What is Project Treble? Everything you need to know

Android has always had issues with updates, resulting in a lot of fragmentation. For example, Android O is coming soon, but Android Nougat powers only about 7% of all Android devices out there. This is an embarrassing number considering it’s been over 8 months since the first stable release. So why does Android update matter? As Google puts it, ” Updating existing devices to new versions of Android is incredibly time-consuming and expensive, which is why we’re asking our device manufacturer partners. ” Well, Google has always come up with new plans to improve the Android update landscape, but this time it seems like they apparently have a more concrete plan. The company just announced Project Treble, which aims to simplify Android updates. If you’re wondering what Project Treble is, we’ve got all the answers for you.

What is Project Treble?

Project Treble brings a modular base to Android , separating “vendor-specific” hardware code from Android framework code. This project, which is part of the Android O release, brings the biggest changes to Android’s low-level architecture and should make it easier for manufacturers to update their devices to the latest Android version.

There’s a lot of jargon here, but the bottom line is that Project Treble makes sure that updates from OEMs don’t require as much time and effort as previous Android updates.

How does Project Treble work?

To understand Project Treble, you need to understand how Android updates work. When the source code for a new Android version is released by Google, it is first passed to silicon manufacturers such as Qualcomm and MediaTek, who then add code to ensure that the new Android version works properly on their chipsets. . Chipset manufacturers then pass Android updates to OEMs (companies that manufacture Android devices such as Samsung, LG, Huawei, and Lenovo). OEMs modify releases with apps and also add their own custom skins and other features. Device manufacturers then work with carriers to test and release new Android versions. Yes, it’s quite a long process. Well, that’s what the Project Treble fix is ​​for.

With Project Treble, Google is introducing a ” vendor interface ” that functions similarly to a Compatibility Test Suite (CTS). CTS eliminates the need for app developers to custom design apps for different manufacturers and different hardware. For Android updates, Vendor Test Suites (VTS) speed up the update process by blocking the work required by silicon manufacturers. Therefore, Android device manufacturers can simply update the Android framework and release it for their devices.

Will Android updates really be faster?

As mentioned above, there are currently three steps in an Android update release, and Project Treble only reduces one of them. As Google says, “there’s no additional work from silicon vendors,” but does that really improve the Android update situation? Well, for now, things are a little doubtful . Manufacturers like Lenovo’s Motorola should be able to push out updates more quickly since they mostly have stock Android builds, while manufacturers like Samsung skin the UI and add their own features. Considering the need, it will still take some time.

This means that if you don’t receive an Android update after Project Treble, the responsibility lies solely with your device manufacturer. Google certainly did its job.

When will my device get Project Treble?

The Project Treble architecture is already included in the recently released Android O Developer Preview for Pixel and Nexus devices. As for other devices, any device launched with or updated to Android O will be a Project Treble compatible device.

See also: 8 great features of Android O that you should know about

Project Treble: Faster Android updates

We’ll have to wait and see if Project Treble actually delivers on its promise of faster Android updates. However, once Android O is released, Google will also publish full documentation for Project Treble, so we should have a clearer idea when Android O is released to everyone.

Well, I hope Project Treble actually fixes things in terms of Android updates. So, what do you think about Project Treble? Let us know in the comments section below.