Google might soon push out software updates directly via the Play Store. Such a method now appears to be in an early testing phase, as Android Headlines reports.
It's not clear just how widespread this current experiment is or just how far along the feature is in terms of development. But a surge of users have recently been reporting about it. Now live for some Android Q users, the feature redresses software updates as Play Store downloads, in which updating one system is as easy and intuitive as downloading an app.
Play Store Google System Updates
In a screenshot, one of the users provided, there's a notification for a "Google System Update" in the process of downloading. The notification and the update occurred much in the same way an app update or download would.
Once the download had finished, the user explained, the device automatically restarted and showed a "G symbol with a progress bar," which the user noted looked similar to "the one you get after a system update."
This comes just a week after reports saying the latest version of the Play Store app contained references to "System Update," which serves as further evidence that this is indeed something Google has been working to include.
How Android System Updates Currently Work
Right now, Android software updates are a cluttered affair. Not all manufacturers adhere to Google's swift update policies. Sometimes, even major companies take a while before pushing out updates. Samsung, for example, has been criticized for its turtle-paced implementation of Google's new features.
Not only will this make software updates be pushed out faster, it will also make the process easier to follow. Currently, software updates either arrive as prompts or are buried deep within the Settings menu. If this new feature is implemented, updating the system will be an intuitive, streamlined, and totally smooth process, which favors the less tech-savvy out there.
Some unknowns remain, of course. For starters, system updates typically measure more than apps and games, and it's hard to imagine this method be ideal for their size. Also, it's not clear if Google will implement this feature in all phones, and not just its Pixel handsets, as it tends to do.
In any case, it's a crucial experiment that will definitely yield good results, especially for those who find the update process largely convoluted. Google has been placing greater focus in speedier delivery of security updates, which typically contain vulnerability patches or bug fixes. These might be more ideal for Play Store-like app updates instead of larger system updates.
