When purchasing a new Android smartphone, buyers usually hunt for two things: good specs and a phone that promises to be updated to the latest version of Android. That’s because the majority of smartphones are running out-of-date Android versions. While there’s no solution to this problem as of now, manufacturers try hard to offer the latest version of the Android OS.
Users usually blame the manufacturers when they can’t get the latest and greatest Android update, but in reality, things are not that easy for the manufacturers. Google’s Nexus devices like the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 get Android updates soon, but other Android devices have to wait longer. For example, devices like the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will receive the Android 4.3 update after Nexus devices have already received the Android 4.4 update. Whether your Android device will get the next Android update or not and when will you get the update depend on lots of factors.
HTC, in an effort to educate users on how Android updates are pushed, has published a very informative infographic. This infographic explains the process of what it takes HTC to get updates from Google and then push them out to various devices. The company has divided the process into five stages:
- Evaluation
- Development
- Integration
- Certification
- Push to customer
HTC is focused on providing timely software updates for both HTC Sense™ innovation and major Google Android™ releases. In an effort to bring transparency to this process, we will be marking the steps of preparation and our progress, by device and carrier.
The infographic explains the details for carrier devices, unlocked/dev edition devices and Google Play devices.
Android Updates
From the infographic, it is evident that pushing an Android update out is not as easy as it seems. This process is complicated and long enough to keep us all waiting for the update. But those who want to be the first to get the latest update can always buy a Nexus, and for others, there’s Motorola, HTC, Samsung, Sony, LG and others.
