When Google announced Android One initiative in its annual I/O conference, the world went crazy. Okay, perhaps not so much, but the people who are interested in low-to-mid range smartphones couldn’t have been happier. Knowing that Google was finally going to do something about low-end Android phones being left out of new Android flavors was a sigh of relief for many.
Fast forward six months to the present, we have a handful of Android One smartphones in the market. Micromax and some other Indian homegrown manufacturers were the first ones to bring Android One smartphone in the market. Micromax was also the first company to make its Android One smartphone, Micromax Canvas A1, available in Bangladesh.
There will be updates!
However, because Symphony is more prominent and popular in Bangladesh, its Android One smartphone, Symphony Roar A50, received much more public attention and media coverage. Why should it not? It was featured on Google’s official blog followed by the international press. It was the first time Symphony Mobile from Bangladesh got international media coverage.
Anyway, one of the best things about Android One smartphones is that they will receive regular Android version updates directly from Google. What that means is, users will no longer have to look up to the mercy of their career or manufacturer for latest updates; or kick their phone out of warranty and install a custom ROM. If you’ve got an Android One phone, you will receive updates. But exactly how long will Google keep pushing out updates to Android One smartphones?
The answer is: Two years.
According to Google, and various other sources on the web, Android One phones will receive two years of Android update since the date of their release/customer purchase (there’s a confusion in this). With that said, it’s important to remind that it has been a while since Android 5.0 Lollipop has hit the Nexus devices. Even some Motorola devices including Moto G has received an updated version of Lollipop (5.0.2 to be precise). But Android One smartphones that were launched in India back in September are yet to receive a Lollipop update.
There is still debate over how long Android One phones will truly receive updates. Many people thought that Android One phones will receive updates as fast as Nexus devices, a theory that has been proven wrong already. But the fact that Google at least promised updates to low-end Android phones is something worth celebrating for.
Previously, you were pretty much outdated even when you were buying a low-cost Android phone. Now with Android One, you at least have the certainty that there’ll be updates.
Android Kothon is still reviewing the first Android One phone from local brand Symphony, Symphony Roar A50. Stay tuned with Android Kothon on Google+, Facebook and Twitter to be the first to know when the review is published.
