About a week after it launched on the unlocked version of the Surface Duo, Android 11 is now coming to the AT&T branded version of Microsoft’s first dual-screen Android phone. We first noticed the update on our device today on February 1, and other Duo owners with the AT&T variant confirm they are finally getting the much-antipated update, too.
Can confirm. I'm getting it on my AT&T Duo. pic.twitter.com/1aECma1zbL
— Arif Bacchus (@abacjourn) February 1, 2022
Weighing in at 2.3 GB in size, the update brings a couple of new features for Surface Duo owners. The list includes auto-app spanning, a new Photos app in OneDrive, the ability to launch OneNote with the top button on the Surface Slim Pen 2, and more. As a recap, some of the features can be seen below.
- Enabled in Surface Duo features, in Settings, to choose preference for answering phone calls when folded.
- Optimized Quick Settings and notification width for portrait and landscape orientations.
- Adjust media volume directly from Quick Settings in any device mode.
- Use thumb mode in Microsoft SwiftKey now with all device modes and application states.
- Updated app drawer and folder design with improed drag and drop support.
- Refreshed Microsoft feed design with updated cards and new Microsoft Start Widgets.
Now that Android 11 has rolled out to the Surface Duo, the team can now look ahead to Android 12 L. That version of Android is specialized for dual-screen devices like the Surface Duo, but it has no official release date, though rumors indicated Microsoft is favoring it over regular Android 12. The update also means that the Duo 2 and Duo 1 are now on the same software and Android version, which is good for consistency.
You can grab Android 11 on your Surface Duo today by first connecting to Wi-Fi. Then, you can go to Settings, select System, then System Update. From there, click Check for update and then Restart now. Your Duo will download the update in the background, and prompt you to restart.
