IOS 26 proved that the software update is still the problem in Android

This week’s iOS 26 declaration was definitely a strange, is it? Between the new design of the controversial liquid glass and the jump from the big name from iOS 18 to iOS 26, this year’s iPhone’s update is already proving that we have seen in a while.

The overall reaction to iOS 26 has been a mixed bag so far, and with this rigorous update, it can be expected. But although not everything about Apple’s big software update is not a winner, there is an aspect of what we still have on Android today.

This is the old story like time, but it is also appropriate in 2025. I’m talking about software updates.

Ever since people have been engaged in Android vs iOS debates, software updates are guaranteed to become an argument for everyone who defended iOS – and rightly. Although Android has made significant progress on this front in recent years, Apple has been better for a long time and shows why this is excellent in refreshments after all these years.

Take iOS 26 as a recent example. This software is currently available in a developer beta and will be available in July as a public beta. Apple is targeting the fall for the full release of iOS 26, possibly some time in September.

This is a good timeline, but what is noteworthy about how many iPhones are getting updated, and – even more importantly, the speed at which they all will be updated.

IOS 26 is clearly coming to new iPhones like the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 15 series, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Old iPhones, like the iPhone 11 series and modern (besides other generation of iPhone SE and new), are supported. For context, the iPhone 11 series will be six years old this September.

Impressive? What is even more impressive is that, like all the refreshments of the iOS, every iPhone model will get iOS 26 simultaneously. Unlike most Android OEMS, Apple does not draw its software updates into waves, new models have received updates to the first and old after a few weeks after the suit. Once the iOS 26 launch, each iPhone – from the iPhone 16 to the iPhone 11 – gets new software simultaneously.

It has been one of Apple’s largest power for years, and as compared to Android a few years ago, it cannot still be well similar to the oil machine, which is iOS rollout.

How? Tomorrow’s Android 16 Release is a great opposite with iOS 26. As of June 10, the stable version of Android 16 is now available for all Google Pixel phones from Pixel 6 series to Pixel 9 Family. On the surface, and for the pixel owners, this is great. But it is not too late to see that the world of Android’s updates is still behind the iOS.

Although Google has been a huge increase in the seven -year update policy since the company introduced it with Pixel 6 series, old pixels are still missing from new software in such a way that older iPhones are not. While iOS 26 is compatible with iPhones that are six years old, Android 16 is only supported by pixels that will be four years old in this fall.

This contradiction will work for itself in a couple of years, but the long -term commitment to Apple’s long -term updates is still felt today. Your six -year -old iPhone will get the latest iOS update while your six -year -old pixel will not get the latest Android update, and while it may not be the end of the world, it doesn’t feel good.

In addition, this is not to say anything about the release of Android 16 for other, non -Pixel Android phones. Google’s handsets are updated today, but what about Samsung phones, nothing, One Plus, Motorola, and others?

As is always a matter of Android updates, Samsung and other companies will wait for a few more weeks (and months) before we begin to release Android 16 for their devices. And from there, manufacturers prolong things by sending an Android OS upgrade to the waves. Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Series will be included in the first Samsung phone to receive Android 16/a UI 8, but you can expect the old models to wait more to arrive.

Of course, some of these matters are the natural side effect of the open source of Android. Although Apple is the only company that produces iPhones and releases an update for them, multiple brands are making Android phones with custom software. It is irrational to think that we will ever reach a place where updates like Android 16 are magically available for every planet’s Android phone at the same time.

But that does not mean there is no room for improvement. When Samsung’s Android 16 update is ready, there is no reason why the company should not be able to send it to all of its supported phones instead of dragging the waves. There is also enough room to improve the timely and stability of Android Updates (I’m looking at you, an UI 7), and Google’s end of this year’s Android 16 QPR1 refreshing its most important updates in Android 16 is the latest strategy to stop Google’s latest strategy.

We have made a long journey with Android’s updates, but iOS 26 is a reminder that there is still a lot of work to be done – and I hope that Google, Samsung, and every other Android OEM is being focused.