This change will soon allow you to use your Android phone for longer
While Google promises up to seven years of updates to Android on its Pixel phones, other manufacturers typically offer shorter updates. But support for updates largely determines how long you can continue to use the smartphone. Chipmaker Qualcomm recognized the problem and promised a major improvement this fall, making it easier for manufacturers to deliver updates for longer.
Not long ago, a few years of updates was a great deal. Those days are officially over, especially when it comes to the Google Pixel 8, which promises to support new versions of Android for seven years. Well, of course it helps to be the creator of Android. Qualcomm has to make do with less “inside knowledge.” The company behind the popular Snapdragon chips found in many smartphones admits that updating Android is currently “difficult and expensive” for phone manufacturers. And according to Qualcomm, this isn’t down to the company itself.
The culprit phone manufacturer?
In an interview with Robot body Qualcomm CEO Chris Patrick says the company has been working for some time to help modernize the Android operating system, and therefore the devices themselves. To do so, it will work closely with both Google and phone makers to, in its words, “refactor the software on the devices themselves.”
In other words, by improving the way devices interact with both the Qualcomm chip and Android. So it seems to be pointing the finger a bit at the smartphones themselves, whose native code seems to need improvement.
Big improvement this fall
However, Qualcomm promises to make an announcement this fall that promises to improve its entire ecosystem and, as a result, the phone manufacturers’ products. This should make it easier for manufacturers to keep devices with older Qualcomm chips updated for longer.
Although no specific date has been mentioned, the announcement is expected to take place during Qualcomm’s own event, the Snapdragon Summit, in October. Another possible event is IFA, Europe’s largest tech trade show, which will be held in Berlin in September. However, an earlier date would make more sense, as the company has more space and opportunity to announce such major changes within the company.
The new Snapdragon chip
Qualcomm will likely then introduce its latest mobile chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. With any luck, this release will also be a first step towards the promised improvements.
Although the company admits that it won’t reach seven years of updates anytime soon, smartphone manufacturers will at least be able to count on easier maintenance. As a consumer, you can finally count on longer updates from more phone brands. This means that you can use your smartphone for a longer period.
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