In the world of smartphones, Android has dominated the industry for years now, with the current market share being above 85%. However, Google has faced and continues to face a massive challenge of fragmentation for years now, which is over the fact that the majority of Android devices run an outdated version of Android OS.
The solution to this grave problem and ending the cycle of slow software updates that are released by Android OEMs is Project Treble. Although the acceptance of Project Treble was rather half-hearted and slow in the past year, the pace is being picked up rather quickly with the very start of the new year.
Why will Project Treble bring faster updates?
In the year 2018 with devices like the Galaxy S9 and S9+ launching with support for Project Treble, does this mean that slow software updates will finally be a thing of the past? The answer is yes, as Project Treble does allow device manufacturers to not only save a lot of time and effort on developing software updates, which encourages them to send out timely software updates and support more devices.
Does Google control updates for Project Treble devices?
Google has made it a mandatory element for devices that launch with Android 8.0 out of the box. However, this does not mean that Google will now be rolling out software updates especially for your device just as it does for the Pixel lineup. However, your Android device manufacturer can now release software updates much quicker for your device than it could in the past.
The software updates you receive for your Android device will still come from the manufacturer, but the difference is that Project Treble will allow the data partitions on your device to easily include the operating system and the manufacturer code separately. This saves time and a significant amount of effort required by the software development team to create a new update.
Project Treble is reviving custom ROMs
The future of Project Treble powered Android devices are not only glorious for the regular users, but a treat for the tinkers and tweakers in the Android community. Project Treble makes it possible to port AOSP ROMs to supported devices easily, which is now encouraging developers to create custom ROMs like LineageOS 16 for devices that were never even considered to be eligible.
For instance, you’re already seeing the already popular Project Treble ROM for Galaxy S9 running Android 8.1 making rounds online. While brands like OnePlus are yet to announce support for Project Treble yet, the trend is bound to catch on as we move forward the Android 8.0 Oreo update in all its glory.
