BlackBerry Priv gets its first software update

BlackBerry unleashed the first firmware update for the Priv smartphone yesterday for handsets purchased via ShopBlackBerry while the carrier-purchased versions will get it starting on December 7. Since the company has promised to release monthly security updates and "to bring BlackBerry’s legendary security expertise to Android," this maintenance software release does not come as a surprise.

According to the official blog post about the 475 MB update, these are its highlights:

• camera with improved speed and better low-light image quality, as well as 16:9 support
• better language support and emojis for predictive typing
• WhatsApp in Hub&Contacts
• overall performance improvements
• improved stability
• DTEK by BlackBerry for more notification options
• enhanced security, including December security patches for Android

The updates to Android apps like WhatsApp will be available starting mid-December via the Google Play Store. The system update rolls out via OTA already, but those who did not get the notification yet can always force the manual check from Settings>About>System Updates.