The Nvidia Shield is getting Android 11 and other upgrades

With the new Shield Software Experience Upgrade 9.0, the remarkably indestructible Nvidia Shield gets yet another big Android update, including Android 11 and a slew of other improvements.

All Shield set-top boxes are getting the latest update, including the original model from 2015, which came with Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box. The popular set-top box now has the distinction of being one of the most upgraded Android devices ever sold, thanks to the newest upgrade to Android 11.

To put that into context, a comparable Android phone from 2015 is the Galaxy S6, which never made it through Android Nougat (Android 7.0).

Aside from updating the operating system to Android 11, the updated Shield software offers a number of additional features. Nvidia is switching to Google’s Gboard keyboard as the default for text entry (making it easier to use Google Assistant in text fields), and Bluetooth support has been updated to include support for Bluetooth aptX as well as the ability to automatically disconnect Bluetooth devices when the Shield goes to sleep mode.

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New bonuses will be available to GeForce Now subscribers. Customers who pay for GeForce Now’s RTX 3080 tier (the service’s most expensive rate at $99.99 for six months) can now stream 4K HDR content on the Shield. Additionally, all GeForce Now subscribers will benefit from improved Twitch integration, including high-quality simultaneous gaming and streaming, as well as support for more Bluetooth mice and keyboards.

The update is the latest for Nvidia’s set-top box hardware, which received big software updates last year, including a modern Google TV-style user interface and enhanced 4K upscaling on newer Shield hardware.