BlackBerry Priv Marshmallow Beta starting to hit initial testers today

Following in the footsteps of companies like Samsung and Sony, earlier this month BlackBerry announced that it would be offering an Android Marshmallow Beta program for its Priv. As reported on April 4th, the registration period would last for about two weeks, followed by commencement of the test during the second week of April. The test, which is set to last between 4-8 weeks, will be followed in May with official roll-out of the final build for all users.

As reported by 9to5Google, BlackBerry has informed its initial batch of beta testers that the pre-release software build is now available for their device. After this first trial begins – and provided there are no big bugs – it will expand to a larger group of registered individuals. The company expects to have everyone who signed-up running the Marshmallow Beta by Sunday, April 16th. Here is the official wording:

Some participants will start to receive Marshmallow software tomorrow (Wednesday, EST). We will take a similar approach to how we brought people into the program when rolling out the software update: start with a small group, monitor for any critical issues, then expand to larger and larger groups. We expect to have everyone updated by the end of the week (and for clarity this time, weeks end on Sunday in Waterloo! :] )

Those interested in registering for the Beta, if there is still room available, as well as those who want to learn more about it, should visit BlackBerry’s “Beta Zone” official information page here, however please be aware users will be required to log in with their BlackBerry Account information first.

Testing the newest Android taste

Android Marshmallow is the most current official build of Android, however Android N is available as a developer preview for those individuals running a Nexus device. Some have criticized BlackBerry for the amount of time it has taken to get the 6.0 update out to users – Google released it in October of last year. While the company has not explicitly stated what the reason is, it can be assumed that two main reasons are the culprit: (1) The Priv has added security software and content created by BlackBerry itself, and thus requires additional work to ensure compatibility, and (2) this is the company’s first Android handset.

Indeed BlackBerry itself is not the only company a bit late to the Marshmallow melody, as LG only just recently began to update its unique V10 handset. Android 6.0 brings with it new features such as Doze – for better power management while the device sleeps – and granular application permissions – to allow more control over what apps have access to. These are two major changes to the way in which Android works.

Are you excited about this beta test? Have you signed up? Have you already received your beta build? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts and impressions with the Android Authority community!