Are you one of those concerned consumers who happen to get a dopamine rush with every new update on your smartphone? Be it a small monthly security patch or a massive OEM update; it feels as if there will be a fresh( and more improved) start to your device, if not your life.
But such updates reach our phones after a long wait, especially if your device is not Pixel or Android one based. It’s not that fresh OEM updates aren’t a priority for many manufacturers, but the case is slightly different. Tech reviewer Marques Brownlee pointed out during his appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast that most manufacturers don’t prioritize updates because most users don’t update the firmware even after they are made available.
But with Android 11, all of that is going to change, and like you update the apps on Play Store, you’ll be able to update the whole phone's OEM software as well: that is, if your phone has Android 11.
Why Is OEM Update Big Deal For Us?
No, I’m not talking from the perspective of a consumer who buys a new phone every year. I’m trying to speak for those populations that have to think ten times, scrambling through many reviews and recommendations before buying a smartphone.
Such queries and articles across the web summarize the issue.
This hassle we go through is justifiable because the best purchase we can make is by buying a Chinese branded phone of the midrange category.
We want the best features for less money and are ready to compromise on some sides like the build quality and fast charging stuff. Yes, we’ll settle with a plastic build and can wait a few hours to get our phone charged.
But what we can’t compromise is with a phone that will stop pushing out OEM updates right after a year. We don’t want to feel that only those able to buy flagship phones are entitled to regular OEM updates.
Why should we always scramble for articles keeping our fingers crossed, wondering if our smartphone will be receiving the new version of Android even if it’s an android one version? After all, in many cases, we’ve felt that buying an Android One version based phone doesn’t make any difference.
Android 11 Just Might Change It All
When I came across the subheading “Android 11 updates via Play Store” in a recent Android Authority article about Android 11, the word “fairness” came to mind.
“Finally,” I said to myself. Manufacturers won’t abandon the software side so easily! I felt like I made the right choice by buying a mid-range Android One smartphone that’ll definitely be updated to Android 11.
However, I don’t know how long will I have to wait for the Android 11 update to arrive. Once it does, I can at least hope that to get further updates from Play Store.
But…..
We’ll have to wait and see, though. Although Google is trying their best to address the issue of timely OEM updates for all phones, time will tell if they’ll succeed in doing this.
And in case there is a future where major OEM updates are guaranteed for all phones; equally, I must say that I’ll derive such immense pleasure from downloading and installing a new version. It might sound weird, but there is this different rush in seeing “New update available” on the notifications time and again.
It feels like someone saying, “Hey! We still care! Let’s start anew!
