Normally the very end of the year brings us a lull in smartphone news — holiday shopping's over and the deals are drying up, but we've still got another week or so before CES really starts making waves. But leave it to OnePlus to sneak in some Christmas Day excitement, as the company starts distribution of OxygenOS 9.0.0 OTA updates for the OnePlus 5 and 5T.
Read MoreDon’t expect lengthy software support from Motorola’s new Moto G6 and E5
If you’re planning to buy one of Motorola’s newest handsets, you should be aware that you won’t get lengthy software support. Motorola is promising just one major Android upgrade for the new Moto G6 series, while the Moto E5 series may not get a major update at all.
Read MoreMoto Display update adds support for ungrouping notifications
Manufacturer software add-ons have a bad habit of falling somewhere on the spectrum between “eh” and outright bloat, but Motorola's package of Moto Actions, Moto Display, and Moto Voice adds up to one of the more well-rounded, genuinely useful collections of features you'll find on an Android phone. While there's a lot you can already do with those three, from checking your notifications at a glance, to chopping your phone in the air to toggle its flashlight, today we're learning about a useful new addition to the mix, with the release of an updated Moto Display.
Read More[Update: Confirmed with dates] The Pixel 2 will supposedly receive three years of OS updates
If you've been caught up in all of the Pixel news today, then you might have overlooked something in the specs page. It would appear that Google is extending its software update promise from two years to a minimum of three years. That's fantastic.
Read MoreLG to release an enhanced G6 "plus version" alongside a software update bringing new features
The LG G6 was launched in its native South Korea way back in March. The global rollout took a little longer, with an unlocked US version not getting its release until May. Variants of the flagship sold in different regions were also subject to varying features, with wireless charging exclusive to the North America model, for example, while quad DAC audio was available only to Korean consumers. In spite of what would appear to be a fragmented global launch, LG came up with its best ever phone, and one that went some way to making up for the disappointing G5. Not resting on its laurels, LG has announced the G6+, bringing with it some key spec upgrades, and a software update with new features that will also be available on the original G6.
Read MoreThe HTC U11's first software update is here
The U11 is HTC's second flagship phone for 2017, with the standout feature being squeezable 'Edge Sense' sides. It just started shipping to customers in the United States and Canada, but new owners will likely find an update waiting for them out of the box.
Read MoreGalaxy S6 and S6 Edge Nougat updates start appearing in Europe
If you've been waiting with bated breath for Samsung to fulfill its promise to upgrade the Galaxy S6 series to Android 7.0, you can stop waiting... assuming you have one of the GSM unlocked models of the S6 and S6 Edge, that is. According to German tech site Giga.de, users in Europe are starting to see the Nougat update sent out to their phones, starting with at least one S6 Edge owner in Switzerland and continuing in the comments. That means that mainland Europe and the UK are probably looking at updates sometime soon, with the usual delays for localization and server rollout.
Read MoreASUS ZenFone 3 ZE520KL and ZE552KL get their Nougat OTA updates
We're finally getting to the point where Nougat software updates are coming at a steady clip from manufacturers. ASUS is getting in a few for its midrange phone hardware - just last week we saw the ZenFone 3 Deluxe get its software update (that really should have come out in December at the latest). Now it's the non-deluxe model's turn, specifically the ZE520KL and ZE552KL variants. Those are the 5.2- and 5.5-inch versions of the unlocked GSM phone, if you haven't memorized the alphabet soup of those model numbers.
Read MoreThe Best Of AP
Sprint's HTC One A9 gets its Nougat OTA update
We're finally getting a good, steady stream of Android 7.0 updates for major smartphones. Several months later than we'd like to have them, of course, but such is life in the current world of Android software. Today owners of the HTC A9 on Sprint get a turn, at least according to HTC's official support page. The page says that software update 2.18.651.2 includes an upgrade to Nougat, as well as bringing the core security patch up to January of this year.
Read MoreMotorola says the unlocked Moto Z will get Nougat in February, Moto Z Play in March
Motorola customers who opted for the unlocked version of the Moto Z, as opposed to the Verizon-exclusive Moto Z Droid models, are feeling a little miffed. Droid owners have been rocking the latest version of Android for months now, but the GSM unlocked variants (which usually get updates faster) haven't had so much as a whiff of Nougat. We covered the story on Android Police yesterday after receiving multiple complaints from our readers. Motorola's response, delivered via Twitter, was less than encouraging.
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