Oppo is looking to guarantee users of its devices of dependable support throughout much of the usable lifetime of their devices.
In a statement updating the public on the adoption of the latest version of its custom Android overlay, ColorOS, the Chinese company uses the opportunity to make a binding commitment: that it will update select devices through four major ColorOS updates. At the same time, Oppo is guaranteeing users of select devices 5 years of security updates.
The said “select devices”, according to Oppo, are “selected flagship models”.
The company hasn’t specified which ones which makes it harder to make a case for existing devices but says that this starts next year (2023) which should mean that it will apply to selected flagship devices it announces from next year going forward.
By doing so, Oppo is joining the ranks of Samsung which, early in the year, updated its own terms to specify that it would be supporting its devices through 4 major Android updates and 5 security patches.
The European Union region, where Oppo also plys its trade, is seeking to enforce a raft of measures that will see device makers legally bound to guarantee the provision of software updates for at least 7 years. As we have seen with the coming into effect of policies that force device makers to ship to the region devices that feature universal charging mechanisms (USB Type-C) and the recent order to Apple to allow third-party app stores, this is not far-fetched and could actually be a reality sooner rather than later.
According to Oppo, it has successfully updated 33 devices to the latest ColorOS 13 in just 4 months of its rollout. ColorOS 13 brings with it all the new features and updates that Google has brought to Android in version 13 as well as improvements to and the addition of Oppo-specific customizations.
