David Imel / Android Authority
TL;DR
- The Surface Duo has finally received an OS update.
- This is the Android 11 update, which was supposed to land on the device last year.
The Surface Duo was a pretty hot mess when it was released in 2020, as Microsoft’s dual-screen folding Android smartphone had a ton of bugs at launch and for months thereafter. The Redmond company issued several software updates since then, but we didn’t see a new Android version hit the device since its launch.
It’s only taken roughly a year and a half then, but Microsoft has finally delivered an Android OS update to the Surface Duo. Unfortunately, it’s the Android 11 update rather than the new Android 12 OTA.
In case you missed it, Android 11 brings native screen recording, device controls in the power menu, one-time permissions, and a dedicated notification space for messages across various apps.
What else should you expect?
There’s more to this update than an older version of Android though. Microsoft noted on its website that the update also brings several new Surface Duo features, like launching OneNote when clicking the Surface Slim Pen 2’s top button, the ability to choose specific apps to automatically span across screens when launched, and improved drag-and-drop support. Finally, this latest update also brings the January 2022 security patch.
Microsoft confirmed that the update is being pushed out to devices in North America and Europe. The company added that it’s still testing the release for “locked or unlocked AT&T” models.
It’s pretty disappointing to see the company only offering Android 11 now, but it still beats no OS update at the very least. One rumor also points to Microsoft skipping Android 12 in favor of Android 12L, which would be a wise move. Hopefully, the company doesn’t take a year or more to bring Android 12L to the table then.
