BlackBerry OS 10.3 officially launched with the release of the BlackBerry Passport. However, previous BlackBerry 10 devices will not be receiving that update.
Instead, previous BlackBerry 10 smartphones will be refreshed with an OS 10.3.1 update. The OS 10.3.1 update brings a more refined BlackBerry 10 experience and incorporates features from legacy BlackBerry OS.
As revealed in the 2014 global roadmap, the update would occur around the release of the upcoming BlackBerry Classic, which was expected to release in November of this year. The Classic release will usher in the launch of OS 10.3.1.
However, BlackBerry’s CEO, John Chen, let it slip that the Classic wouldn’t release until December 2014. We’ve exclusively been told this has affected the release of OS 10.3.1 to older devices.
Technical acceptance of OS 10.3.1 will begin by mid-December 2014, with an expected official availability for previous devices Z3, Z10, Z30, Q10, and Q5 by Q1 2015.