Security News > 2020 > December > Google, Qualcomm team up to make long-term Android updates easier on Snapdragon

Google and Qualcomm have linked arms to extend the lifecycle of new Android devices, meaning future phones could receive as many as three major operating system updates provided they're running the latest Snapdragon silicon.

"For each SoC model, the SoC manufacturers now needed to create multiple combinations of vendor implementations to support OEMs who would use that chipset to launch new devices and deploy OS upgrades on previously launched devices," said Google's Android Developers Blog.

Because SoC manufacturers are forced to support multiple vendor implementations, they're limited in how many system updates they can ultimately support in the long term.

For well over a decade, timely Android updates have proven to be Google's unassailable white whale.

This latest collaboration between Google and Qualcomm builds upon that, and promises Qualcomm's chipset software is forward-compatible with future releases.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2020/12/17/google_qualcomm_patching/