Recently Google released a report showing the progress of its initiative that encourages the rapid adoption of recent versions of the Android Operating System (OS). The latest update from the company comes as a piece of welcome news, as the company has been trying to promote the use of the more recent or newer version of its Android OS. It has made it easier for users to update newer Android versions, thereby encouraging manufacturers to make updates available to their users faster. In addition, 3rd party developers and even websites like Betsafe Canada can be sure that users are using the latest versions of OS with updated security.
Reaping the reward of their hard work
Google’s hard work is paying off as the company recorded the fastest rollout for Android 10. Previous Android versions came with significant developments in Android’s update system. Project Treble came with Android 8, which saw a differentiation of hardware support from Android’s Operating System, making it easier to port Android in devices. The introduction of Android 9 saw the completion of Treble by Google. The company then began publishing Generic System Images (GSI). This version is a drop-in Android version that works on any device compatible with Project Treble. The new Android 10 comes with a new Project Mainline and the new APEX file type made for lower-level system components that can be updated.
Details of how all these works have helped in improving the ecosystem
In a statement, Google said that thanks to these efforts, Android 10 adoption has been faster compared to other past Android versions. Five months after its lunch, Android 10 has been adopted by 100 million devices, which is faster than Android pie by 28%.
In a chart contained in their report, the company showed that the number of devices running on Android 10 is 400 million at 300-days. Although it is a considerable number and based on Google’s last year’s report, the number of active devices running on Android was 2.5 billion. This report of 400 million, shows that 16% of active devices now run on Android 10. Despite the pace of improvement from Oreo to Poe and then to Android 10, it remains that there is a lot of work to be done.
Up next is the Linux kernel.
Up next for Android updates is the more modest Linux Kernel than the device-specific Linux Kernel operating on all present Android devices. Plans for building a Generic Kernel Image (GKI) for Android devices first came out in 2019. The objective was similar to Project Treble for Linux Kernel. A Generic Kernel Image can be used rather than the present fork-happy process. Also, Proprietary code and drivers can be put in as Kernel modules plus a dependent interface between both codebases. This would be in addition to rolling out the mainline Linux Kernel rather than an Android-specific Linux. It opens up an opportunity for everyone to run Android on the same Kernel, you have on a Linux desktop.
Google announced that the GKI system would run in Android 11. The company also said that they are separating standard code in Android Linux Kernel to build a Generic Kernel Image (GKI), capable of working on all Android devices. It will make security deployments faster.
According to XDA’s Mishaal Rahman, he has seen the yet to be released Android 11 edition of the Android Compatibility Definition Document. The document contains rules which must be followed by every manufacturer to be licensed by Google apps. He said that being able to run the Generic kernel Image is included in Google’s certification process.
Google has promised to keep the world updated with more details on GKI in the coming months.