Microsoft has officially failed in its efforts to deliver Android 11 to the original Surface Duo Android 11

In September Microsoft promised to deliver Android 11 to the Surface Duo, telling the Verge:

“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.”

Long-suffering Surface Duo owners, who by all accounts have purchased an experimental device, have been expecting Microsoft to deliver on the commitment and deliver Android 11 by the end of 2021 and have now been officially disappointed.

According to Zac Bowden and Daniel Rubino on the Windows Central podcast, Microsoft is blaming Google.

The company has reportedly been working internally on the Android 11 update for some time, but claim that the update is being held up for certification at Google. The fact that both companies are on holiday now means that the update is now likely delayed to January 2022.

Microsoft promised 3 years of updates for the Surface Duo, meaning we can expect updates until September 2023, but with the company being perennially a version behind when it comes to OS updates that promise is currently not amounting to much.

At the same time Samsung has managed to push out Android 12 to 2019 handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy S10 and Note 10 (and of course the original Samsung Galaxy Fold), suggesting when it comes to support, Surface Duo users have bet on the wrong company’s folding phone efforts.