The One M7 probably won’t get another big Android update. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
HTC confirms the One M7 will not be upgraded to Android 5.1
Just like last year’s One M8, the One M7 got an Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrade earlier this year — but it seems that’s the last big update it will get. HTC has confirmed that while the Google Play Edition One M7 will get Android 5.1, the regular model will not.
“Only the GPE version of M7 will receive 5.1,” tweeted HTC Product Manager Mo Versi when asked when the One M7 would get Google’s latest Android 5.1 software. “Our target is early April.”
Unlike the regular One, the Google Play Edition handset runs pure Android — without the Sense user interface and other HTC tweaks. Making the latest Android releases available to it takes very little work, then.
But the regular One M7 does have Sense and all of the additional features that come with it, and HTC has seemingly decided that after two years, it will no longer be making the latest Android updates compatible with this device.
The two-year cutoff for Android updates is pretty typical of major manufacturers these days, so it’s not too surprising. But it will still be somewhat disappointing to those still clinging onto the original One smartphone.
At least HTC did update the device to Lollipop before closing the door on it, and of course, it should still see plenty of support from the community for years to come. You’ll be able to get an Android 5.1 update if you don’t mind flashing third-party ROMs, then.
