Surface Duo gets May update with more stability improvements

Microsoft Surface Duo, unfolded, held with two hands

Microsoft has released the latest firmware update for the Surface Duo, its dual-screen phone powered by Android. The company promised security and feature updates for the next three years at launch, and it's been mostly living up to that.

The update arrives with firmware version 2021.419.70 in North America, and 2021.419.72 in Europe. As you might expect, it adds this month's Android security patch, but it also comes with a handful of fixes and improvements to stability and reliability. There were a few complaints about the Duo's software bugs at launch, but Microsoft has continuously been making improvements over time. Here's the full changelog:

Addresses scenarios outlined in the Android Security Bulletin - May 2020.

Improves device stability and UI stability.

Improves scenario when one screen would turn black while using Surface Duo in book mode.

Fixes scenario when a “Double-tap to switch screens” message was appearing when in book mode.

Fixes the scenario when using the TalkBack with 3-button navigation where the list of recent apps was showing on the left screen when invoked from the right screen.

Earlier this week, Microsoft announced a new feature for the Surface Duo, that being the ability to display Xbox cloud gaming controls on one display, while the game is displayed on the other screen. This should give users a better experience with controlling cloud games, as they no longer have to cover the game with their fingers while playing.

With Android 12 already on the horizon, what might be a bit more concerning to some is that the Surface Duo is still running Android 10, despite releasing near the launch date of Android 11 last year. The update to Android 11 is reportedly planned for this summer, but that will probably leave some users to question when the next major update will arrive, seeing as it's only a few months away now. Considering that the Duo is mostly geared towards business users, however, security updates are understandably the biggest priority for Microsoft.