Why Google Must Promptly Fix the Delay In Android Upgrades Issue

The releases of Marshmallow and subsequent iterations have been announced by Google. However, Google has disappointed its users by not being able to stick to the dates it announced and there is still no Marshmallow in sight. Google has been reassuring users it is doing its best but time is of essence.

Patience running out among users

Android 5.1.1 is the OS that users are still stuck with, especially those who are uncomfortable with manually updating to the new OS. Though there is not much to complain about the Lollipop, it has proved to be a great OS update so far, the patience seems to be running out for those eager to get the OTA update as committed by Google. This is a problem that is a not a new one for Google. Ever since it launched Android, it has been struggling to have uniformity in its updates and the levels of fragmentation have been quite high with many users still stuck on Jelly Bean and Kit Kat. The only advantage with Google is that those who have been able to get the upgrade or updates manage to do so quickly and face no problems.

Open nature of the system proving to be a constraint

Google is facing this problem due to the open nature system of Android and the huge number of devices already sold in the market. Sometimes, a huge market share can hang like an albatross around your neck and that is precisely what Google is facing as it is unable to bring about consistency. In contrast, Apple does a much better job of uniformly rolling out its upgrades but users often find servers bogged down and have to face a system hang situation for upgrades that are long and detailed.

So what does Google have to do to solve this delay?

Google will have to ensure that once it makes an announcement of an upgrade, it follows through and confirms all devices have got the upgrade within the time frame. It has to fade into the sunset or retire all its releases that still depend on its older runtime and are unable to cope with the new runtime challenges. Google also has to control the bloat ware associated with carriers. This is one aspect that also takes its toll on OTA upgrades and delays it. When you consider the vast number  of carriers now selling Android phones with their own software piggy banking on it, you can imagine the chaos it is leading to. The above actions if taken will dramatically bring down the delays in the upgrade and result in a better user experience. Just ensuring that carrier bloat ware is eliminated or reduced will itself result in much quicker roll out of upgrades as carriers would not have to test their own software before the roll out, which invariably adds further to the delay.