If you’re in the habit of ignoring and dismissing Android smartphone updates when they arrive, you may be taking a big risk and missing out on features.
There’s more than one way of caring for your pricey Android phone, and the mighty computer in your pocket needs more than just a case to protect it from bumps and scratches. That’s where software updates come into the picture as they offer protection for your precious data, fix functional bugs, and improve performance, among other things. In a nutshell, don’t ignore those notifications telling you about a new software update.
But when it comes to paying attention, the stakes are higher in the case of Android phones. That’s because in addition to OS-level updates offered by Google, smartphone makers need to make their own set of changes based on the available hardware and custom software tweaks to handle a lot of responsibilities. If your phone has been acting weird lately, some functions suddenly appear broken, battery life has taken a hit, there are connectivity issues, or it just gets toasty while doing the most basic tasks, you better pay attention to those software update alerts, as they could very well solve all of your phone problems.
One of the biggest advantages of jumping on the latest software update is the availability of new features and experiences. If it’s the yearly Android OS upgrades like the upcoming Android 13 update, then you get the whole package with a fresh UI design, new customization tools, more refined privacy systems, and, of course, a ton of new features to play with.
If you happen to be rocking one of Google’s Pixel smartphones, then the regular Pixel Feature Drops are worth looking out for. These drops introduce a healthy number of features. For example, the June 2022 feature drop added a pocket operator for Pixel that allows users to shoot videos and turn them into fun clips using sound layers, visual effects, beats, and mixing effects. The update also added a way to add vaccination certificates straight from the home screen alongside a conversation mode in the Sound Amplifier app to assist people with hearing disabilities.
Finally, there are updates rolled out by OEMs for their custom Android skins like Samsung and its OneUI or the OxygenOS experience available on OnePlus phones.
