Android was for a type of device and userbase that had never run Linux, and so there were no pre-existing notions about what it should do, no pre-existing programs that needed to run, etc.
A better example would be Apple which makes breaking changes to both iOS and macOS absolutely all the time.
For the launch version sure but Android has made no shortage of breaking changes since then, like all the storage changes. Or selinux clamp down. Or permission changes. Or background restrictions. Or etc...
A better example would be Apple which makes breaking changes to both iOS and macOS absolutely all the time.