Google made it easier for vendors to prepare Android updates

In the run-up to the Google I / O conference, Google posted important news. She introduced the project Treble - a modular base for Android. This is a system in which operating system updates are separated from the vendor-specific vendor code. The new architecture can dramatically change the process and increase the frequency of updating the Android OS for all users.

The illustration shows the old multi-step Android update process, which Google has now slightly simplified.



Previously, the process involved five steps:
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1. Publication of the source code of the new version of Android.
2. Adaptation of the code by chip manufacturers (Qualcomm, Samsung Exynos, etc.) for their specific platform.
3. Transfer of code from chip manufacturers to device manufacturers (Samsung, LG, HTC). For each model prepare an update. Manufacturers add their applications.
4. Device manufacturers contact mobile operators to test and certify a release. Cell phone operators add their applications.
5. Device manufacturers and operators are releasing a release for end users.

After the introduction of Treble from this system, the second stage disappears.

Schematically, the old and new update schemes are shown in the illustrations below: before Treble and after Treble.




Android developers compare Treble with a compatibility program for Android applications. Thanks to the standard Developer API, these applications are guaranteed to work on millions of Android devices from hundreds of manufacturers, with different OS versions, different screen sizes and hardware stuffing. In the same way, now Android OS updates will be suitable for all available smartphones and tablets. As for developers, there is a universal Developer API, and for vendors there will be a universal “vendor interface”.


All devices running Android O and newer OS versions are compatible with the new architecture ( download dev-preview Android O ). The full documentation for the Treble project will be published on source.android.com along with the official release of Android O this summer.