Android O is here…but is it really?
A closer examination of the flawed Android update cycle.

Introduction
Every year a new version of Android is announced — with lots of goodies and new features we can get our hands on and play around with.
“Distribution Argument”
But is it really all that exciting? I feel like the general public applauds iOS updates more widely than Android OS updates — and maybe, just maybe, it has something to do with the fact that less than 10% of the total Android user base gets to use the latest Android version when it is announced; and even one year later not even 20% of the user base is on the latest version. Half the user base is typically running on two or three year-old versions of Android a year after a new Android version is released. Refer to the chart below to see Android distributions from before Android Oreo announcement.

So…hurrah for Android 8.0 — many of us are excited about it. But, what about everyone else? What about that guy or girl whose phone is still stuck on Android 5.0 or 6.0? Meanwhile their iPhone wielding friends fill their heads with peer pressure as to why iOS is better — simply because they have the latest version of iOS. A comparison of iOS 11 and Android 6.0 is not a fair comparison. Of course the newer OS will seem better — Among peers, iOS 11 needs to be compared alongside Android 8.0 — for a fair conclusion.
“It’s not Google’s fault”
There are a number of factors that complicate this whole process — and while a simple fix might seem apparent, it’s against the Android-concept to implement it in the simplest of forms. You might say “Why can’t Google just take over updates with the same amount of control as Apple does for their smartphones?” And to that I would reply, “It’s not the Android-way.”
Android is about freedom, customization, choice, and difference. If Google uniformly implemented Android across all Android devices — choice, customization, freedom, and most importantly difference, would be gone. That eliminates the simple fix — in favor of the greater good. Instead, what Google can do — is offer the tools, programs, and guidance that will help enable carriers, companies, and developers to deliver their updates more timely. In fact, that is what Google is doing — they are working directly with manufacturers and carriers to help speed along the update process; because they know that Android’s distribution cycle isn’t what it should be.
Google has in the past also listened to the requests for a pure Android experience — or the Google experience as you might put it now. For years the Nexus-line showcased what the best of Android could look, feel, and operate like. As far back as a year ago it became apparent that the Nexus-line was no more — but it doesn’t stop there. Google created the Pixel, a smartphone that feels premium; and directly competes with the likes of iPhone, Samsung S, and Samsung Note product-lines. The Google Pixel is, as I might put it, the best of Google and the best of Android seamlessly blended together to give you the best possible experience.
“Is it the carriers’ or manufactures’ fault?”
Why, yes, of course. Well, um, actually no. Not directly, but indirectly I guess you might suppose. It’s not that carriers and manufacturers push out updates slowly because they want to — it’s more like their software teams are too small or over-extended among newer projects. It’s not that they are incompetent, it’s more that their resources are not allocated towards delivering Android updates on a timely basis.
Recap
Android 8.0 is available to less than 10% of the Android user-base this year, and is likely to have a distribution of less than 20% in the next year. Google cannot directly fix this without not following the Android-way as we know it. Google has made tools, programs, and guidance are available to carriers, manufacturers, and developers so that they can push out updates more efficiently — and Google continues to provide their own best experience through the Pixel product-line after killing off the Nexus-line. What are we waiting on now? Carriers and manufacturers to allocated more resources towards providing Android updates — so that more people can experience the latest Android sooner than they’re currently subjected to.
