[–] cpebach 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
It helps the cellular providers to lock down all updates to their low-end Android phones because users have to buy a replacement phone every 18 to 24 months to stay current with the O/S and features. Plus, it eliminates the risk of bricking the phone with an update. If the phones become compromised by new hacks, oh well, the consumer will just have to pay for a new phone. Cell providers have every incentive to drag their feet on this. How Google could realign the incentives of the cellular providers is the big question.
[–] VoatSimulator ago
I don't think they're ignoring it as such, Google have made a massive effort to move a lot of their new features into support libraries that are compatible on the most commonly used platforms. Rather than baking fancy widgets into specific versions of Android, the developer has to include the right widget into their app, and update it whenever a new version is available.
This doesn't allow any of the updates like Doze mode to be backported of course, but it makes life far better for app users and developers. Hopefully Google will work with OEMs better in future to improve update speeds, but with my Samsung running 4.1.2, I'm not holding my breath.