My son asked me:
I was just thinking, why can't Android updates work on any phone?
It's because of the carriers and their networks. Carriers, like [Canada's] Rogers, are super worried about a bad update taking down their cell phone system, so they do extensive testing first.
Plus, phone makers (like Samsung) and carriers (like Rogers) add software to Android (since it is open and can be modified) that also needs to be tested with all updates.
This is why I got a Google phone, because it is "pure" Android, with no added software. So I get my updates often and quickly. (My new Asus Android tablet is also fairly pure, and so it also has frequent updates.)
By coincidence, I got another Android update today (v4.1.2) on my Google Nexus S, the 3rd or 4th so far since I bought it 1.5 years ago.
My son commented:
I was reading how the Xperia U is getting an update but may not get any more after this one, which is sad 'cause I'm secretly hoping [Canada's] Wind gets it.
And that is another issue. Phone makers have to make multiple models to handle the different cell phone systems. There are at least three models of my Nexus S just for Canada:
- one for Rogers and Bell (GSM)
- one for Telus (CDMA)
- one for Wind, etc (AWS)
...and there has to be a separate version of Android tweaked for each one.
The problem currently is that phones are not big enough to have the radio electronics for all possible cell phone systems. It's getting better, as the latest ones are pentaband (5 cell phone systems).
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