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Let the Android Update Timer Begin!

Posted by Matt Birchler
— 1 min read

Every year it's the same story:

  1. Google announces new Android version in the summer and says "this time it's different" in terms of software updates.
  2. Google launches the new version of Android in the summer/fall for Pixel devices.
  3. All other phone makers take 6 to 12 to forever to update to the new OS.

This cycle plays out every year like clockwork, but we are of course in this cycle again. Google announced a new version of Android in May that was supposed to be hitting many devices at or soon after launch, and yesterday they released the official update to all Pixel owners.

Now we wait to see what happens with other phone makers.

I'd love to be wrong, because more people should get their phones updated more often, but I remain skeptical. To their credit, Google had a few non-Pixel devices that could run the Android Pie beta, but none of those phone makers have announced that they have a timeline for releasing Pie to their full user base. Again, I'm hoping that we see stories come out in the next few days with the likes of Samsung, HTC, OnePlus, and the like announcing they have Pie coming to some devices in the next few weeks.