HTC has confirmed, via Twitter, that Android 5.0.x will be the last update for the HTC One M7 which is now two years old. HTC did promise that they would update the device for two years, and they have done that. Of course, users always want an OEM to update it longer. Mo Versi, who is the VP of Product Management at HTC stated on Twitter that it won’t be getting Android 5.1, unfortunately. However, if you have the GPe version, it will see Android 5.1. Which is an easy fix, just flash your HTC One M7 with the GPe ROM, and boom. Mo did state that the Android 5.1 update for the HTC One M7 Google Play Edition is slated for April. However that may change, as we’ve seen before with software updates.
However, the HTC One M8 should be getting the update to Android 5.1, as it is just now hitting it’s one year birthday. It’s still a bit strange to see the One M7 not getting Android 5.1, considering it’s not a major release, but just a bug fixer for Android 5.0. But that’s the decision HTC is going with. You can’t say they didn’t live up to their promise of 2 years of updates. The HTC One M7 launched two years ago this month. HTC will still provide bug fixers and security updates for the HTC One M7 though for those that still own the device.
HTC has done a great job of being upfront with customers regarding updates. Letting customers know what’s going on and when they get approval from Google and the carriers. Which is a great thing. It’s always good to be transparent with your customers. HTC has also drastically sped up their update process, with the One M7, and One M8 getting latest version of Android about 3-4 months after Google made the code available. In the past that’d be at least 6 months or more. It may not seem like a huge change, but in reality it actually is.
Those of you that bought a HTC One M7, the HTC One M9 is right around the corner. It’s going to be launching here in the US on April 10th. So if you want a taste of what HTC has done since 2013, go ahead and pick one up.