If we had to choose where Android Mobiles has improved in recent years, we would not say things like the screen or the processor, but the updates. This has always been a section in which Apple's iPhone was superior, and by victory, offering several years of support, while some Android mobiles did not come to celebrate their first anniversary before being abandoned.
This situation has changed overnight, with certain brands such as Google and Samsung promise 7 years of updatesfar exceeding the 5 years of support that the iPhone generally receives (although Apple does not have a written rule and there are exceptions). Now, the Android platform has just given another blow to the table, which eliminates the main excuses that brands can have so as not to support their mobiles.
This week, Qualcomm has announced a new collaboration program with Google to offer the possibility of up to 8 years of consecutive support New versions of Android and security updates. This is the most ambitious project so far to ensure that the mobiles we buy can now last as much as possible, without having to buy another and generate electronic waste.
More specifically, the alliance with Google assumes that the Android operating system, because the core updates (the heart of the system) will be available for eight consecutive years Without needing “significant changes or improvements in the manufacturer's platform and code”. The most necessary work will be delivered with the kernel updates, which will require new drivers, but apart from that, the code of each manufacturer can remain unchanged and continue to operate.
To understand the importance of this announcement, you must first understand what is the biggest obstacle to Android updates: Manufacturers' changes. Each brand offers its own layer of customization based on Android (like Samsung Oneui), and its own “hardware” configuration which requires its own “software” and its drivers.
With each new update and version of Android and the modifications they make, the developer must make in turn Changes in your code to guarantee compatibility; It is an excellent investment, depending on the quantity of modifications and devices necessary to support, and therefore the Android support has been traditionally very poor.
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With the new commitment of Qualcomm and Google, Each new version of Android will not require “significant changes” so that the brand code is working properly; And that should make things easier. The biggest difference will come with the kernel updates, the alliance of which promises two during the eight -year period; By affecting the core of the system, they will need “pilots” updates, but in return, they will offer greater security longer, because they affect the components of the critical system.
The Snapdragon 8 elite is the first chip that is part of this collaboration between Qualcomm and Google, and therefore, mobiles such as the Samsung Galaxy S25, the Xiaomi 15 or the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra are models that could benefit, in More of the future of mobiles that use the next Qualcomm chips. However, it should be noted that The ball is now on the roof of each manufacturerAnd that the policy of each brand is that which will determine the actual number of years that we will receive updates. However, Qualcomm is optimistic and indicates that he has already received the commitment of several brands, we therefore expect advertisements in the near future.
