Samsung controls the fate of updates for millions of Android users around the world. So why is it still so slow?
Every year around this time, as I prepare for another onslaught of Samsung leaks, rumors,
and eventual reveals and reviews, I try to take a look back at the
company's update track record — and I'm always disappointed.
Just this week, Samsung announced that its extended and relatively exclusive Oreo beta is ending, which means that an update to Android 8.0 is imminent for devices like the Galaxy S8, S8+, and Note 8. Great. But I've been using Oreo
since August on devices like the original Pixel, and a good chunk of
the phones on my office desk, including some that shipped with the
latest version, have been enjoying Oreo since well before Thanksgiving.
Year after year, the world's biggest phone manufacturer fails to
deliver on its promise for timely software updates, and in doing so
significantly depresses the overall tally in the process. Google can
push updates to its Nexus and Pixel lineup as quickly as it wants (and
it does), and companies like Sony, HTC, OnePlus and others can help make
a dent, but it's not until Samsung begins its lumbering annual rollout
that the tectonic shift begins anew. With Oreo still on under 1% of devices, that massive endeavor can't come quickly enough.
It's not like Samsung is new to this game. Articles like this have
been proffered since at least 2012, and the company has indeed improved
the quality of its software output, but the stakes are just so
much higher these days. Samsung increasingly owns the Android market,
and its dominance puts the Android team at Google — separate from the
Pixel hardware team — in a tenuous position. As we've seen from previews
of Android 8.0 Oreo on the Galaxy S8, through the beta program, this
particular update isn't nearly as significant an aesthetic or feature
overhaul as last year's jump to Nougat was, and yet we're coming up on a
year since Samsung began rolling that out. It didn't hit carriers in
the U.S. until late February.
Lack of updates with the Galaxy S9 being announced on February 25th,
and an expected release date just three weeks later, on March 16th,
it's clear that Samsung is using the availability of the latest version
of Android as a selling feature. Forget the Galaxy S8 for a moment —
most people updating to the S9 will be coming from an S6 or S7, which,
in the case of the S6 series, won't receive Oreo at all, or receive it
later this year, as promised to the S7 line. A jump to Android 8.0 out
of the box, with all its performance improvements and additional
features, is leverage that Samsung hopes to use to sell a few more
phones.
Whenever I take this indignant stance towards Samsung's languid
approach to software updates, I risk not taking the other side into
account: with great power comes great responsibility. Given that Samsung
has the world's largest fleet of phones waiting for updates, it must
ensure that the experience is largely bug-free, with UI elements and
software features adapted to its numerous regional partners. I don't
envy the teams in charge of such quality assurance.
At the same time, Google released the first Android O developer
preview on March 21 last year. Oreo was first publicly available on
August 21, and the Sony Xperia XZ1, the first phone to arrive with Oreo
out of the box, came a month later.
With the Galaxy S9 series inevitably shipping with Oreo out of the
box, it's possible Samsung will support Treble, a system that could
potentially speed up software updates in years to come. According to Google,
"Project Treble will make it easier, faster and less costly for device
maker partners when these devices are updated in the future."
Not that, nor any other Google tool or incentivization, will provide
solace to millions of Android users, whether they know it or not,
waiting for the latest version. It's not just about new features,
either: every update helps developers improve their apps, and makes it
easier for IT managers to troubleshoot problems. It's a virtuous cycle
that Samsung can perpetuate, but like in years past, customers continue
to be placed second.
No comments:
Post a Comment