Samsung S6 Update to Android 9
When will the new firmware come out
To start work on a new firmware, you need a special tool. PDK (Platform Development Kit). This tool is created by Google for each new version of Android. After the PDK is ready, Google sends it to Samsung and other manufacturers of smartphones and tablets.
Then Google announces a new Android for users, and Samsung starts work on the firmware. On average, its creation takes 6 months, but the exact release date is unknown.
Samsung cannot start working on firmware until it receives the necessary tools from Google.
You can’t get the firmware as soon as you hear about it. you need to adapt it to a specific smartphone or tablet.
Why the exact release date of the new firmware is unknown
Before answering this question, consider what the firmware consists of. The firmware consists of several parts:
Source. The new Android with basic functions, which creates the company Google. This part cannot be immediately put on any smartphone or tablet, because at least drivers are required to adapt the code to a specific device.
If you imagine the creation of firmware on the example of building a building, then the source code is a framework of a new design.
Drivers. help connect Android and the components that make up a smartphone or tablet: processors, memory, buttons, connectors, sensors and other microcircuits. Drivers are written by manufacturers of microcircuits. Samsung and companies that produce only certain parts.
If manufacturers do not write a driver for at least one chip for a new firmware, the device will not be able to work normally with it. If the manufacturer of the communication chip with the mobile network does not write a driver, the smartphone will not be able to call. If the camera manufacturer does not write the driver, the smartphone will not take pictures. The firmware will not be released until all manufacturers write working drivers. Creating drivers takes 2 to 4 months.
Drivers. cement for connecting the frame (Android) and the foundation (components), without it the building will collapse.
Device manufacturer services. are responsible for the appearance of the desktop, menu items, programs, for unique applications and functions. Without them, all tablets and smartphones would look the same and have the same set of features. This part of the code is written by Samsung.
Services are finishing materials: facing brick, wallpaper, tile, paint, parquet.
After all the parts are ready, the task of Samsung is to combine and bring them into a usable form. At this stage, the firmware is thoroughly tested to find and fix all errors. The total number of tests is several thousand times.
The final firmware must be approved by Google. it’s like the reception of the building by the state commission. If she does not like something, the process continues until the desired option appears.
No one gives the exact date of the appearance of the firmware, because: a) several companies are working on it; b) the process lasts until complete adaptation and elimination of errors.
For which smartphones and tablets will the firmware be released
New firmware is available for flagship devices for 18 months from the date of sale.
Flagship devices. smartphones and tablets of the Galaxy S, Galaxy Tab S, Galaxy Note series, some mid-range models.
New firmware is not released for all devices.
Over time, the firmware for a particular device is no longer produced.
Below is a preliminary list of models that will receive updates to Android 9 (Pie), with approximate dates. List of models and release dates are subject to change.
