[bpodgursky]

Um, Google has actually worked very hard to de-couple parts of Android into separate apps, so that those apps can update without a carrier-managed total OS upgrade.

This has arguably negative impacts on Android's utility as a non-Google OS, but there's no question that this strategy was to help push updates to users faster.

[pjmlp]

Making it a legal requirement, as they already do with so many others for OEMs to access Google services and the Play Store, would be the solution.

No need for smoke and mirrors games regarding decoupling Android.

[AsyncAwait]

I imagine it's not that easy to add something like this now, without huge OEM backslash. If it was there from the start, maybe it would work.