A few days ago, the HTC U11 surfaced on Geekbench running Android Oreo, prompting suggestions that the company will start rolling out the OS sooner than later.
Well, the wait didn’t take long because as at the time of this writing, the first handsets of the HTC U11 are already receiving the update to Android Oreo over the air. But as expected, the first devices to receive the update are based on Taiwan, HTC’s home.
The news of the update rolling out was made public by the HTC community manager via the Taiwan forums and indeed the OS is rolling out with software version 2.31.709.1. At the moment, there’s still no word on when other markets, including the U.S., will get the update. In addition to Oreo, HTC U11 users in Taiwan will also get support for VoWiFi services on the country’s Chunghwa Telecom.
The update to Oreo also adds features such as Picture in Picture mode, Autofill, Notification Dots, Android Instant Apps, Notification channels, increased battery life due to reduced background activity as well as enhanced security along with other performance-based improvements. With this update, the HTC U11 becomes the company’s first handset to get the Oreo OTA update, joining the U11 Plus that comes preinstalled with Oreo.
Other HTC phones that are on the list of Oreo OTA updates include the U Ultra, U 11 Life and HTC 10. The OS should also be rolled out to the HTC Bolt, otherwise known as HTC 10 Evo in markets outside the U.S. As pointed out, the OS is still limited to the Taiwanese market, but it shouldn’t be long before other markets join the party.
The update weighs 1.33GB, so make sure you have a stable Wi-Fi connection before you think of downloading the files. Also, confirm that your HTC U11 battery is at least 50% before proceeding with the upgrade or keep it connected to a power source during the whole process.
Update: HTC has started rolling out Android Oreo to the unlocked U11 in the U.S. The update should take time to reach all devices, but you can do a manual check via Settings.