Vivo Y93 Android Pie (9.0) update not on cards for now, says company

Software updates (or lack of) are the major drawback of Android as an operating system. This isn’t Google’s fault whatsoever, but the company keeps working on ways to improve the uptake of major OS and monthly security updates with each Android iteration.

Fragmentation has often been blamed for the sluggish software updates in the Android community and given that each and every other device maker wants their own custom skin running on top of AOSP, this isn’t about to end anytime soon.

But with the likes of Xiaomi able to update the heavy MIUI skin to the stable Android 10 on the same day as Google, it can be argued that fragmentation is actually not the only thing to blame here.

If anything, the willingness and effort companies are ready to put into software development and timely updates are what matters. With the Redmi K20 Pro Android 10 update, Xiaomi has shown that it’s willing to put in the effort and ensure the delivery of timely updates.

For this reason, Xiaomi sits third on the list of OEMs ranked according to how fast they roll out software updates to their devices. The same report published by Counterpoint Research places Vivo at position 7 with only 18% of its devices running Android Pie and a huge 73% still on Oreo 8.1.

It is in the latter camp that the Vivo Y93 finds itself. The device arrived late last year pre-installed with Android 8.1 Oreo with Funtouch OS 4.5 on top. The most recent update directed its way brought August security patches but to be honest, not many have come before it.

In what appears to be a U-turn from an earlier statement that suggested the Vivo Y93 could be upgraded to Pie, Vivo India now seems uncertain about the device’s Pie update. When asked about the Y93 Pie update throughout July and August, below is what Vivo India had to say:

Thank you for contacting Vivo India. We would like to inform you that for the upcoming upgraded Android version, you will get the notification on your smartphone automatically and then you may upgrade the Android version of your handset.
Source

As of this month, the story has changed and now Vivo says the Vivo Y93 has been tested and confirmed to work fine with Android Oreo. Whether this implies the device won’t go past Oreo is still unclear, but it’s clear that the Y93 won’t get Pie anytime soon.

Dear Vivo when my y93 will be getting it’s software upgrade from Oreo 8.1 to 9 pie. Please update on this soon. I am planning to purchase new mobile this onam, fed up of this OS.
Source

In response, here’s what Vivo India had to say:

Thanks for raising your concern and we truly understand that. The Vivo Y93 handset is completely stable with the current software version, hence we have not planned to get it update on Android P as of now.
Source

Vivo is still promising to keep supporting the Vivo Y93 with regular Funtouch OS updates, which will include security patches, new features, bug fixes, and performance improvements. Still, many Y93 owners will be disappointed by this new development.

In case there’s a change to this info, we will update this post, but for now, you may check out more Vivo-related coverage here.

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