Qualcomm-Google partnership to bring support for 4 Android OS versions

As part of this collaboration, all Snapdragon SoCs launching with Android 11 and later will now support four Android OS versions and four years of security updates for all Snapdragon platforms utilizing the Project Treble enhancements, starting with the new newly-launched Snapdragon 888 Mobile Platform.

Google has collaborated with Qualcomm Technologies to enable a wide range of mobile devices with Snapdragon mobile platforms to support an extended period of Android OS and security updates.

Currently, Android devices support three years of software upgrades but this collaboration aims to support OS updates for a longer period of time with fewer resources and a predictable software lifecycle for Snapdragon-based devices.

As part of this collaboration, all Snapdragon chipsets launching with Android 11 and later will now support four Android OS versions and four years of security updates for all Snapdragon platforms utilizing the Project Treble enhancements, starting with the new newly-launched Snapdragon 888 Mobile Platform.

"Going forward, all new Qualcomm mobile platforms that take advantage of the no-retroactivity principle for SoCs will support 4 Android OS versions and 4 years of security updates. All Qualcomm customers will be able to take advantage of this stability to further lower both the costs of upgrades as well as launches and can now support their devices for longer periods of time," Google said in a blog post.

"By working closely with Qualcomm to offer an extended period of OS and security updates, we are looking forward to delivering the best of Android to our users faster, and with greater security for an extended period of time."

The enhancements will allow Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to upgrade their Snapdragon-based devices to the latest Android OS version without modifying Qualcomm's chipset-specific software and to use a common Android software branch to upgrade devices, thereby helping to reduce the time as well as resources.

"We are excited to work with Google to extend our support for Android OS and security updates on future Snapdragon mobile platforms utilizing the Project Treble enhancements. Through this collaboration, we expect accelerated Android OS upgrade on Snapdragon-based devices while providing a superior user experience for end-users, said Kedar Kondap, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies.