Android M To Introduce Two-Year Update Guarantee For Nexus Devices
One of the benefits of owning a Google Nexus device is assurance that it will receive new Android builds as they come out, but for how long? According to a seemingly reliable rumor making the rounds on the web, you won't have to guess with Android M (Android 6.0), which Google is expected to unveil at Google I/O later this week.
Android Police's Ryan Whitwam says that Android M will come with an update guarantee for Nexus devices. As told by "solid" sources that rate at 9 (presumably out of 10) on the site's confidence scale, Google will roll out major system updates for two years from the OS's release date starting with Android M. In addition, Nexus devices will receive security patches for three years from the OS's releases date or at least 18 months from the date of purchase in the Google Play Store, whichever is longer.
The new rules will apply retroactively as well, so some older Nexus devices will not see an upgraded to Android M. They include the Nexus 4, Nexus 10, and 2012 Nexus 7, all of which will continue to receive security updates.
What does this mean for non-Nexus devices? Not much, unfortunately. Device makers will continue to decide for themselves which phones and tablets will receive major OS upgrades and security updates and for how long. On top of that, it takes time for device makers to add their own customizations and qualify them, and then the process repeats itself as wireless careless carriers do the same.
Android Police's Ryan Whitwam says that Android M will come with an update guarantee for Nexus devices. As told by "solid" sources that rate at 9 (presumably out of 10) on the site's confidence scale, Google will roll out major system updates for two years from the OS's release date starting with Android M. In addition, Nexus devices will receive security patches for three years from the OS's releases date or at least 18 months from the date of purchase in the Google Play Store, whichever is longer.
The new rules will apply retroactively as well, so some older Nexus devices will not see an upgraded to Android M. They include the Nexus 4, Nexus 10, and 2012 Nexus 7, all of which will continue to receive security updates.
What does this mean for non-Nexus devices? Not much, unfortunately. Device makers will continue to decide for themselves which phones and tablets will receive major OS upgrades and security updates and for how long. On top of that, it takes time for device makers to add their own customizations and qualify them, and then the process repeats itself as wireless careless carriers do the same.
