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The Essential Phone is already being updated to Android 10

The Essential Phone is already being updated to Android 10

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Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

The Essential Phone is getting an update to Android 10 on the very first day of the operating system’s release. This is remarkable for two reasons: for one, Android phone manufacturers are notoriously slow at releasing updates. So any time a phone gets a release day update, it’s a big deal. But on top of that, it’s a wonder that Essential’s sole phone is still being supported. The Essential Phone is now two years old, and the company supposedly stopped developing a successor well over a year ago. Despite that, Essential has continued to roll out regular updates to its users.

This actually isn’t a first: last year, Essential Phones got a release day update to Android Pie, too. That was also surprising, but at the time, the phone was still just a year old and Essential had more signs of life.

Xiaomi has a release day update, too

The Android 10 update is rolling out to “select Open Market customers” today. That means if you purchased the phone through Sprint, you’ll have to wait. If you bought it elsewhere, though, check for the update because it may be available.

Essential isn’t the only company with an Android 10 update today. XDA Developers spotted that Xiaomi is also updating the Redmi K20 Pro today in India and China.

Google has made changes to Android in recent years that are supposed to make it much easier for developers to update the core of the operating. So far, that’s meant having a number of manufacturers involved in public beta tests for the new operating systems. Their final updates haven’t all come straight away, but they’ve come relatively quickly. Compared to Android updates in past years, that’s an important step forward.