The Evolution of Android Updates: Project Treble and Project Mainline
Android Version 10 Establishes Milestone in Android Operating System Adoption Rates
Android's customization flexibility has long been a hallmark, but it's also led to issues like hardware fragmentation. This diversity in Android devices slows down the rollout of new Android features, often leaving some devices Behind.
Google aimed to combat this OS version fragmentation with the release of Android 10, which has seen record-breaking adoption rates. In just five months, Android 10 has been installed on 100 million devices, a marked improvement from previous versions like Oreo and Pie.
To understand the rapid adoption of Android 10, we need to look at Project Treble and Project Mainline.
Project Treble's Impact
Project Treble, launched with Android 8.0 (Oreo) in May 2017, revolutionized Android updates by separating the vendor implementation from the Android OS framework. This new vendor interface made it simpler for manufacturers to update devices without modifying device-specific code. As a result, device makers could deliver new Android releases more efficiently by merely updating the Android OS framework.
Project Mainline's Effects
Project Mainline, introduced with Android 10 (September 2019), took a quantum leap forward by enabling Google to update critical system components directly through the Google Play Store. This allows for faster and more frequent security updates and bug fixes as these components can now be updated without waiting for a full system update from manufacturers.
Comparatively, iOS updates are generally faster and more consistent across all devices due to Apple's control over both the software and hardware. Android updates, despite Project Treble and Mainline's improvements, still face delays due to device fragmentation and the involvement of multiple manufacturers. However, these projects have significantly reduced the time and complexity of updating Android devices compared to pre-Treble and pre-Mainline scenarios.
In conclusion, Project Treble and Project Mainline have streamlined the Android update process by reducing complexity and time for manufacturers, but Android updates still lag behind iOS in terms of consistency and universality across devices.
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- The streamlined decision-making process in the Android ecosystem allows users to easily evaluate app developers based on essential factors before making informed choices.
- With Project Treble and Project Mainline, Google brought a structured framework for updating Android devices more efficiently, enabling faster and more frequent security updates and bug fixes, thus making targeted suitability assessment easier for users.
