Recently, I ditched my old iPhone in favor of Xiaomi. Before that, I had a lot of Android – devices, and each went through the firmware procedure. This was a necessity against the background of many factors. For example, the standard firmware ZUK Z2 seemed inconvenient to me, and I simply had to install a custom firmware based on a clean one Android 9. It also happened with other phones Xiaomi. Redmi Note 3 Pro, Mi 5X – both devices underwent software interventions. But today everything has changed.
I am no longer interested in smartphone firmware
The fact is that I am no longer interested in the firmware of devices, because I do not see the need for it. If earlier the manufacturers' shells could not satisfy with something, today they all perform almost identical functions. In the same MIUI 11 there are gestures, Always On Display, DC Dimming, there is support for themes, a function to clear memory, and so on. In simple words, with an out-of-the-box system, I don't feel left out of functions.
Yes, Android 10 offers many interesting innovations. But why do I need them when the shell MIUI can do the same?
Of course, in Android 11 we will have a lot of internal changes that are important for developers and affect security, but still I have not noticed any fundamental changes in Android lately.
Previously, we were engaged in flashing devices also because the phones no longer supported new versions Android, but now manufacturers support devices not for 1 year, as it was before, but for 2-3 years. By that time, technically, the device will become noticeably worse against the background of new products, and you still decide to replace it with a new phone instead of installing the firmware on a fresh version Android.
In addition, there is another important point – people stopped treating smartphones like toys. This is, first of all, a gadget that makes life easier, and not a device that can be flashed and modified. Time is an important resource, and wasting it on phone flashing is a dubious business.
Clean Android will become the norm
In my opinion, the future lies precisely with the clean Android. And then there will be no talk of device firmware at all. So far Android, unfortunately, does not offer the functions that are available in the shells of Chinese manufacturers, but this may change in the next couple of years.
In addition, not so long ago, information appeared that Samsung may abandon its shell in favor of a clean one Android, and this is a serious step.
Fuchsia will make a difference
I do not exclude that the situation can be changed by a new generation operating system. Perhaps Fuchsia, like Harmony OS, will offer consumers a modular structure, this will optimize the size of the operating system, using the necessary modules in different types of devices. In this case, I do not exclude that custom firmware and third-party shells may end at all due to the complexity of the entire architecture. Adapting modules can be a long process on the road to updating a device. And in this case, a much better solution would be to abandon shells and custom firmware.
In my opinion, a uniform user experience and the ability to quickly update devices are much more important. And all the variety of shells and custom firmwares that are available to users today hinder the development of the operating system and increase version fragmentation Android.
Output
First, custom firmwares are no longer needed because manufacturers have been updating phones for 2-3 years. Secondly, the branded casings of manufacturers today are superior Android in capabilities. At the same time, I believe that it is also necessary to ditch the shells and stick with a clean one Android, because this will allow manufacturers to update their devices faster and make the experience the same for all Android phones .
Does your opinion differ from Oleg's opinion? If yes, feel free to share your position on this topic in the comments to the publication, also read our news in Yandex Zen. And do not forget to evaluate the new exclusive material of the editor-in-chief Android Insider.ru Renat Grishin. Also, not so long ago, I shared my opinion on why we should give up the Internet for a while.