HTC Butterfly Android 4.2 & Sense 5 Update Starts Rolling Out

Shortly after the HTC One Android 4.2 update roll out comes word that HTC has begun rolling out the HTC Butterfly Android 4.2 and Sense 5 update to users in Taiwan meaning a roll out to owners in other regions, including to owners of the Droid DNA on Verizon, is much closer than it once was.

All along, rumors have suggested that the HTC Butterfly would be getting Android 4.2 and the new Sense 5 user interface that came with the new HTC One flagship earlier this year. Given how new the HTC One is, we know that HTC would ultimately wind up updating the HTC One with Android 4.2 first and then move to older devices.

The first non-HTC One device to get Android 4.2 and Sense 5 is unsurprisingly the HTC Butterfly, HTC’s 5-inch device that debuted towards the end of last year and arrived on Verizon as the Droid DNA. According to Engadget, and confirmed by XDA-Developer Forums HTC Butterfly owners in Taiwan are currently receiving the Android 4.2 and Sense 5 update which brings them up from Android 4.1 and Sense 4+.

Owners are actually receiving two updates, a smaller update that prepares the device for the larger update and then the larger update which checks in at a lofty 550MB in size. The file is large because it not only brings the features of Android 4.2 but it delivers the features of the new Sense 5 including HTC BlinkFeed, HTC’s social home screen.

The Taiwanese version of the HTC Butterfly is the first version of the HTC Butterfly to get Android 4.2 and Sense 5 though it certainly will not be the last variant to receive it. HTC typically rolls out its updates over the course of several weeks with carriers getting it a bit later than the international versions. American carriers are typically much further behind meaning the Verizon Droid DNA should be several weeks away, at least, from getting Android 4.2 and Sense 5.

Still, the roll out means that the update is much closer than it once was and Droid DNA owners can start looking out for something to arrive. Next in line should be the HTC One X+, Droid Incredible 4G LTE, EVO 4G LTE and the HTC One X, all of which are thought to be getting the update down the road.

Recently, HTC canceled the update for the HTC One S, the mid-range One series model that arrived with the HTC One X last year.