Android Oreo is definitely a spectacular release from Google for the features it packs. Despite all its brilliance, the OS won’t be available for all the Android users just yet because of the biggest flaw that Android has always carried – updates. Google might be regular in pushing new updates to its Pixel and Nexus line up of smartphones but not all OEMs are this quick.
Some of the brands like Motorola and Nokia have tried to address the issue in their own way. They have kept their software as close to the stock Android as possible and have tried to push updates soon after they are released for the Google devices. But these are just two of the hundreds of Android smartphone manufacturers.
Project Treble is Google probable solution to effectively deal with the situation which is getting worse since its major rival iOS does a pretty good job in this department. To understand the Project Treble better, you will first need to know the basics of how the Android updates are pushed by the OEMs.
First in the stage is Google that develops a new Android version each year which is then forwarded to the Android smartphone manufacturers. These OEMs then work on the OS to make it compatible with their devices, depending on the device components. This is also the stage where the manufacturers add their customised skins to add many more features to Android. In countries like the US, the OS is then sent to the telecom carriers for testing where they also add their apps before being pushed to the end user.
I have tried to squeeze the entire update process into one paragraph but you must realize that the actual process is much faster and it sometimes takes months to complete each step.
With Project Treble, what Google has done is to split the Android updates into three packages – the Android OS, the OEM skin, and the Android security updates. In theory, this should make it easier for the OEMs to push the Android updates much faster. Again, this is in the ideal situation but in reality, the story might be entirely different.
Even though Project Treble has catered a major issue and has managed to provide an easy path for faster Android updates, it is still up to the manufacturer to push the Android update quickly or not, like it has always been. Splitting the update into three can be more troublesome for the OEMs than it is beneficial. It will make the process more complex and the manufacturers might have to put in more resources to it done efficiently.
If not a major change, this approach will definitely bring some positive change in the marker just like the previous efforts that Google took to bring faster updates. Project Treble is a step in the right direction and it is now up to the OEMs to effectively utilize it for providing a better user experience.
