Not long ago I wrote in a comment about the discrepancy between Samsung and Google regarding the update guarantee. While Samsung itself already speaks of a guarantee for four Android updates in the cheaper mid-range (Galaxy A series), Google only guarantees new Android updates for a maximum of three years, even for the top models.
That’s fine, but it’s also becoming too little. Apple offers no warranty and updates its devices for five years or more. Google only offers this for security updates. In my opinion, however, new feature updates can now also be guaranteed over a much longer period of time. Progress in the market has slowed down considerably, sustainability should become more important.
Devices are sometimes used for a very long time
And honestly, I don’t see anyone around me switching devices as often as I do. All keep their smartphones for three years or more. Depending on whether the devices on the hardware side can participate. If they do that, they should be able to do that on the software side as well. I think that Google and Co. will be better able to build up regular customers if they keep their devices up-to-date for longer.
By that, I don’t just mean those who buy new devices from OEMs. But maybe also those who buy used equipment and thus come into contact with a manufacturer for the first time. A good point, then to bind people to you via software. For Google, it’s products like Google One, Drive, etc. that can secure long-term, permanent income.
Updates only play a minor role for many users
I know updates are not an important issue for every smartphone user. Most people probably don’t even care about this topic. The main thing is that the device and the apps used work as usual. But the same is true of other issues, which we cannot simply ignore.
Basically, I think it’s a shame that you have to deal with a lot of confusion in the Android world because every manufacturer continues to do his own thing. And some brands like Xiaomi don’t follow a comprehensible strategy. It would be cool if that changed at some point.
An important step for Google would be to bring a revised update guarantee with the Pixel 6a this summer. That would also be a good selling point.
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