It’s no secret that carriers and device makers take their time updating Android.
In fact, for a lot of consumers who purchase phones directly from carriers — or for customers who buy non-Nexus and non-Pixel phones — the number one reason to avoid Android devices is the lengthy wait times between updates.
Google’s now proposing a solution that might just make it easier for carriers and device makers to release Android updates faster: Project Treble.
The usual Android update cycle follows a simple process.
First, the Android team publishes the latest version of Android. Next, silicon manufactures build chips surrounding the new Android version. Device makers build phones that utilize chips built for Android. Then carriers ensure that their software is built into the new version. Finally, device makers and carriers release their revised versions of Android to users via over-the-air (OTA) updates.
With the exception of owners of Nexus and Pixel devices, users can wait anywhere between months and years for the latest version of Android, with many carriers and device makers simply opting to not update devices at all.
With Project Treble, however, Google’s plan is to reduce the time between Android updates by making it easier for carriers and device makers to transfer over specific software, without needing to update that software for each subsequent version of Android.
According to Google, “Project Treble will be coming to all new devices launched with Android O and beyond.”
Project Treble is also currently available on the developer preview for Android O. Google will no doubt delve deeper into Project Treble and Android O’s other features at the Google I/O on May 17, 2017.
Source: Android Developers Blog
