Original Surface Duo should get Android 11 before the end of the year, says Microsoft

Microsoft announced the Surface Duo 2 this week. The foldable device looks like a major upgrade over its predecessor. It will also ship with Android 11. In contrast, Microsoft hasn't confirmed a release date for Android 11 on the original Surface Duo. The company did, however, share a loose timeframe for the update to roll out to the first-generation Surface Duo.

"We remain committed to providing updates to Surface Duo, and we're working to bring Android 11 to existing customers before the end of this year," said a Microsoft spokesperson to The Verge.

If Android 11 ships to the original Surface Duo by the end of the year, it will arrive on the foldable around the same time other devices receive Android 12. This would place the original Surface Duo one year behind big-name devices in terms of Android support.

Many have complained about the software experience on the Surface Duo, including our senior editor Zac Bowden back in July. "Microsoft's version of Android that powers Surface Duo still feels like it's in beta, and that's probably because it is," said Bowden. "The device has countless issues, many of which are encountered at least once a day. And things just aren't moving fast enough."

Earlier this month, Bowden reviewed the Surface Duo after one year of use. He brought up software issues and Android 11 again:

This device should have received multiple bug fix updates a month, but Microsoft has only shipped one update every month, and it's even had the cheek to stop shipping bug fixes for the last four months as it waits to ship Android 11. It's just unacceptable, and it's not helped by the fact that Microsoft refuses to talk to its customers about this.

Reports from earlier this year suggested that Android 11 might ship to the Surface Duo over the summer, but the update still hasn't rolled out. Microsoft's latest update confirms that the update should roll out within the next three months.