Android KitKat Coming Late To HTC One

HTC earned a lot of good will a few months back when it promised that all versions of its flagship smartphone, the HTC One, would receive an update to Android 4.4 KitKat within 90 days of Google’s release off the new OS. Unfortunately, Thursday marked day 90 and as many HTC One users can no doubt attest to, the company has yet to make good on its pledge.

On HTC’s own KitKat-update status page, only three versions of the HTC One are listed as compatible with KitKat: the unlocked version, developer edition and Google edition.

“We’ve always been inspired by our customers, and because of our legacy as a pioneer of smartphones, we are fortunate to have the most technology-savvy, discerning, and passionate customers in the industry. While we continue to be a leader in Android innovation and having done 'ok' with software updates, we recognize that 'ok' is not good enough,” said HTC Americas president Jason Mackenzie in a statement.

Though many HTC One users are no doubt disappointed by the delay, its nonetheless encouraging to see HTC offer a heartfelt apology, particularly given the fact that the company still pledges to push Android KitKat to all remaining HTC One variants in the next week or two.

“As we approach the 90-day mark, we are getting closer to delivering KitKat and the finish line is becoming more clear.  We are currently in the certification phase across all of our carrier partners in North America, and they share our enthusiasm for getting this software in your hands.  That said, the software development process does not always follow a linear path and we know today that we will miss our self-imposed target.  The good news is that we won’t miss by much as, it shouldn’t be more than one to two weeks to complete each of the carrier versions of the HTC One,” Mackenzie said.

Delays aside, HTC has been among the most consistent smartphone manufacturers in terms of timely Android updates and today’s announcement shouldn’t shake users’ faith in the company.