BlackBerry Priv won’t receive update to Android Nougat

BlackBerry is a company that found itself on the verge of bankruptcy after its traditional, keyboarded devices fell out of fashion. After a period of floundering, the company began to recover itself with its foray into Android smartphones with specific modifications to appeal to former BlackBerry users.

The first Android phone from BlackBerry was the Priv, a flagship device featuring a physical keyboard. Though not a runaway success, the Priv did find love from a small group of BlackBerry fans. In 2016, the company updated the Priv from Lollipop to Marshmallow. But Marshmallow is the end of the line for the Priv, as BlackBerry Mobility Solutions GM Alex Thurber confirmed that the Priv will not receive an update to Android Nougat.

Though the news will be sad for Priv owners, it’s not unexpected. More important was a question regarding BlackBerry’s DTEK devices that were created via a licensing model with TCL. Thurber didn’t have a definitive answer for this question, but it seems unlikely that the company will issue an update to Android Nougat, given the complexity of the update process and the small market of DTEK users.

The BlackBerry KEYone, however, will receive an update to Android Oreo. An upcoming TCL device is also confirmed for an Android Oreo update.

Priv fans, what are your thoughts on this? Do you feel let down by BlackBerry?

source: androidandme