The Nokia 9 PureView won't be getting its second guaranteed OS upgrade, producer HMD Global has announced. The company has confirmed that the device will continue to receive security patches for the time being and is giving owners up to a half-off discount on a new device.

Nokia was an eager adopter of the Android One program which kept the software experience clean and frequently refreshed. The Nokia 9 was one of the devices falling under that banner, set to receive at least two annual OS upgrades and 3 years of security updates. It made the jump from Android 9 Pie to Android 10 in December of that year, but has gone without Android 11 since. The company has struggled to deliver new OSs to its wide portfolio of smartphones in a timely manner — originally destined for Q2 of this year, the PureView's Android 11 update was delayed to Q3. The next it spoke about the matter was today.

HMD cited "incompatibilities between the camera and the software" as the stumbling block — the Nokia 9 features two color cameras, three monochrome cameras, and a time-of-flight sensor, all on the rear side — but wouldn't elaborate on the problem other than saying that it didn't want to bring a compromised experience.

The company is offering PureView owners 50% off a Nokia XR20 or a similar device depending on region through March 31, 2022. The XR20 currently has an MSRP of $550, comes with Android 11, and is set to receive three OS updates.

It's cold comfort, though, to see HMD Global make a promise for one of the most ambitious phones it has ever made, drag out hopes for a second OS update, and then end up only offering a coupon in its place. One could argue that it should ease up on putting out so many devices, but that doesn't look it's going to happen.