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Sony made a pretty infographic to explain why Android updates can be so slow

Sony made a pretty infographic to explain why Android updates can be so slow

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Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Sony knows you want Android Pie, and it’s working on it. It promises to get it to you by November, so long as you own an Xperia XZ2, XZ2 Premium, XZ2 Compact, Xperia XZ Premium, XZ1, or XZ1 Compact. To tide you over before the update actually reaches your phone and you see all your upgraded friends enjoying it, Sony has published an infographic to teach you about phone updates.

It’s not Sony’s fault that updates are slow; blame it on the machine that is a new Android OS rollout. You see, Sony has to optimize the OS for its hardware; add its own personal touches; test it internally; test it externally; make sure it meets certain standards; and ensure the devices actually work with carriers. It’s a tough job being a phone maker, I guess.

This infographic isn’t inaccurate, to be clear. A lot of work goes into updating a phone, but Android device makers have notoriously been terrible about keeping phones current. I appreciate Sony’s effort to explain the process, but ultimately, it doesn’t excuse the company from failing to deliver timely updates or ignoring all but its most recent, high-end devices.

Here’s the graphic if you want to educate yourself on Sony’s plight:

Sony

Sony notes that XA2, XA2 Ultra, and XA2 Plus owners will also see the update, but not until 2019. If you’re already done digesting that infographic, feel free to check out our Android Pie review to see what you’re currently missing.

Update August 30 5:45PM ET: This article was originally published on August 17, 2018 and has been updated to include video.