How many times has it happened to say “But why my smartphone Android does not update for longer? "? Very often certainly and this is one of the little things that so many users cannot digest. Very often though we blame the wrong people. As well as releasing an operating system update it does not depend on individual OEMs (Xiaomi, realme, Oppo and so on), even the security updates and the total support of the devices does not weigh on the manufacturer. Sounds strange, but a good 80% it depends on Qualcomm.
No blame on companies if Android blocks device support after a few years: the problem comes from Qualcomm that "blocks"
We are forced to change smartphones every 3 or 4 years due to the stop Android updates. The update policy is often made clear by individual companies but perhaps few know that the release does not depend on them. The real problem is Qualcomm, or the company that sells processors with her name (not produced by her, actually) to individual companies such as Xiaomi and company. There question was raised by Fairphone, which is the only company in the world that has come to support Android updates for 5 years. In fact, the Fairphone 2 has just upgraded to Android 9.
You will say: "Still Android 9?". If we consider that the OFFICIAL support for this device it was blocked at the sixth version of the operating system, we will understand that Pie is almost a miracle. But precisely this prompts us to ask ourselves: how did it get to this point? Thanks to unofficial support and to the work of the modders (geek developers) who managed, with great difficulty, to stem the problem.
Read also: Google launches “Android Ready SE Alliance” to promote the adoption of digital keys and mobile IDs
But that's another story, let's get to the heart of the situation. Why the release of updates it depends on Qualcomm and not on individual companies? We make it as simple as possible: an operating system, based on a processor, is made up of many "blocks"And some of these they are not accessible to anyone as they are closed source. This is despite Android being a system open source. To put these blocks are not OEMs, but Qualcomm.
According to what we read, there would be an option to solve the problem, but within certain limits: companies individually should pay more Qualcomm to extend support, or rather to prevent the US company from putting the "padlock" on the aforementioned blocks. However, there is a limit to this: it would not make sense for a company to pay since the "life" of some processors is set for 2 or 3 years.
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