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Phone model vs Android version
- Thread starter gar2014
- Start date
chanchan05
The Doctor
That's because phone aren't updated after two years of release. The Galaxy Ace was first released somewhere like 4-5 years ago. That model is older than the S2. And the fact that it's hardware is so old and much weaker than what is found in today's phones. It's possible it can run Android 4.0, but you'll have to work it out yourself.
The manufacturer decides what updates to release, unless the phone is sold through a carrier who modify the software (e.g. adding their own apps), in which case the carrier decides what updates are released.
It won't be documented as it's not a fixed policy but something that will depend on the phone model, the requirements of the update, and what the carrier or manufacturer think is worth doing. Two years is an empirical observation rather than a contract.
It won't be documented as it's not a fixed policy but something that will depend on the phone model, the requirements of the update, and what the carrier or manufacturer think is worth doing. Two years is an empirical observation rather than a contract.
chanchan05
The Doctor
Yup. It's not a real documented fact, but something people just notice. Google only asks manufacturers to support phones with updates for a 18 month window, but they aren't tied to that. Generally, flagships like the Galaxy S and Note lines get the two year treatment (for Samsung). All other models depend on whether they seem to have sold well or something like that.
The No Update available came from your phone. No one sent you that. The phone just connected to a server, looked for an update with a code number saying that it's for your device model, and saw that there was none. Kind of the same thing if you try to send an email, but aren't connected. You'll get a can't send message from your phone. Or if you try to use the search function on the music app to look for a song you don't have, the phone will just say 'file not found'.
The No Update available came from your phone. No one sent you that. The phone just connected to a server, looked for an update with a code number saying that it's for your device model, and saw that there was none. Kind of the same thing if you try to send an email, but aren't connected. You'll get a can't send message from your phone. Or if you try to use the search function on the music app to look for a song you don't have, the phone will just say 'file not found'.
Thanks very much to Hadron and Chanchan05 for their help. My interest in OS on phones is very recent and my paradigm is that of my PC. I bought my PC from Dell and it came with the OS installed but if I want an upgrade to the OS I go, not to Dell, but (in my case) to Microsoft who write the software. I infer from what you say that although the ultimate source of Android is Google, no end users get their OS sofware from Google but from the manufacturers of their handsets. I understand that the "No update available" message came from my phone but was the phone not just passing on to me information obtained from the server (Samsung, in my case?) vis. that there was no update available?
chanchan05
The Doctor
If you put it that way, then yes, the phone simply did not find an update in Samsung servers.
What you have to understand is that unlike Windows, Android cannot be installed on any device. Android should be specifically designed for said device to work. You can't get say, an installer for the latest firmware of Android for the Galaxy Ace 3 on the original Galaxy Ace. At best, it will refuse to install. At worst it will turn the phone to an irrecoverable paper weight. Each Android installer should be custom built for the device it was meant for.
What you have to understand is that unlike Windows, Android cannot be installed on any device. Android should be specifically designed for said device to work. You can't get say, an installer for the latest firmware of Android for the Galaxy Ace 3 on the original Galaxy Ace. At best, it will refuse to install. At worst it will turn the phone to an irrecoverable paper weight. Each Android installer should be custom built for the device it was meant for.
Stuntman
Android Expert
Google makes the Android OS. When they release a new version, it is not in a format that you can simply install on any phone you like. Phone manufacturers take the Android OS release and then they have to modify it make it work with each specific phone. Phone manufacturers also modify it to include their own features. They are free to do this with certain limits. This makes the Android OS that is on a Samsung phone different than on an HTC phone. They are also different from phone to phone for the same manufacturer. This is why you need to get Android updates from the manufacturer.
