Android, the operating system with a Linux kernel, is not going anywhere. Despite Google sending emails to users of very old Android devices to tell them that it's time to say goodbye, the brand is here to stay. This is due to components such as the phone's battery having a limited lifespan, and other parts such as the CPU and camera becoming obsolete when compared to newer phones. Google's Android is currently the most popular operating system in the world, and Apple's iPhone has driven the company to record profits and a top spot in technology.
However, some people have been asking if mobile app development is dying. This idea has been promoted by Patrick Shyu, and compared to Android fragmentation, Apple's iOS 13 works with 80% of the more than 1.5 billion iPhones and iPads used on the market. Despite this, Google continues to strive to make the most of Android due to its design. The Huawei P40 Pro, which will be released in May, will ship with Android 10 but lack support for Google apps and the Play Store.
VR apps are already available for Android, and Google's Project Fuchsia-based platform is going in interesting directions. If Google wants to start creating custom silicon, we could see an updated version of Android that encourages customers to spend more money on apps. Over the past twelve months, Project Fuchsia has gone from being a research project to something that is destined to become a replacement for Android. Google shows a breakdown of the active user base for Android versions in Android Studio, and Gingerbread has a device count so low that it's not even listed.
After September 27, the oldest version of Android you'll be able to sign in to is Android 3.0 Honeycomb, which is for tablets only. We know that there are ways to increase battery life on Android, but they might not help much if you notice that your phone isn't holding a charge like before. While the company has publicly touted the platform's open source design as a key benefit, Google has quietly tried to solve the big problem of Android fragmentation. So while it may seem like Android is dying out, this isn't necessarily true. Google continues to strive for improvements and updates that will keep it alive and relevant in the future.
With Project Fuchsia-based platforms going in interesting directions and custom silicon being created by Google, we can expect more from this popular operating system in years to come.
