I know I'll probably never even see Android M on my current smartphone. How do I know? Because six months after its debut, I don't even have the most recent version of Android, 5.0 Lollipop . When Apple releases a software update to its phones, all compatible devices -- regardless of location or carrier -- can download the update at the same time. Given that Apple has sold more than 700 million iPhones to date, and that all new models starting with 2011's iPhone 4S are compatible with the latest version of iOS, that means that hundreds of millions of phones around the world can get the latest operating system on the same day that it's released.

Even Microsoft -- albeit with far fewer phones on its Windows OS -- offers the same day and date software updates, regardless of phone carrier, Unfortunately, this isn't the case with Android, Despite (or, perhaps because of) being the biggest phone operating system in the world, krusell broby 4 card iphone xr slim wallet case - pink reviews updating Android phones is a rather long and complicated process, Google first pushes its updated Android software to the members of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), a consortium of more than 80 companies, Each manufacturer will then tweak the code for their respective devices, For example, Samsung must build TouchWiz -- its unique skin, which modifies the look and feel and adds various distinguishing features -- around each new version of Android, The same goes for HTC (Sense UI), LG, Sony and Motorola..

(For manufacturers that use a totally customized "fork" of Android -- such as Xiaomi, Amazon and others -- the customization road is an even more extensive process, but not really relevant to this conversation.). If you have an unlocked (non-carrier specific) phone, that's the end of the process -- you get the update once the manufacturer distributes it. But for most of us, the phone is bought through a wireless carrier, adding yet another layer of bureaucracy to the software update process. Each wireless carrier gets its own further customized version of the manufacturer's Android software, which it then subjects to network compatibility testing. The carriers are the ultimate arbiter of when which update goes live for which devices on their networks. That's why many times you will see an Android OS update hit, say, an AT&T phone, while that same device languishes on an older version on Verizon or Sprint.

So, between the manufacturers and wireless carriers, the end user can be krusell broby 4 card iphone xr slim wallet case - pink reviews stuck for months -- sometimes half a year or more -- waiting for an operating system update to hit his or her phone, So long, in fact, that the next update is already out, and it's time for the waiting game to start again, The problem gets even worse for those of us who have more obscure handset models, Many companies don't want to bother updating less popular devices, even if they're under a year old, For instance, my HTC Desire Eye can't yet be updated to 2014's Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system, because HTC never even bothered to cook it up, That makes me think it's highly unlikely that I'll be seeing 2015's Android M, although HTC hasn't confirmed or denied an update is in the works..

Of course, even if HTC does update it, I'll need to wait until AT&T signs off on it.. Fans of Google's operating system attempt to defend the delays and point to issues that competitors have faced, such as the botched iOS 8.0.1 update a few months back, which temporarily crippled iPhones on some wireless carriers. But Android's track record is far from perfect. Despite delays for "compatibility testing" users tend to flood sites like Reddit and Google's own support forums with problems shortly after updates arrive. My previous Android phone was bricked and rendered useless from the Lollipop update a few months back.