The Surface Duo is still not eligible for Android 11, however a version will be ready to roll out soon.
We are officially in 2022. This, in part, means that Microsoft has not been able to achieve its goal. The Redmond-based firm has announced its intention to roll out Android 11 to its Surface Duo smartphone before the end of 2021. Unfortunately, it is clear that this was not possible.
Surface Duo still not eligible for Android 11
Those who follow tech news may recall that Microsoft stated last September, “We want to offer updates to the Surface Duo, and we’re working to bring Android 11 to existing customers before the end of this year.”The American giant didn’t really promise anything, but the intention was clearly announced, and this announcement gave great hopes to Surface Duo owners.
As first reported by Windows Central, Duo devices are still not Android 11 compliant. Which may be particularly disappointing for owners of these products, but it’s not unprecedented. Such delays have already happened with Android, as manufacturers cannot deliver the latest versions of Google’s mobile OS “quickly”. “The history of updates today is the same as it was ten years ago; Google devices update very quickly, others take months or not update at all,” summed up Dieter Bohn of The Verge in 2019.
However, the version will be ready, inevitable rollout
Microsoft also needs to make Android work with various controls and features not necessarily present in Android to control the Surface Duo’s two screens. In his test of the device, Dieter Bohn explained that Android is “not at all ready for devices like the Surface Duo.”In fact, even the smallest update can take a long time, but when it comes to the Duo, users haven’t had a single major update since the device launched 15 months ago.
The Redmond firm did not respond to media inquiries, and Windows Central would have received only a banal “no comment”response. Fortunately, according to sources from the same Windows Central, “the Android 11 update for Surface Duo is complete, rollout should begin after the version is certified by Google and AT&T.”