Future Android smartphones could finally be forced to adopt seamless updates
Whenever a new update is released, there are bound to be users who rush to install ASAP, and then there are some who hold off as long as possible. This is because there have been multiple instances where an update can break a phone, whether it be severe battery drain, lagginess, or just bugs that make the device unusable for daily tasks.
As a result, it is understandable that some users might want to hold off until it’s been thoroughly vetted by others. This can be an issue, especially for critical updates or major updates, but that will change in the future. This is because Google is now requiring that devices that ship with Android 13 support seamless updates.
For those unfamiliar, seamless updates is a feature that Google introduced back in Android 7.0 Nougat but the company has always made it optional as to whether OEMs wanted to adopt the feature. Basically what it does is that it makes virtual A/B partitions where one partition will be the current version you’re using, and the other being the new update.
The update can be downloaded and installed in the background, and once your phone reboots, it will be updated to the latest version, thus reducing the downtime users experience when performing system updates, making it seamless as the name suggests. Ultimately, this method ensures that users get the latest updates whenever it is available and that is generally a good thing.
Seeing as how Android 13 was only just released, this means that phones released in 2023 will most likely come with the new feature.
Source: Esper.io