Despite Android 10’s high adoption rate as compared to other versions, the speed of adoption still leaves much to be desired when you compare it to Apple’s latest OS. Apple’s iOS boasts a 92 percent adoption rate on its latest OS release.
Google has previously claimed that it had 2.5 billion active devices last year. According to that figure, 400 million users is just 16% of the targeted install base.
Android 10
However, direct comparisons are more complicated than they seem due to the different nature of Android and Apple’s iOS. Android is an open-source operating system as compared to Apple, which releases its phones and software updates. Apple counts its adoption rates based on phones released in the last four years.
Android, on the other hand, is utilized by a wide range of manufacturers that make different devices. The many different manufacturers often take a long time to approve new Android releases and updates for their devices, which delays adoption. Some manufacturers even refuse to commit updates for their devices despite there being a new version available.
This practice frustrates Android users who have to wait a long time for their OS to update to have access to new features. This can become potentially dangerous because some phones never get essential security updates without which users are exposed to risk.
According to Google, the Android update process has been altered to optimize and speed up the implementation of essential updates. An example of this new change can be seen in Google’s contact-tracing backend system that is utilized by coronavirus tracing apps in various countries, including Germany and Ireland.
Google uses the latest system to push updates to its operating systems through the Google Play App Store. Some members of an Android development team revealed that the main issues with phone manufacturers when it comes to pushing updates are related to the cost factor.
Since Android is an open-source operating system, phone manufacturers often customize it according to their hardware, cameras, interface, and other specifications. According to the Android dev team, the phone makers have to take their alterations and rebase them according to the news release. These changes take a considerable amount of time and effort, which translates to higher costs for the manufacturers.
Conclusion
Google is now making some much-needed alterations to its updating process, which will allow for faster updates to specific parts of the system. These changes fast track the implementation of essential updates as they do not need the approval of each manufacturer. These new changes might boost adoption rates for Google’s future Android OS releases and ensure that customers get all the essential updates regardless of their devices’ manufacturer.