This joint effort addresses OS adoption by providing devices currently powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Snapdragon 660, and Snapdragon 636 Mobile Platforms with early access to the newest Android OS: P. In places like China, having the latest Android OS is a key competitive differentiator, and it gives OEMs an edge.

Delivering the latest Android OS

A new Android OS typically follows a standard release process:

1. Open-source code for the new Android OS is published. 2. Silicon manufacturers modify the OS for their specific hardware. 3. Silicon manufacturers pass the modified OS to OEMs, who then customize it to fit their devices. 4. OEMs work with carriers to test and certify their devices with the new OS. 5. The new OS is made available to users, either via an OTA to devices that are already launched, or installed out of the box on new devices.

This whole process can add months to the delivery of the OS. Over time, this has led to different versions of Android running on multiple different processors across different devices. Right now, there are about eight Android operating systems in use, starting with Gingerbread. This means there are users who aren’t taking full advantage of Android.

OEMs have cited several reasons for why upgrading has been difficult. This includes everything from the high costs of carrier testing and certification to app compatibility and user acceptance rates. As a solution to these challenges, Google introduced Project Treble.