For years, Samsung has quietly resisted one of Google's most user-friendly innovations — seamless background updates — preferring a faster, leaner, but more disruptive traditional method. Now, signals from Android's open-source codebase suggest Google may remove the technical scaffolding that makes Samsung's approach possible, nudging the industry toward a quieter, less interruptive way of keeping devices current. It is a small but telling moment in the long negotiation between platform architects and the manufacturers who build upon their foundations — a reminder that in technology, as in mos
Google may force Samsung to adopt seamless Android updates
Samsung has stubbornly resisted what Google now seems ready to make mandatory
Mark
So Google is basically saying Samsung has to switch to seamless updates or lose support entirely?
Mimi
That's what the AOSP comment suggests, yes. Google isn't forcing it yet, but they're signaling they're about to stop supporting the old way Samsung does things.
Luke
Wait—is this actually confirmed as a decision, or is it one comment in the source code? There's a difference between "Google is considering this" and "Google has decided."
Mimi
Fair point. It's a comment in AOSP that suggests the direction. Not an official announcement.
Mark
Why has Samsung resisted seamless updates for so long?
Mimi
The traditional method uses less storage and updates faster. For a manufacturer, that's real value—less hardware overhead, quicker rollouts.
Luke
But the user experience is worse. You can't use your phone during the update.
Mimi
Exactly. Google prioritized user experience. Samsung prioritized efficiency.
Mark
Can Samsung actually build its own system if Google removes support?
Mimi
Technically yes. They could create a custom update method or modify Google's code. But that's expensive and means maintaining their own fork of Android.
Luke
And that gets harder over time as Android evolves. It's not a sustainable long-term strategy.
Mark
So Samsung will probably have to give in eventually?
Mimi
The pressure will be enormous. But Samsung has surprised us before by holding out longer than anyone expected.
Der Puls
- Google appears ready to cut off support for the traditional Android update method that Samsung has relied on for years, leaving the company with shrinking options.
- The tension is real: Samsung has resisted seamless A/B updates since their introduction, prioritizing storage efficiency and speed over user convenience.
- For everyday users, the stakes are tangible — seamless updates let your phone stay usable during installation, while Samsung's current method locks the screen behind a progress bar.
- Samsung could fight back by building its own update system or patching Google's code, but both paths are costly and technically demanding.
- Industry momentum is consolidating around Google's vision, and manufacturers who want timely security patches and new features may find resistance increasingly untenable.
For years, Samsung has quietly resisted one of Google's most user-friendly innovations — seamless background updates — preferring a faster, leaner, but more disruptive traditional method. Now, signals from Android's open-source codebase suggest Google may remove the technical scaffolding that makes Samsung's approach possible, nudging the industry toward a quieter, less interruptive way of keeping devices current. It is a small but telling moment in the long negotiation between platform architects and the manufacturers who build upon their foundations — a reminder that in technology, as in most things, the infrastructure eventually shapes the behavior.
Google appears to be preparing a significant shift in Android's update infrastructure — one that could finally force Samsung to abandon its long-preferred update method. A comment surfaced in the Android Open Source Project suggests Google is moving to discontinue support for "non-A/B" updates, the traditional system Samsung has used for years. Without that support, Samsung would face a stark choice: adopt Google's seamless update system, build a proprietary alternative, or modify Google's own code to preserve the old approach.
Seamless updates, already standard on Pixel phones, work by maintaining two partitions on a device. While the user continues normally, the inactive partition quietly installs the new software in the background. A single reboot completes the switch — no frozen screens, no forced waiting. Samsung's traditional method, by contrast, runs visibly and renders the phone unusable until it finishes, though it does consume less storage and typically completes more quickly.
Google had opportunities to mandate seamless updates before — Android 13 was one such moment — but held back. That restraint now appears to be ending. As security researcher Mishaal Rahman noted, Samsung could still resist through custom systems or code reversions, but neither option is simple or inexpensive. With Google seemingly willing to force the issue at the infrastructure level, the era of Samsung's quiet holdout may be drawing to a close.
Google appears to be moving toward a significant shift in how Android phones receive updates—one that could finally force Samsung's hand after years of resistance. A comment discovered in the Android Open Source Project suggests the company is preparing to discontinue support for what the industry calls "non-A/B" updates, the traditional method that Samsung and several other manufacturers have relied on for years. If that support is withdrawn, Samsung would lose the technical ability to push updates the way it currently does, leaving the company with few options: adopt Google's seamless update system, build its own alternative, or modify Google's code to preserve the old way.
For Pixel phone users, seamless updates are already routine. The system works by maintaining two separate partitions on a device—one active, one dormant. While you continue using your phone normally, the inactive partition downloads and installs the new Android version in the background. When the update is ready, your phone reboots and switches to the freshly updated partition. It's a user experience designed around convenience: no staring at loading screens, no forced downtime, no interruption to your day.
Samsung has consistently chosen not to implement this approach, despite Google introducing seamless updates years ago. The company stuck with conventional updates, where the process runs visibly on your screen and your phone is essentially unusable until it completes. There was speculation that Android 13 might force the issue, but Google stopped short of making seamless updates mandatory. That restraint may be ending. The AOSP comment, first reported by 9to5Google, signals that Google is readying the removal of support for non-A/B updates—the technical foundation Samsung's current system depends on.
The traditional method Samsung uses does have genuine advantages. It consumes less storage space on the device, and the update process typically completes faster than seamless alternatives. But those efficiencies come at a cost to the user experience: your phone becomes a brick for the duration of the update, and you're locked into watching a progress bar until it finishes.
Samsung isn't without options if it wants to resist the change. As security researcher Mishaal Rahmen noted, manufacturers could develop their own custom update systems entirely, or they could simply revert Google's changes in their version of Android. Neither path is simple or cheap, but both are technically possible. Still, the industry momentum is clear. If Google removes support for non-A/B updates from the core Android codebase, manufacturers who want to stay current with security patches and new features would face mounting pressure to fall in line.
The question now is whether Samsung will accept the inevitable or dig in for a prolonged technical standoff. The company has held out this long, but Google's apparent willingness to force the issue suggests that era may be closing.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Manufacturers could either create their own update method or revert Google's changes— Mishaal Rahmen, security researcher
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Das Original lesen bei Android Authority ↗
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