It is now official: Android 7.0 Nougat has come to the unlocked versions of HTC One A9. The firmware is currently being rolled out through an over-the-air update to devices in the United States and has started last Jan. 16.
The announcement was made by Mo Versi, vice president for product management at HTC U.S., in a Twitter post. It effectively made the One A9 the third device in the HTC stable to get a taste of Nougat after HTC 10 and the One M9.
HTC One A9 Unlocked Owners! We have received technical approval on the Nougat OS update, and OTA will begin tonight!
— Mo Versi (@moversi) January 16, 2017
It is not yet clear if the update itself is staggered or the rollout is simply being deployed in one dump. Versi is also not very forthcoming about HTC's plans for other locations or for devices that were sold by carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint.
Android Nougat According To HTC
As is the trend for a number of OEMs these days, HTC's Android interpretation now closely resembles the Android stock experience more than ever. One could also expect less bloatware as it will not ship with apps that carriers usually bundle with devices they sell under contract.
Some sources also state that the update will lead to improved battery life.
Notable features that HTC One A9 users are going to enjoy includes the Multi-Window mode, improved notification panel, bundled alerts as well as enhancements to performance and security, among others.
Nougat Bug
HTC One A9 users, however, have one cause for concern. The Android Nougat update for the HTC 10, which has been released in the latter part of 2016, was recently stopped due to still unidentified bugs. Even devices from other OEMs, including Google have manifested problems and issues after their users installed the Nougat update. For example, Nexus devices have encountered battery drainage and speaker noises.
On the other hand, one should also note that the temporary suspension of the Nougat update did not affect HTC One M9 users and A9 devices could similarly sail through the update unscathed.
How To Update
As is customary, users receive a notification that an OTA update is available. If you have not received this yet, simply head to the Settings menu and check the About Device section. In the Software Update panel, you can manually trigger the Check for Updates feature, which will scan for available updates.
Before updating, it is also important to ensure that your device is fully charged and is connected to a stable Wi-Fi connection to avoid interrupting the installation.
If you still found no update, remember that, if the OTA is really getting deployed in phases, chances are your device will receive it in the next few days.
