Snapdragon 888 phones will be eligible for up to 4 Android OS updates
Google’s Project Treble has been around since 2017 with the aim of speeding up Android updates by modularizing the core Android OS framework from the OEM skin customization. Now, Google and Qualcomm are teaming up to help Snapdragon-powered phones get support for up to 4 Android OS versions (launch release + 3 OS updates) and 4 years of security updates.
Project Treble infographic
Starting with the new Snapdragon 888 platform, Project Treble will bring the added OS and security update support which is a monumental shift in software update policies. Back in August Samsung, announced its Note20 lineup will get three major Android OS updates. Google’s own Pixel line still leads all Android phones with three years of OS updates and security patches.
Google claims all Qualcomm chipsets due to launch on devices with Android 11 will benefit from the extended software support. There’s still no mention of other chipset manufacturers outside of Qualcomm. We also got insight on Android 10 adoption rates which revealed 667 million active users, 82% of which got their update over the air (OTA) directly on their device.
Android 10 adaption rates
