Google’s Project Treble will make Android updates faster

Most of the high-end flagship Android devices receive timely security and OS updates. But in the realm of mid and low-range devices updates are scarce and sometimes unheard of.

Unlike Apple, Google’s approach to build Android has been more open. Android as you may know is open source and manufacturers can adjust the code to run on their hardware. This is where the genesis of the problem lies.

The old way to ship updates:

1. Google open-sources the latest code to the world.
2. Silicon manufacturers (e.g. Qualcomm) modify the new release for their specific hardware.
3. Silicon manufacturers send the modified release to device makers (e.g. Samsung) who modify the release again to run on their devices.
4. Device makers work with carriers (e.g. Verizon) to test and certify the new release.
5. Device makers and carriers make the new release available to users.

This 5 step release cycle is slow.

As shipping new releases requires engineers and effort, most manufacturers don’t provide updates to lower end phones citing the meagre profit margins on those devices.

This is putrescent for the Android ecosystem as users migrate to a more reliable and secure ecosystem where they get guranteed updates like iOS.

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To obliterate this disadvantage Google decided to re-architect Android to make it easier, faster and less costly for manufacturers to update devices to a new version of Android.

Introducting Treble

The core concept is to separate the vendor implementation — the device-specific, lower-level software written in large part by the silicon manufacturers — from the Android OS Framework.

This is achieved by the introduction of a new vendor interface between the Android OS framework and the vendor implementation.

Before and After

This will eliminate the voluminous work the vendors have to do to ship each new release to their devices. This is a great move forward for the Android ecosystem.

Project Treble will be coming to all new devices launched with Android O and beyond. This means users can expect faster Android upgrades in the future. This will make the Android ecosystem more secure and better.

Resources:
# Android Developers Blog — Project Treble
# Android Developer Preview — Project Treble Included

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