Joe Maring / Android Authority
This week’s iOS 26 announcement sure was an odd one, wasn’t it? Between the controversial Liquid Glass redesign and the big name jump from iOS 18 to iOS 26, this year’s iPhone update is already proving to be one of the most peculiar we’ve seen in a while.
Overall reactions to iOS 26 have been a mixed bag so far, and with an update this drastic, that’s to be expected. But even though not everything about Apple’s big software update is a winner, there’s one aspect about it that’s still very obviously better than what we have on Android today.
It’s a tale as old as time, but it remains pertinent even in 2025. I’m talking about software updates.
Are you happy with the state of Android updates in 2025?
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iOS 26 is a reminder of Apple’s update supremacy
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
Ever since people have engaged in Android vs. iOS debates, software updates are guaranteed to be an argument for anyone defending iOS — and rightfully so. Although Android has made significant progress on this front in recent years, Apple has been better at it for longer and continues to demonstrate why it’s the best at updates all these years later.
Take iOS 26 as the most recent example. The software is currently available in a developer beta and will be available as a public beta in July. Apple is targeting the fall for the full release of iOS 26, likely sometime in September.
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
This is a good timeline, but what’s notable about it is how many iPhones are getting the update, and — perhaps more importantly — the pace at which they’ll all be updated.
iOS 26 is obviously coming to newer iPhones, like the iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 series, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. iPhones as old as the iPhone 11 series and newer (plus the 2nd generation iPhone SE and newer) are all supported. For context, the iPhone 11 series will be six years old come this September.
Every iPhone — from the iPhone 16 down to the iPhone 11 — will get iOS 26 simultaneously.
Impressive? Absolutely. Even more impressive is that, like all iOS updates, every iPhone model will get iOS 26 at the same time. Unlike most Android OEMs, Apple doesn’t drag out its software updates in waves, with newer models receiving the update first and older ones following suit a few weeks later. Once iOS 26 launches, every iPhone — from the iPhone 16 down to the iPhone 11 — gets the new software simultaneously.
This has been one of Apple’s greatest strengths for years, and as improved as Android may be compared to a few years ago, it still can’t match the well-oiled machine that is an iOS rollout.
Android updates are still complicated and messy
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
How so? Yesterday’s release of Android 16 is a perfect contrast to iOS 26. As of June 10, the stable version of Android 16 is now available for all Google Pixel phones ranging from the Pixel 6 series up to the Pixel 9 family. On the surface, and for Pixel owners, that’s great. But it doesn’t take long to see how the world of Android updates still lags behind iOS.
Although Google’s seven-year update policy has been a great addition since the company introduced it with the Pixel 6 series, older Pixels are still missing out on new software in a way older iPhones are not. Where iOS 26 is compatible with iPhones that are six years old, Android 16 is only supported for Pixels that will be four years old this fall.
This discrepancy will work itself out in a couple of years, but Apple’s longer commitment to long-term updates is still being felt today. Your six-year-old iPhone will get the newest iOS update while your six-year-old Pixel won’t get the newest Android update, and while that may not be the end of the world, it still doesn’t feel good.
Joe Maring / Android Authority
Furthermore, this is to say nothing about the timing of Android 16’s release for other, non-Pixel Android phones. Google’s handsets have the update today, but what about phones from Samsung, Nothing, OnePlus, Motorola, and others?
As is always the case with Android updates, we’ll be waiting a few more weeks (and, in some cases, months) before Samsung and other companies start releasing Android 16 for their devices. And from there, manufacturers further prolong things by sending out Android OS upgrades in waves. Samsung’s Galaxy S25 series will be among the first Samsung phones to receive Android 16/One UI 8, but you can expect to wait longer for the update to arrive on older models.
An unsolvable problem?
Joe Maring / Android Authority
Of course, some of these issues are a natural side effect of Android’s open-source nature. Whereas Apple is the only company creating iPhones and releasing updates for them, multiple brands are creating Android phones with customized software. It’s unreasonable to think we’ll ever get to a point where an update like Android 16 is magically available for every compatible Android phone on the planet at the same time.
iOS 26 is a reminder that there’s still ample work to be done.
But that’s not to say there isn’t room for improvement. When Samsung’s Android 16 update is ready, there’s no reason the company shouldn’t be able to ship it to all of its supported phones at once, rather than dragging it out in waves. The timeliness and stability of Android updates also have ample room for improvement (I’m looking at you, One UI 7), and Google’s latest strategy of withholding its most significant updates in Android 16 for its Android 16 QPR1 update coming later this year is bizarre.
We’ve come a long way with Android updates, but iOS 26 is a reminder that there’s still ample work to be done — and I hope Google, Samsung, and every other Android OEM are paying attention.
