14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is officially an Android hardware maker now after the release of the Surface Duo, the company’s dual-screen model that went on sale in September.
The Surface Duo is Microsoft’s first Android device, and the Redmond-based software giant has promised to keep it up-to-date according to Google’s typical release schedule, which means that monthly security patches would be published for all customers.
The October 2020 update is now here for the Surface Duo, and explains that in addition to the security improvements that are rolled out by Google, this release also comes with further refinements.
For example, this update includes call stability and experience improvements, while also refining the touch input. What’s more, the device stability has also been further enhanced, and starting with this update, the Facebook Messenger single-screen experience should also be smoother.
As per Microsoft’s official changelog:
- Addresses scenarios outlined in the Android Security Bulletin - October 2020.
- Improves call stability and experience.
- Improves touch stability.
- Improves Facebook Messenger single screen experience when launching by clicking on Facebook chat bubble.
- Improves device stability.
At this point, this very-first Surface Duo update is only available for unlocked Surface Duo models, but Microsoft promises that the AT&T locked models would get it shortly too.
There are no known issues in this update, and this means that everything should run properly with no issues whatsoever.
Worth knowing, however, is that these updates are cumulative, which means that installing the latest release provides you with all the improvements that the company has published for the previous months. This is an approach that Microsoft is also using on the desktop for Windows 10, though in the case of the Surface Duo, you can’t uninstall or go back to a previous software version after installing an update.
“Software updates can’t be uninstalled or reverted to an earlier version. When you install the latest update, you’ll also get all the previous updates if your Surface doesn’t have them already. Only updates that apply to Surface Duo will be downloaded and installed. After the updates are installed, tap Restart now,” Microsoft says.
Also worth keeping in mind is that these updates don’t land on all devices at the same time, but they are pushed to the Surface Duo units out there in stages. In other words, not everybody receives them on day one, so it could take a while until it shows up on all devices. However, given that the Surface Duo is only available in the United States and Microsoft doesn’t have a huge device base to update, there’s a chance the rollout doesn’t take too long before it’s completed, so I expect the monthly patches to go live on all devices in one day or two after the rollout starts.
The limited availability of the Surface Duo, however, is bad news for customers no living in the United States and who hoped to get their hands on this dual-screen model. Microsoft doesn’t seem too keen on launching the Surface Duo in international markets, and people close to the matter said the software giant could reconsider this approach in early 2021.
In other words, the Duo will remain exclusive to customers in the U.S. for several more months before Microsoft could finally make the final call and decide whether other markets get it too. Of course, it could be a little too later from a hardware perspective, especially given that the Surface Duo already comes with a previous-generation processor that has caused so much criticism from those who expected nothing else than the best of the best on this model.