HTC One A9 Gets Monthly Updates After All, But Only The Unlocked Version: November OTA Rolling Out Now

Upon announcing its One A9 handset, HTC stated that the phone will receive Android OS updates no later than 15 days after they reach the Nexus smartphone.

After the release, HTC detailed the statement and said that the A9s will get the updates "within 15 business days of Google's first push to Nexus." Promises from the Taiwanese OEM say that One A9 owners will have fast access to security patches, as well.

As software updates become increasingly important for both tech enthusiasts and the general public, HTC is making good on its promise. The pure Android-supporting Nexus smartphone is the first to receive updates, and HTC aims to emulate the quick way in which Google handset receives Android's improvements.

Not only is HTC One A9 the only non-Nexus phone that comes with Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box, but the Taiwanese corporation wants to place the One A9 ahead of the curve by sending it Android firmware right after Nexus receives it.

Earlier this year, Samsung and LG claimed that their smartphones will get security updates once a month, but at the time the American division of HTC was not very optimistic.

Jason Mackenzie, HTC President in the United States, affirmed at the time that this schedule is "unrealistic." It appears that he rushed with his conclusion.

It should be noted that only the HTC One A9 users who own the unlocked United States phone should prepare for snappy and frequent updates. This means that if you own a carrier-branded or international variant of One A9, you'll have to wait longer for both OS and security updates, as HTC's recent statement does not apply to you. It is just a guess, but this preferential treatment might cause some flaming forum posts from HTC customers from all over the world.

HTC fans who got their hands on the unlocked U.S. variant of One A9 started receiving the over-the-air (OTA) November security update on Nov. 20. The patch came with battery life enhancements and camera fixes, and was announced on Twitter.