Chinese manufacturer Vivo beats Google & Co. to Android 15

Chinese manufacturer Vivo beats Google & Co. to Android 15


Referreport

Android 15 is there. But owner of one Pixel 9 or an earlier Pixel model shouldn’t get excited too soon. Because the Chinese manufacturer Vivo started delivering the new operating system before anyone else, not only getting ahead of Google but also itself.

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Vivo users are already receiving Android 15

Like that Neowin online magazine reported, Vivo has been shipping the latest version of Funtouch OS since September 28, 2024. This is nothing other than a variant of Android 15 adapted by the manufacturer, comparable to One UI from Samsung. In addition to the features of the new OS, the update also brings its own apps and tools. It is very unusual for a manufacturer variant to appear before the official Android release and the roll-out of the version for Pixel devices. Apparently, this was planned by Vivo from the start, as rumor has it that Funtouch OS 15 was supposed to be released on September 30, 2024 – well ahead of Google’s scheduled date.

Not good news for Google Pixel fans

The early Android release might come as a nasty surprise for Google fans. Until now, the promise was that buyers of a new Pixel smartphone would receive the latest Android version ex works and would continue to receive updates before all other devices over the course of their life cycle. But in the current product generation everything seems to be different. Google still has the recently released Pixel 9 with it Android 14 delivered, and a launch of Android 15 is not scheduled to take place before October 15, 2024.

Vivo is hard to find in Germany

According to current knowledge, Vivo’s top models, namely the Vivo X Fold3 Pro, X100 (Pro) and iQOO 12, will receive the update. This is likely to only affect a few users in this country. Vivo is still not selling smartphones in Germany after a patent dispute between parent company BBK Electronics and Nokia caused brands such as Oppo, Realme and Vivo to cease their activities in Germany. The dispute has now been resolvedbut Vivo has not yet returned. Vivo products can currently only be purchased outside of Germany.

Android 15 could be coming soon

It now remains to be seen how Google reacts. An early release of Android 15 before mid-October would be entirely possible. Because according to the official developer channels, it is Operating system completed some time ago and could therefore be delivered.

Source: German