Snapdragon Android Phones Will Soon Get 4 OS Version Updates, Here's Why

Smartphones using Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips will begin to receive four Android OS version updates and four years of security updates.

Many Android phones will be getting longer operating system update and security support from now on thanks to Qualcomm and Google's efforts. The two tech giants are working to make limited update support a thing of the past by reinventing the operating system's framework. Last month, Google gave its Pixel phones some vital security updates, which were followed this month by a big features update.

While most of the changes Google made certainly help in enhancing the overall Android experience, they're not available to all smartphones running the popular operating system. Google Pixel phones are often given priority over others when it comes to updates, and there are some features that don't make it to other Android phones at all. However, the discontent caused by limited update availability is expected to come to an end — and not as a result of Android 11's big improvements over its predecessor.

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According to chip manufacturer Qualcomm, it will be collaborating with Google to help make future Snapdragon devices capable of running more of the latest Android versions. Both teams are working on enhancing Project Treble, a road map that aims to reconstruct Android 11's architecture. Among its goals is to make the operating system more adaptable and backward-compatible, therefore allowing it to become more flexible for manufacturers to work with. The result would allow Snapdragon devices to update their Android software without requiring much modification, reducing Qualcomm's time and resource expenditures in the process.

The collaboration has big implications for the direction of new Android phones in the near future. Qualcomm revealed that all devices under Project Treble will be capable of supporting four Android OS versions and four years of security updates, starting with devices utilizing its latest Snapdragon 888 platform. Project Treble, on the other hand, could help set the new standard of Android phones to come, an era that blurs the line between manufacturer and software, along with their respective limitations, not to mention distinctions between brands utilizing the same OS and processors.

With plans of it being applied to every system-on-chip immediately running Android 11 or later, it seems like most newer Snapdragon devices are guaranteed to come with years of new updates and security fixes. By utilizing a more unified approach for both hardware and software, perhaps the project's efforts can help prevent Qualcomm's chips from putting the security of billions of Android users at risk again. And, perhaps from now on, Google Pixel phones won't be the only devices sporting the latest and greatest that Android has to offer.

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Source: Qualcomm