Android Firmware Fragmentation in Canada: A Reader Poll Discussion

Why firmware matters

Newer firmware brings new features and, over time, wider app compatibility. People who follow the platform closely do not like being stuck on an older release.

The control debate

Android is open, which is part of the appeal. The post raised whether Google should have more control over the system. Custom interfaces and apps from carriers and manufacturers might help in some rare cases, but the post said they mostly led to broken experiences and delayed upgrades.

What was said about the future

• There were faint rumours that Google might change this approach with Gingerbread 3.0. This was a rumour, and the outcome is not covered here.
• Google had said the rapid pace of firmware updates would slow as Android matured.
• A recent report showed Android 2.x on 70% of Android phones, a slight improvement over time.

The poll

Readers were asked to vote on which firmware they ran, including older releases such as 1.5 and 1.6. The results are not preserved here.

Status today

All the versions in this poll are long obsolete. Version fragmentation remains a topic, but updates are now handled very differently.