version of Android or is about to receive it, Congratulations. Having the latest version of Android means having access to the latest features, privacy and security, as well as ensuring that the phone will continue to be supported for many years to come (Jelly Bean support has taken late last year).
If you don’t have the latest version of Android, nothing happens. You’ll still be able to receive security updates, new features, and various changes through other means, and the vast majority of apps and games will likely remain compatible with your version for a long time. Relax.
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