The smartphone experience is an equal part of hardware and software. Although the former cannot really be upgraded after purchase, manufacturers can (and should) release regular updates to the latter to fix security vulnerabilities and improve features. There is no mandatory minimum software upgrade period that Android manufacturers need to comply with, but what if?
We asked you in a recent public opinion survey, what do you think is the minimum software upgrade period that manufacturers should adhere to for all Android phones. The result is out!
What should be the shortest software upgrade cycle for any Android phone?
result
Our poll was originally published on August 10th and received more than 7,700 votes. Obviously, this is a topic in the minds of our readers.
Of the four options available, it is not surprising that “over three years” received the most love. More than 45% of readers believe that manufacturers should adopt this long-term update method. “At least three years” was slightly behind, with 41.1% of the vote.The statistics show that 86.4% of Android Authority Readers who voted in this poll hope to get at least three years of support on all Android devices.
You can also take a look: Dear OEM — Your Android update policy should be irrelevant to PR
Few respondents are willing to accept a shorter update support period. At least one in ten readers will accept a two-year software upgrade promise, and 3.4% of readers are satisfied with the manufacturer’s one-year update.
As for the comments, several readers highlighted the update policies of other platforms, namely Windows and Linux. Some people are calling for at least a decade of updates to keep the equipment relevant and reduce waste. Read more reader thoughts below.
Your comment
- Smiley: My dream is if Android works like Windows, every device runs the same system and gets every update. Of course, manufacturers can still bundle their own skins (which requires proper skin support, which is difficult) and applications, just like they do on Windows laptops.
- Green Starkey: My dream is to make Android more like Linux. Of course, proprietary software is allowed, but open source is also allowed, and hardware continues to be supported until it not only ends in life, but is completely obsolete. I mean, do you see hardware that can run Linux?
- Joe Black: The software support should not be determined by the hardware; the software support on the mobile phone, IMHO, should copy what Linux and Windows have done for decades. The meaning is-unless there is a good reason, users should always receive Android core updates and security updates.
- Thalamic disease: I want to keep using the same phone for many years, until it is completely worn out and unusable. Therefore, a longer update schedule should help. I don’t like custom ROMs. So I prefer to have longer updates, even more than 3 years, until the device can be handled as provided by the iOS community.
- Nigel Coldwell: Two years since they stopped selling mobile phones.
- Anonymous 42: I think any mobile phone, even entry-level devices, should get at least 2 years of software updates. At the same time, the flagship should get at least 3 or 4 years of software updates, and then another year of security updates.
- Catrou: 10 years. This is not about customers, but about using fewer resources and protecting the environment.
- Richard Credi: The minimum should be 5 years. Don’t forget that some phone contracts are 3 years, and the phone model you get from the phone company may be one year old, so you may only get 2 years of updates, but during the contract period stop.
This is this poll. Thanks for voting and comments. If you have any thoughts about the voting results or anecdotes about Android software updates, please put them below.