It looks like HTC might be backtracking on its earlier statement that the HTC One S will not receive any new Android updates, at least according to one reliable insider.
Well-known HTC modder and tipster LlabTooFeR took to Twitter to reveal that the HTC One S "Ville" version should still be getting Android 4.2.2 sometime in the future. The "Ville" version refers to the HTC One S with a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor.
Good news everyone,HTC will make update for One S (Ville)It will get 4.2.2 and Sense 5.0. No details about VilleC2... pic.twitter.com/hZcDmFGToc
— LlabTooFeR (@LlabTooFeR) July 17, 2013
"Good news everyone, HTC will make update for One S (Ville)It will get 4.2.2 and Sense 5.0. No details about VilleC2...," tweeted @LlabTooFeR.
The HTC One S "Ville C2" version is a One S variant that houses the older Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 processor. According to HTC Source, the Snapdragon S3 processor is so outdated that it could have been the root cause of why HTC announced that it would not provide any more updates for the One S.
"Qualcomm has stopped critical software support for the S3, leaving the obligation to update those gnarly pieces of chipset software on OEMs," an insider apparently told HTC Source.
Public reaction to the statement was largely negative, with some even starting a petition to HTC CEO Peter Chou to reevaluate the decision. If LlabTooFeR is correct, it looks like HTC may have actually listenened.
LlabTooFer does not give an exactly release date for the update, although the modder cryptically refers to a time frame of "1-2 months" in another tweet. The developer also states that Android 4.2.2 for the HTC One S Ville model might not even receive the over-the-air treatment, meaning that users will have to manually download the firmware through the HTC developer community.
HTC has not commented on the matter, but if anything, there might be still be a reason to hold onto a Snapdragon S4-powered One S after all.