The Indian Moto Z Play smartphones are now receiving Google’s December 2016 security patch. This software patch, which weighs in at around 35MB, contains Google’s critical security updates for the Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system. It puts the Motorola Moto Z Play’s software version up to MPNS24.104-56-10. Motorola’s instructions explain that customers should keep their Moto Z Play device plugged in and that the update should either be downloaded over a high speed (presumably LTE) or Wi-Fi network. The company cautions customers that the update may take up to ten minutes and during this time, the device may not be used, even for emergency calls. Devices will automatically receive the software update notification, or customers can go into Settings, About Device, Software Update to manually check.
It’s encouraging to see Motorola supporting their devices with Google’s critical security patch updates, even though the update to Android 7.0 Nougat appears imminent. The changelog for the software patch does not explicitly mention any other improvements to the device. The Moto Z Play is the least powerful of the Motorola Moto Z family, being based around a mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset compared with the flagship Snapdragon 820 of the Moto Z and Moto Z Force handsets. The device’s 5.5-inch display is of a lesser resolution, at 1080p or FHD, compared with 1440p or QHD of the other two Moto Z devices, and it ships with 3GB of RAM compared with 4GB of RAM available on the other Moto Z phones. However, the Moto Z Play includes the modular Moto Mods functionality, a means of allowing customers to add accessories to the device such as an enhanced speaker, battery case, or even a projector. The Moto Z Play also comes with a high capacity battery and a 16-megapixel main camera but is still only 7mm thick.
Indian Moto Z Play customers might be disappointed to receive a software update for their device, which is not the update to Android 7.0 Nougat, which has started rolling out elsewhere around the world. Motorola prioritized the two more powerful Moto Z devices for this update but the rumors are that the Moto Z Play is next in line. Android Nougat will bring with it a number of improvements including Google’s refinements to Android’s Doze feature. However, whereas the two more powerful Moto Z devices have been approved for Google Daydream, it does not seem so likely that the less powerful Moto Z Play will meet Google’s demanding specification.