I keep seeing Android devices in shops that state what version of Android is installed. Thence I conclude that not all Android devices can be updated to a current version of Android.  How can I tell before I buy (or even after I buy) if a device can be updated to the newest release or not?  Can Samsung's Android devices usually be updated?  Update: Note that I am not refering to abandoned devices but to current devices available in stores now.
120853
My Android phone has been abandoned by the manufacturer and carrier. It's stuck on 2.2, and doesn't seem likely to get any updates in the future, nor can I find updated ROMs for it.  I'd be willing to purchase a new phone, but how can I ensure that it will be supported? Does Google, or any carrier, or any manufacturer, make any guarantees about providing timely updates for their phones?
73473
Is there any way to know when I flashed my last custom ROM?  Atleast a smart way to find the approximate date/time using some logs deep down in my android would be good.
2101
Android 5.0 (Lollipop) was officially announced on October 15th, 2014.  You can review the high-level changes at the  and the announcement on the official .  Of course, not all devices will get this update right away and others won't get it at all. Each manufacturer and carrier often choose to add their custom modifications which tend to delay the official release.  When will each device get Android 5.0, either officially or unofficially, if ever?  See also:
101709
Apparently newer versions of Android require the use of Android File Transfer. I have an older machine that doesn't require this, and just mounts as a USB mass storage device. I can't see a technical reason why Android File Transfer is now required when it used not to be.  What changed in order to make this necessary? Why is it necessary?
115462
Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) SDK was . ()  Of course, not all devices will get this update right away and others won't get it at all. Each manufacturer and carrier often choose to add their custom modifications which tend to delay the official release.  When will each device get Android 2.3, either officially or unofficially, if ever?  See also:
36896
I never dealt with Android devices before so I'm completely newbie at it, please comment if something is too simple.  Say I purchase , that has got Android Froyo 2.2 installed in it.  If there is a new version of Android released tomorrow or next month, will I be able to update it (like I will be able to update my iPod Touch 4 to iOS 5)?
105934
Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) was officially announced on October 29, 2012.  (You can review  at the official Android Developer's site.)  Of course, not all devices will get this update right away and others won't get it at all. Each manufacturer and carrier often choose to add their custom modifications which tend to delay the official release.  When will each device get Android 4.2, either officially or unofficially, if ever?  See also:
109449
Following up on Canonical's announcement, what is , where can I download a copy of the OS to run on my phone? And how do I know if it's compatible with my phone?
117735
Well, I have a Galaxy Ace with 2.3.3, build XWKPY and Samsung Kies doesn't show an update to 2.3.4 yet.  I'm thinking of manually updating it through Odin and I need to know if I can just download any Gingerbread 2.3.4 update file or is there anything else that I need to be worried about?
6580
Should be 2016, not 2014-2015.       App Version: 1.0.85   Device Manufacturer: samsung   Device Model: GT-N8000   OS Version: 4.1.2 (N8000XXCMJ2)
20078
I have upgraded my phone to Android 2.1. I need to reset my phone but I don't want to lose the upgrade. Is it possible to do this? How?
82717
Not a problem, but have been seeing questions recently of people not being offered upgrade from 18.04 to 20.04.  I thought these upgrades were offered back in June.  I upgraded to 20.04 from 19.10 and this was offered back in May.  Imagine that different versions paths have different schedules, but google does not help explaining(that I found).  Does someone know the schedules?
52731
I know that iOS devices will automatically download the latest version of iOS when it's available. A message then appears, asking if the user wants to install the update later or now.  I have 2 questions regarding this: One, if I click "later," will I receive the message again, and how frequently would I receive this message?  And two, if I restart my iOS device, would the new version of iOS be automatically installed when it turns back on?
52712
Is is possible to download older versions of Android applications?   Is there some kind of online archive for all versions of Android apps? Like how you can find older versions of some Windows app.
77392
Mostly, android devices get updates through OTA to higher versions. I had upgraded to Kitkat(MIUI6) version, on my Redmi 1S using OTA. I have downloaded complete ROM of Jelly bean(MIUI5). But, I cannot install directly, it shows error and failed. That means an upgraded device cannot downgrade by direct installation. What should be done? (Unrooted device)
15223
We're starting out with some Android development in our company, and I'm working out which  Android versions we should support.    In one of Google's videos from  (22:34 minutes in) there is a pie chart showing roughly a third of users each for Android 1.5, 1.6 and 2.1.    Does anyone have a more up-to-date source for the percentages of active Android devices with each version of the platform?
72310
Android Nougat .  It adds features such as multi-window support.  You can review the high-level changes at .  Of course, not all devices will get this update right away, even at release; others won't get it at all. Manufacturers and carriers often choose to add their own custom modifications, which tend to delay the official release.  When will each device get Nougat, either officially or unofficially, if ever?  See also: