The release of a new version of Android always causes a hopeful stir among users. So why does it take so long for device makers to roll them out? Credit: cenkerdem / Getty Images It’s not exactly news that Android upgrades almost always take a lo-o-o-o-o-ng time to roll out to most users. As in months. Often, many months. Sometimes more than a year. Sometimes never. (There is an exception: Google delivers new versions of Android to its Pixel line right away, and did just that with the release of Android 9.0 (Pie) last fall.) It’s now been six months since Pie arrived, which means it’s time for Computerworld blogger JR Raphael’s comprehensive look at how device-makers are doing when it comes to upgrades. Raphael joined Computerworld Executive Editor Ken Mingis to go over the findings, as well as discuss how Google’s Project Treble is working. Treble is the company’s answer to slow update rollouts; it’s designed to streamline the process as much as possible to help the hardware folks push out updates quickly. (Spoiler: Project Treble doesn’t seem to have helped much.) Raphael then rounds out the discussion with insights into why Android upgrades are so important. For an audio-only version of this episode, click play (or catch up on all earlier episodes) below. Or you can find us on iTunes or Pocket Casts, where you can download each episode and listen at your leisure. Happy listening, and please, send feedback or suggestions for future topics to us. We’d love to hear from you. Related content feature Microsoft's Patch Tuesday updates: Keeping up with the latest fixes Here's a look at the most recent Patch Tuesday release from Microsoft as well as a collection of recent updates so you can track what's changed. By Dan Muse Oct 11, 2024 5 mins Microsoft Microsoft Office Windows 10 opinion A haunting Patch Tuesday for October: 117 updates (and 5 zero-day flaws) Microsoft's updates for this month affect Windows, SQL Server, Microsoft Excel and Visual Studio and will require a significant amount of testing. By Greg Lambert Oct 11, 2024 9 mins Microsoft Windows 11 Windows how-to 18 Android settings that'll strengthen your security Some of the most important Android settings are also the most buried — and they're absolutely worth your while to uncover. By JR Raphael Oct 11, 2024 27 mins Small and Medium Business Mobile Security Android news analysis This privacy and compliance threat throws shade at iPhone Mirroring Macs might be collecting information on iPhone apps, threatening privacy and compliance in the workplace. By Jonny Evans Oct 10, 2024 6 mins Apple iOS MacOS Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe