Android and updates… Ah, the good old battle.
While Apple only produces the iPhone and has a good hang over the hardware and software experience on that device across multiple generations, the situation is very different in Androidland. Google supplies the software – for the most part – and independent device makers pick it, customize it and slap it on their devices. Others stick with what Google has shared almost as is while others alter it so much it takes on a whole new identity.
That means that when it comes to updating it, issues will arise. Google has to cook up a new version of Android, test it and release it. These days, it has an extensive public testing process to benefit both developers of apps that go into these devices as well its partners, the device makers who will make the devices that will run whatever it is cooking up. With various device makers in the mix, that means that every time there’s a new version of Android or updates to an existing version from Google, everyone will have a different timeline as to when they can pass those on to their users. Of course, after spending time making sure they work with whatever they already have on their devices. Customizing it to their tastes and all.
This hazy timeline and, in some cases, a complete absence of updates has always rubbed people the wrong way. While Google has gone ahead and done a lot to make things a bit more streamlined by, for instance, issuing some critical updates through Google Play after disentangling them from the core system updates, a lot still remains to be done. As everyone figures out how and when that will be done, device makers have become a lot more straightforward by promising updates for devices upfront, something that allows users and other watchers like us to hold them to account. For instance, Samsung, Oppo, realme, Xiaomi and others all promise some measure of long-term support.
However, since the device makers don’t get to specifics, it becomes a little hard to keep tabs on what is being updated and what isn’t. You normally have to have an ear on the ground, checking what sites like Android Kenya are putting out in order to know if an update is coming your way or not. While we are more than happy to play that role, we can all agree that a better way of working ought to exist, right?
Well, that’s where this new site comes in. Developed by a community of Android enthusiasts for the very purposes outlined above, the Android Update Tracker website lists many devices and their makers and whether they are getting an update or not. As of the time of writing this, Android 13 is the most recent version of Android even though Android 14’s release is almost here. As such, users are able to check whether their device is set to get Android 13 using the Android Update Tracker website. Or just go back in time and see all the updates it has received so far. Or jump ahead and see if there are any hopes for Android 14 or, for the ambitious and more hopeful ones, Android 15.
Give it a try.
