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In 2016, Google introduced seamless updates to Android. This is a feature that allows new software updates to be installed in the background without requiring a reboot and instead of preventing the user from using the device during the update process.
Seamless updates work by installing updates on a secondary system partition instead of the primary system partition, and booting from that secondary partition the next time the device restarts. Primary and secondary partitions are basically switched on reboot. This is a process that repeats each time a new software update becomes available.
In addition to preventing downtime that occurs when installing updates without an A/B partition, seamless updates ensure that one of the two partitions is a backup that the device can revert to if something goes wrong during installation. This makes the update process more secure. process.
However, seamless updates also consume more space on your internal storage. This is likely one of the reasons why Samsung didn’t bother implementing this feature on its Galaxy devices. But could that change in the near future?
Samsung probably won’t change its update method
according to Mishal RahmanGoogle is “preparing to completely remove support for non-A/B updates from Android, leaving A/B updates as the only officially supported OTA update mechanism going forward,” and some Samsung Fans are wondering what that means for Galaxy phones and smartphones. tablet.
Well, it looks like nothing will change on Galaxy devices. Even though Google has made Seamless Update the primary and only update mechanism for the core Android OS, it doesn’t obviate the need for or stop third-party manufacturers from adopting this feature. own implementation.
To force seamless updates, Google must add it as a requirement for Google Mobile Services (GMS) licenses. All manufacturers, including Samsung, must obtain this license to be able to use Google’s suite of first-party apps, including: Play Store, Gmail, or YouTube on your smartphone.
Google reportedly tried to do so a few years ago, but ended up making it guidelines rather than rules. Samsung continues to leverage it today and will likely continue to do so. Software on your Galaxy device takes up a lot of space, and cloning the system partition reduces the amount of storage you have available right away, so it’s certainly preferable.
Furthermore, while it is very rare for an update to fail on a Galaxy smartphone or tablet, the only downside to not having an A/B partition is that your device will be unusable for the few minutes it takes to install the new firmware. Some Galaxy devices seem to show a green or pink line on their display after an update, but it’s probably not something a seamless update can fix.
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