BlackBerry Priv Gets The New Android Marshmallow Update with Fixes
Android updates are very important since all phone users want to have the latest version running on their phones. However, most of the time it is difficult to get Google and phone makers to come together and bring those versions.
When it comes to the BlackBerry Priv, it has been recently confirmed that it won’t get the Android Nougat update. This means that the handset will remain stuck with Android 6.0 Marshmallow. BlackBerry Mobility Solutions General Manager, Alex Thurber explained that the company won’t bring Nougat on this device.
This is not very encouraging for BlackBerry Priv users since Google released Android 8.0 Oreo. BlackBerry Priv was released two years ago, and back then it came with Android Lollipop out of the box. It may seem weird that BlackBerry won’t bring this version to a phone that is only two years old, but there was not enough demand either. BlackBerry is just one of the phones that won’t receive the Nougat update, and other companies like OnePlus have done the same thing for some of their devices.
If you were looking for some good news, you should know that despite the fact that it won’t get the Android Nougat update, it will continue to receive Android security updates. We do not know yet for how long, but it is unlikely that they will be removed anytime soon.
Other BlackBerry devices will get Android Oreo
Many users hurried to say that BlackBerry is over, and while it is not as popular as it was back in the 00’s, this brand continues to resist. Therefore, there are BlackBerry products that are up to date when it comes to Android versions. This will also happen with the BlackBerry KEYone, and Alex Thurber confirmed that the device will get Google’s latest operating system, Android 8.0 Oreo.
Well it’s time then to go with Samsung….
I got an S8+, but I don’t think that this is the end of BlackBerry. BlackBerry signed the rights to design, build, and sell BlackBerry devices to TCL, which seems to be doing a pretty good job with the KEYone. I also have to add that the Priv is still getting security updates, and that’s more than what Samsung gives to their flagships, since the Priv is now 2 years old. Samsung devices might get 2 version updates, but they do NOT get the security updates that are more important than the version updates of Android, because Android is, by its nature, not very secure. Keep in mind that the version of Android that BlackBerry uses, is also a customized, hardened kernel variation, which means it’s harder to roll out updates to the system for aging devices. The Priv got the right amount of support, considering the circumstances. An update to Android 7 or 8 would’ve been a nice surprise, but was it really warranted, considering the signing of rights to TCL and the few devices that were sold? If it saved the company’s ability to make their own devices, I would think they cut it short, but it didn’t, and that’s the way the cookie crumbles. If you want to back BlackBerry, and still care about their devices, back TCL’s efforts. BlackBerry makes money on the licensing and still secure the software, with hardware root of trust, fast SECURITY updates, and a hardened Android OS that seems very stock-like with a few awesome touches that no other Android devices get, including that DTEK software, hardware keyboards, BlackBerry’s software keyboard (best in class, in fact), and well, BlackBerry’s other software that you don’t have to pay $2/month to use like I have to on my S8+ that makes it tolerable.