Surface Duo for AT&T receives a long-overdue January update

In September 2020, when Surface Duo went on sale, Microsoft promised three years of monthly updates for its new quirky smartphone. So far, Microsoft has variable success with sticking to its word. There was no update in December 2020, and the January update arrived with a significant delay. Finally, Surface Duo, AT&T-locked, receives a long-overdue update with new patches and improvements.

If you own Surface Duo from AT&T, be sure to install the software version 202.1211.85. It takes around 576 MB of free space on your device. Here is the changelog:

• Addresses scenarios outlined in the Android Security Bulletin - December 2020 and January 2021.
• Improves Surface Duo UI stability.
• Adds the ability to add a caller to conference calls in certain conditions.
• Improves audio quality when using speaker mode.
• Improves touch stability.

This update is the same unlocked Surface Duo received at the end of January 2021. Carrier-locked devices usually get new updates with quite noticeable delays because of additional validations, and Surface Duo is no exception to this rule.

FYI, the original Surface Pro became available exactly 8 years ago, in February 2013, and started a family of great and amazing devices.

With Android 12 looming over the horizon, Surface Duo still runs Android 10, and there is no word from Microsoft when users can expect a newer OS version. You can at least enjoy fresh patches and improvements, which Surface Duo desperately needs, considering how poorly optimized its software was on the launch.