BlackBerry said in an announcement on April 13 to Android OS Beta participants that its first rollout of the Marshmallow software is right on schedule.
More than a week back, we reported about BlackBerry starting a beta program for BlackBerry Priv users who were keen on getting a closer look at the Android Marshmallow update. The idea of beta testing is pretty simple. A wide base of users get the latest software and the sender identifies the bugs that plague the system and comes up with fixes before rolling it out for public use.
BlackBerry has thus sent out the Android 6.0 Marshmallow software to its first batch of participants on April 13. If this batch comes across no major issues, the company will invite its second wave of participants for a wider beta testing, after which all beta testers should get a final update by April 16.
This bit of news is evident from the company statement: "Some participants will start to receive Marshmallow software tomorrow (Wednesday, EST). We will take a similar approach to how we brought people into the program when rolling out the software update: start with a small group, monitor for any critical issues, then expand to larger and larger groups. We expect to have everyone updated by the end of the week (and for clarity this time, weeks end on Sunday in Waterloo! :] )."
The testing requires the beta participants to follow some procedures mentioned in the Beta Zone, including preparing diagnostic reports manually as well as automatically when the device reboots. If you are a BlackBerry Priv owner and haven't signed up to test the software yet, visit the BlackBerry Beta Zone, but it may put you on a waiting list for now if it has already acquired sufficient applicants.
With a testing period of 4 to 8 weeks, the software may get officially rolled out for public use on every registered BlackBerry device by the end of May or first half of June.
If you are a BlackBerry beta tester, let us know if the Priv works better with or without the latest Android Marshmallow update in our comments section below.
Photo: Maurizio Pesce | Flickr
