C. Scott Brown/Android Authority
Google’s annual Android updates were once major events, bringing much-needed features and UI improvements to the platform, but that was then and this is now. Today, more than 14 years after the launch of Android, annual updates are something else entirely: boring. It’s a common refrain when Google announces a new Android update these days, and it’s certainly the case with Android 13. Should we be sad about that? I would say it’s good that Google isn’t taking major risks with Android at the moment. If so, you might not like the results.
We have already come a long way. It’s hard to believe there was a time when apps malfunctioned on the system, waking up when they wanted to and destroying your battery. UI design at that time was also a disappointment, so much so that neon-themed Holo UX was an improvement over Gingerbread, which had all the elegance of an Ecto juice box. -Cool.
Somewhere along the way, Android became a mature operating system – all the handy fruits disappeared. It frees up resources to focus on things that aren’t as flashy but are still vital. So, in many ways, annoying Android updates weren’t just inevitable, they’re desirable.
Maturity was inevitable
C. Scott Brown/Android Authority
In the past, Google could throw things at the wall to see what stuck – there was room to do that when we didn’t know exactly how the modern smartphone should perform. It was a time when OEMs were still experimenting with form factors and phones were tiny compared to what we offer today.
Google might introduce a feature like lock screen widgets, Beam or Daydream, only to throw them out a release or two later. The stakes are higher now. Phones have converged on the flat glass slab form factor, and we know what to expect from smartphones as Android and iOS converge.
In the past, Google could throw things at the wall to see what stuck – there was room to do that when we didn’t know exactly how the modern smartphone should perform.
Look at your Android phone – there haven’t been many, if any, fundamental changes in a good five years. It’s not just Google either. The Android and iOS software experiences share many elements, to the point that the platforms take turns borrowing features. Apple (poorly) copies Android’s notification shade, Google borrows generously from Apple’s gesture navigation, Apple makes a better version of Android’s home screen widgets – around and around, until that the few innovations we get are so minor that they are forgettable.
Read more: Unlike iOS, Android no longer requires annual updates
Android has left behind the days of punctuated equilibrium where each release brought dramatic changes followed by a year of stagnation. Now, each update builds on the latest, and Google can tweak changes to Play services, which contain more system components year after year. As early as Lollipop, Google added components like account authentication and system security to Play Services, allowing the company to make changes without pushing an OS update. Much of what could have been a chip for a major update now appears on nearly every Android device when Mothership flips a server-side switch.
Many feature updates now appear when the mothership toggles a server-side switch.
With Android 13, there’s the howling and gnashing of teeth again as the internet bemoans another annoying update. Material You improvements lead the new update, and it took two version updates to put all the pieces in place. In Android 12, color options were limited, and Google didn’t make the underlying Monet engine available to everyone. So some Android 12 phones launched without a theme, and many that did had limited functionality – for example, OnePlus didn’t even let you adjust the theme color.
When you look at details like the icon theme, it will take years more for everyone to get on board; maybe it will never happen. But Android updates aren’t a one-time event anymore — they’re just the next step in the process, and some will be little more than a redesign. Android 13 also added new security and privacy features, which have been a focus of Google’s attention in recent version updates. Apps now need to ask for your permission to send notifications, and media permissions are more granular to preserve your privacy.
Google’s work continues, just behind the scenes
Robert Triggs/Android Authority
That’s not to say Google hasn’t done some major work on Android — it’s just not the kind of work you can see by looking at your phone. Projects like Treble and Mainline have further streamlined device updates, allowing companies to deploy OTAs in a (rather) timely fashion.
Just a few years ago, device manufacturers made no firm promises about support for updates. recipe for disappointment. Today, Samsung, once notorious for its poor update support, keeps its phones up to date a year longer than even Google. And OTAs don’t take that long to appear. Samsung is releasing One UI 5 (based on Android 13) on select devices as of this writing. It was unimaginable before Google changed direction. They’re not sexy, but it’s the changes that matter in 2022.
Just a few years ago, device makers offered just over two years worth of updates. Now we are at four or five.
As Google rolled out Android 13 to Pixel devices, Stadia was on a downward spiral that earned it the axe. I’ve long feared that Google’s lack of focus is hurting its products, and Stadia’s dismal failure has only reinforced that belief. It’s getting harder and harder to trust Google, so maybe we shouldn’t expect any major user experience updates right now. There is a great risk in making drastic changes to mature software like Android. Just look at what happened when Microsoft attempted to revamp its venerable desktop operating system with Windows 8 in 2012. The response was so negative that it was forced to revert most of the changes a year later in version 8.1.
Android doesn’t need any revolutionary changes right now, not until the way we interact with mobile devices evolves. Perhaps that change will come in the form of Foldables or, God forbid, the Metaverse. Foldables seem like a safer bet, thankfully, and Android 12L is already moving us in that direction. In the meantime, let’s stop and enjoy some nice and boring Android updates.
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