Back in the early days of Android, system updates were very random: they would roll out at different times, and often several times per year. Now, Google has taken a much more streamlined approach, releasing one major Android update per year and much smaller, security-focused updates once per month.
早在Android初期，系统更新就非常随机：它们会在不同的时间推出，并且通常每年发布几次。 现在，谷歌采取了更为简化的方法，每年发布一次主要的Android更新，每月发布一次更小的，以安全为中心的更新。
But if you’re not running a stock Android handset that is updated by Google—like a Nexus or Pixel device—who knows when, or even if your phone will ever even see any of those updates.
但是，如果你不运行由谷歌式的更新股票的Android手机Nexus或像素装置，谁知道什么时候，或者即使你的手机将永远甚至看不到任何这些更新的。
New Android users are often disappointed to discover that their shiny new smartphone won’t get any updates—or worse, that it’s running old software the moment they bought it.
新的Android用户通常会失望地发现他们闪亮的新智能手机无法获取任何更新，或者更糟的是，在购买智能手机时，它就在运行旧软件。
Android生态系统 (The Android Ecosystem)
Unlike Apple’s ecosystem, where Apple releases a single iPhone each generation, Android is a much more open (and messy) environment. Any manufacturer can make a smartphone or tablet, throw Android on it, and release it. While there have been 14 different iPhones released since 2007, thousands of different Android phones have been released in the same period of time.
与苹果的生态系统不同，在苹果的生态系统中，苹果每代都会发布一部iPhone，而Android是一个更为开放(且混乱)的环境。 任何制造商都可以制造智能手机或平板电脑，在其上投放Android，然后再发布。 自2007年以来，已经发布了14款不同的iPhone，但在同一时期发布了数千种不同的Android手机。
As such, Android phones use a wide variety of different hardware. Some phones are made to be super cheap, available free on contract or for inexpensive purchase by people in developing countries. Some are “flagship” phones, with more advanced hardware than the iPhone.
因此，Android手机使用各种不同的硬件。 一些电话被制造为超级便宜，可以免费获得合同提供，也可以由发展中国家的人们廉价购买。 有些是“旗舰”手机，其硬件比iPhone高。
All that said, there is a series of Android phones made to directly mimic (and compete with) the iPhone in terms of release cycle and product support: the Pixel line. While any manufacturer can release an Android phone customized to their liking, the Pixel is Google’s in-house brand that is designed with the purest (and cleanest) of Android experiences in mind. Updates to the Pixel lineup of phones is handled by Google, so they’re generally the first phones to receive the newest software when it’s released.
综上所述，在发布周期和产品支持方面，有一系列Android手机可以直接模仿iPhone(并与之竞争)： Pixel系列。 虽然任何制造商都可以发布根据自己的喜好定制的Android手机，但Pixel是Google的内部品牌，在设计时考虑了最纯净(最干净)的Android体验。 Google会处理手机Pixel系列的更新，因此它们通常是第一款在发布最新软件时接收最新软件的手机。
For the rest of the pack, however, it’s a very different story.
但是，对于其余部分，这是一个非常不同的故事。
为什么您的手机未收到该更新 (Why Your Phone Hasn’t Received That Update)
To make Android work on their hardware, device manufacturers (like Samsung, HTC, or Motorola) must write Android device drivers specifically for their phones. These are often closed-source, so they can only be updated by said manufacturer. Google can’t just release a new version of Android that works on all devices—they release the new version, then manufacturers have to go in and tweak it for each of their phones.
为了使Android在其硬件上运行，设备制造商(例如Samsung，HTC或Motorola)必须专门为其手机编写Android设备驱动程序。 这些通常是开源的，因此只能由所述制造商进行更新。 Google不仅可以发布适用于所有设备的Android新版本，还需要发布新版本，然后制造商必须对其每部手机进行调整。
It’s not just drivers, though, either. Most Android handset manufacturers—like Samsung and LG, for example—“skin” their phones to make them stand out in the crowd. And by that, I mean they add/remove/change the interface and apps to make it their own. But all these additions take a lot of time and energy to add. So every time there’s an Android update, the manufacturers have to take time adding all their fancy crap in. That causes a huge delay.
但是，也不只是司机。 大多数Android手机制造商(例如三星和LG)“剥皮”他们的手机，以使其在人群中脱颖而出。 通过这种方式，我的意思是他们添加/删除/更改界面和应用程序使其成为自己的。 但是，所有这些添加都需要花费大量时间和精力。 因此，每次进行Android更新时，制造商都必须花点时间添加所有花哨的废话。这会造成巨大的延迟。
And, of course, some new versions of Android just come with increased hardware requirements, preventing them from working on older devices—the same is true for the iPhone (and even desktop computers).
而且，当然，某些新版本的Android刚对硬件提出了更高的要求，从而阻止它们在较旧的设备上运行-iPhone(甚至台式机)也是如此。
However, since there are so many Android phones, a lot lose support much earlier. If a manufacturer comes out with six different models every year, is it worth continuing to support all of them…every single year? Android manufacturers often aren’t as interested as they should be in updating devices after they’re released (especially cheaper ones). With the large amount of models being released, there’s little incentive to put a lot of work into updating an older model that’s been replaced by a newer one, especially when they’d rather encourage you to buy the newest model anyway. This has gotten better over time as consumers have pushed for better support as flagship phones get more and more expensive, but we still have a long way to go for manufacturers like Samsung to support their hardware the same way Google does.
但是，由于有这么多Android手机，很多手机早就失去了支持。 如果制造商每年推出六种不同的型号，那么是否值得继续支持它们……每年？ Android制造商通常对发布设备后的更新并不感兴趣，尤其是价格便宜的设备。 随着大量模型的发布，几乎没有动力去进行大量工作来更新已被较新模型取代的较旧模型，尤其是当他们宁愿鼓励您购买最新模型时。 随着时间的推移，这种情况变得越来越好，因为随着旗舰手机的价格越来越昂贵，消费者一直在寻求更好的支持，但是对于像三星这样的制造商来说，要像Google一样支持其硬件，我们还有很长的路要走。
Lastly, Android smartphone manufacturers are also beholden to cell phone carriers, who can delay updates by months on their networks. While Apple has the muscle to overrule carriers and roll out new versions of their operating system, Android phone manufacturers (mostly) do not. Again, this is getting better, but it’s still not great.
最后，Android智能手机制造商还迷上了手机运营商，后者可能会将其网络上的更新延迟数月之久。 尽管苹果有能力推翻运营商并推出其操作系统的新版本，但Android手机制造商(大多数)却没有。 再说一次，情况越来越好，但仍然不是很好。
如何尽快获得更新 (How to Get Updates Sooner)
If you’re sick of not getting updates, there’s one very clear path to take: buy a Pixel. These phones are designed, sold, and maintained by Google, so they get updated when the latest versions of Android are available—on time, every time. Google also guarantees that level of support for at least two years for all major Android updates, and an unprecedented three years for monthly security updates. That’s damn good support right there. (And despite what you’ve heard, it’s not exclusive to Verizon.)
如果您厌倦了无法获取更新，可以采取一种非常明确的方法：购买Pixel 。 这些手机由Google设计，销售和维护，因此它们会在每次提供最新版本的Android时得到更新。 Google还保证为所有主要的Android更新提供至少两年的支持，并为每月的安全更新提供前所未有的三年支持。 那真是该死的良好支持。 (尽管您听到了什么，但这并不是Verizon独有的。)
If you absolutely can’t buy the Pixel, though—say, if you’re dead set on getting the newest Samsung Galaxy—then go for it. The good news is that most of the major players, like Samsung, have gotten much better about supporting their flagship handsets, at least for a couple of years. For example, my one-and-a-half year old Galaxy S7 is running the same version of Android as the much-newer S8: they’re both running Android Nougat. But that’s also the problem: they’re both running Android Nougat.
但是，如果您绝对不能购买Pixel，例如，如果您决定购买最新的三星Galaxy，那么那就去买它。 好消息是，大多数主要厂商(例如三星)在支持其旗舰手机方面至少在过去的两年中取得了更好的进步。 例如，我有一个半岁的Galaxy S7正在运行与较新的S8相同版本的Android：它们都在运行Android Nougat。 但这也是问题所在：它们都在运行Android Nougat。
Even though the S8 is Samsung’s current flagship, it still doesn’t have Android Oreo, which has been available for a few months now. So, while you’re still likely to see the update on a non-Pixel flagship, you’ll likely still be waiting months for that to happen. It’s all about deciding what’s important to you, honestly.
尽管S8是三星目前的旗舰产品，但它仍然没有搭载Android Oreo的产品，而Android Oreo已经推出了几个月。 因此，尽管您仍然可能会在非Pixel旗舰店上看到更新，但您可能仍需要等待数月才能实现。 老实说，这是决定对您重要的事情。
There is another, much less-recommended way of making sure your phone has the latest version of Android, as long as you’re very tech savvy: Custom ROMs.
只要您精通技术，还有另一种不被推荐的方法来确保您的手机具有最新版本的Android：自定义ROM。
自定义ROM和社区开发的Android更新 (Custom ROMs and Community-Developed Android Updates)
Android is open source, so it’s possible for Android users to take its source code and roll their own operating systems—known as a custom ROM—for their smartphones. If you have a reasonably popular device, there are likely other Android users out there developing and tweaking custom ROMs for it—LineageOS is currently a great place to start if you’re looking to get in on some ROM action.
Android是开放源代码，因此Android用户可以获取其源代码并为其智能手机推出他们自己的操作系统(称为自定义ROM)。 如果您有一台相当流行的设备，那么可能还有其他Android用户正在为其开发和调整自定义ROM-如果您希望参与某些ROM操作， LineageOS是一个不错的起点。
However, custom ROMs aren’t officially supported, and require a lot of work to install and manage (much more than the average Android user would want to do, or even have the technical know-how for), but many Android geeks use and love custom ROMs.
但是，自定义ROM并未得到正式支持，并且需要大量的工作来安装和管理(远远超出了普通Android用户想要做的事情，甚至没有相关的技术知识)，但是许多Android极客会使用和喜欢自定义ROM。
Custom ROMs allow Android geeks to buy hardware they like and install a more stock Android operating system on it, removing the manufacturer’s software customizations and updating the operating system to the latest version. Popular Android phones are more likely to be supported, though as time goes on, manufacturers are making it harder and harder for developers and ROM hackers to get the required access to build ROMs for devices.
自定义ROM允许Android极客购买他们喜欢的硬件并在其上安装更多库存的Android操作系统，从而消除了制造商的软件自定义并将操作系统更新为最新版本。 尽管随着时间的流逝，制造商正越来越难让开发人员和ROM黑客获得所需的访问权限以构建设备的ROM，但仍更可能支持流行的Android手机。
The best thing you can do if custom ROMs are of interest to you is scour the XDA Developers forums for all the information that you can on your particular handset. Ironically, Pixel phones are also going to be some of the most ROM-friendly devices out there because Google allows the bootloader to be unlocked, removing the security that keeps the OS from being tampered with.
如果您对自定义ROM感兴趣，那么您可以做的最好的事情就是在XDA Developers论坛上搜索可以在特定手机上获得的所有信息。 具有讽刺意味的是，Pixel手机也将成为目前最易于使用ROM的设备，因为Google允许解锁引导加载程序，从而消除了防止操作系统遭到篡改的安全性。
购买新手机时应避免的事项 (What to Avoid When Buying a New Phone)
So, if you’re in the market for a new phone and proper updates are a concern, there are not only clear directions on what you should buy, but even clearer guidelines on what not to buy.
因此，如果您正在市场上购买新手机，并且需要进行适当的更新，那么不仅有关于应该买什么的明确说明，而且对于不应该买的东西甚至有更明确的指导原则。
First and foremost: if you care about updates, don’t buy cheap phones. Remember how we said manufacturers aren’t incentivized to update cheap, less popular phones? You will almost certainly experience that firsthand if you buy something under $500. And the lower the price, the less likely that phone is to get updates.
首先，如果您关心更新，请不要购买便宜的手机。 还记得我们怎么说制造商没有动力更新便宜，不那么受欢迎的手机吗？ 如果您购买低于$ 500的东西，几乎可以肯定会亲身经历。 价格越低，手机获得更新的可能性就越小。
Motorola phones might be an exception—and that in itself is a big maybe. I can’t expect Motorola to put the same level of support behind the budget-minded Moto E as they do the flagship Moto Z. It’s unfortunate, but that’s just how it is.
摩托罗拉手机可能是个例外，而这本身就是一个很大的例子。 我不能指望摩托罗拉能像预算旗舰产品Moto Z一样为预算精明的Moto E提供同样水平的支持。 不幸的是，事实就是如此。
The more you go up in price (and popularity), the more likely a phone is to get updates. But there are no guarantees, unless you buy a Pixel straight from Google. But hey, at least Android gives you the choice.
价格(和受欢迎程度)越高，手机获得更新的可能性就越大。 但是，除非您直接从Google购买Pixel，否则无法保证。 但是，至少Android可以为您提供选择。
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