Rumor: Google wants to publish ranking of update policies Android manufacturers

Google is considering releasing a ranking of how Android device manufacturers are performing in terms of releasing updates. Google made that list earlier this year and sent it to involved companies.

By revealing the list, Google wants to increase pressure on manufacturers to release updates for all their Android devices in time, financial news agency Bloomberg claims based on its own sources. In that way, Google would want manufacturers who are low or not on the list to be ashamed. A top executive of provider Sprint confirms the existence of the list.

The list would provide the first overview of how manufacturers handle updating devices on Android. Many manufacturers that have a whole line-up of devices, such as Samsung and Huawei, often update their recent high-end smartphones, but those updates often lag behind with cheaper devices and tablets.

However, even if it were to publish that list, Google would still run into problems. The approval process for updates can take up to three months with providers, Bloomberg claims. The financial news agency talks about the American situation and it is unknown how that is in the Benelux. In Europe too, providers approve updates before they appear to ensure that devices continue to work on mobile networks. The providers are afraid that customers will report complaints to them instead of the manufacturer of the smartphone.

Updates have been a problem on Android for years and that came to the fore last year after the publication of the Stagefright leak. Since then, Google has come up with monthly patch rounds, but many manufacturers do not implement them or much later in their own devices. The only smartphones and tablets that remain continuously up-to-date are those from Google itself, such as the Nexus 6p, 5x, 9 and Pixel C tablets.