HTC has officially killed Android updates support for the HTC One S, although the smartphone is not even two years old yet.

The HTC One S first appeared back in February 2012 as a mid-range smartphone and went on sale in early April 2012. This means that the handset has just 15 months on the market, yet HTC is already done with critical security and usability updates for the Android smartphone.

"We can confirm that the HTC One S will not receive further Android OS updates and will remain on the current version of Android and HTC Sense," explains HTC, as cited by Engadget. "We realize this news will be met with disappointment by some, but our customers should feel confident that we have designed the HTC One S to be customized with our own amazing camera and audio experiences."

In other words, the HTC One S will be stuck on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, with no updates to version 4.2 or any future version of Android. The latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean made its debut back in November 2012, i.e. just a little over six months since the One S went on sale. Owners of the smartphone have been eagerly awaiting the update, but it now seems I vain.

Ditching support for Android devices just half way through their lifespan is a terrible practice that is bound to draw the wrath of many users. In this case, HTC One S users are determined to fight HTC's decision and demand the update they deserve.

HTC One owners angry with the company's decision to stop pushing Android updates eventually took action. A petition on Change.org demands that HTC reconsider its decision and update the smartphone after all.

According to the petition, HTC promised at the end of February that the One S will receive both Android 4.2.2 and Sense 5.0. The latest announcement from the Taiwanese company breaks that promise without any reasonable explanation, so it makes sense for users to feel angry and cheated.

The petition further notes that YouTube videos of the HTC One S running on Android 4.2.2 ROMs show no performance issues whatsoever, therefore the decision not to push the update is not justified.

At the time of writing, more than 3,000 supporters signed this petition, but nearly 2,000 signatures are still necessary.