This post explains why your phone has not received the latest Android operating system update yet. Android is the most common OS (Operating System) across all platforms, with over 2.5 billion active users spanning over 190 countries. It has a 75.85% share of the mobile OS market. This means that amongst all the phones out there, Android OS is dominating. Most probably as you are reading this post, chances are high that if you are using a smartphone, it is running on Android OS.
Android is a mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software. The Android Operating System is designed mainly for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets and is commercially sponsored by Google.
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What entails an Android operating system update?
An Android operating system update is one that upgrades your operating system version from the current one in your phone to another.
The latest Android version as per the time this post is being written is Android 12 — Snow Cone.
How important are these Android operating system updates?
Android OS updates are very important to the security and overall functionality of your phone. Software systems are not perfect, and each software update addresses Operating System flaws. Improvements: The basic function of an operating system update is to improve your device.
Why your phone has not received the latest Android operating system update?
It is a common case that whenever Google releases a new Operating system, some phones actually most Android phones do not get the update! But why does that happen? Read on to find out.
There are actually millions of different Android devices from hundreds of different manufacturers, with a big range of hardware quality and capabilities across the board. While Google makes Android, it can not push updates directly to you. Since each Android phone manufacturer wants to stand out, they make their own little modifications and changes to the core system.
Google makes an update and pushes it out to the phones that it can, for example, the pixels. It then sends that update to phone manufacturers like Samsung, Sony, and HTC, who then make their own changes to the software, adding features to improve compatibility with their devices or differentiate themselves from others.
This process usually takes a VERY long period of time, and mainly explains Android’s update problem.
This issue just gets worse by the fact that most vendors have very little to gain in updating your system when compared with enticing you to buy a new smartphone. In the end, most Android smartphones end up not getting the operating system update.
How to check for your phone’s software update?
Usually, your phone will alert you when a new Android OS update is available. And you are going to be given the option to install it. Ensure you are connected to Wi-Fi or are having a large data balance. This is because downloading the update uses up a lot of data. Also, note that updates take time. Therefore, make sure your phone battery is adequately charged before you start installing.
There is also an option of checking for an update manually. These steps should work for the most recent versions of Android. But you should be keeping in mind there could be a few differences across devices. It is a good practice to always be backing up your device before updating in case something goes wrong.
To check for an update on your phone:
- Go to Settings
- Scroll down to About Phone
- Tap System updates > Check for update
After a few moments, your phone will tell you if a new system update is available. If so, you will be prompted to “Download and install”.
The About Phone section also provides some useful information about your device. Including its name, model number, the Android OS it’s currently running on, the Android security patch level, and security software version.