Help Where's all the updates?

[Trel]

I thought (and bought because) a developer phone meant it would be getting updates (bleeding edge or not), but I haven't seen a single update in the time I had this phone.

Is it abandoned now or what? Since the updates come from Google and not Samsung or Verizon, I'm really thinking it might be.

 

[The_Chief]

The GSM version of Nexus is receiving, or has received, the 4.0.4 update. Verizon LTE Nexus is slated to get the 4.0.5 update sometime this month via OTA.

Because there are two Verizon apps on our Nexi, the update must be tested by Verizon for compatibility. It is my understanding that testing is in progress... if successful, we can expect a 4.0.5 rollout pretty soon.

Exactly WHEN, of course, is anybody's guess.

As far as a developer phone goes, the latest and greatest has been cooked into several ROMS and kernels by developers and can be flashed on your unlocked and rooted Nexus - IF that's the path you choose to take. As a stock guy, I'm resigned to patiently wait for the OTA

 

[trophynuts]

we all got rick rolled a little bit. You can still get the latest in greatest if your into rooting. However only that updates the android source and doesn't contain things like better radio drivers.

we got rick rolled because Google doesn't support the LTE g Nex anymore as a developer phone.

 

[mbrainerdii]

we got rick rolled because Google doesn't support the LTE g Nex anymore as a developer phone.

What does that mean exactly? We wont get JB or the one after that via OTA?

 

[The_Chief]

What does that mean exactly? We wont get JB or the one after that via OTA?

Here's the way I understand this, and I am open to being corrected:

Google will continue to release updates via OTA to the Verizon Nexus. They will not, however, be readily working with developers by releasing new code for the LTE version of Nexus because our version is a little trickier. That leaves developers having to take the AOSP and jig it around to make it work on our phones. Naturally, Verizon has to test each update before it goes out, which slows down the process... but I am reasonably confident that we WILL continue to receive OTA updates as they are rolled out.

 

[Turdbogls]

dont worry about it too much....there are still VERY few phones that have 4.0.2. the rumor is 4.0.5 some time this month, in which 4.0.5 source will be dropped.

you bought this as a "developer" phone....so do some hacking and get 4.0.4 on there ASAP. 4.0.4 radios help a lot with signal as well.

i have a feeling it is kinda going to go back and forth with updates.....4.0.6 will go to GSM and nexus S phones and be pushed to AOSP, while 4.0.7 will be rumored.

and we will be getting JB. fear not...while the CDMA nexus is not officially supported by google, updates are still going to flow to it on a regular basis.

 

[Tim K]

Please don't misunderstand what "developer phone" means. This phone is still fully supported and will receive updates. It simply means Google cannot directly push updates to cdma phones for tech reasons. Thus it is not considered a developer phone. It has nothing to do with Verizon apps. I wrote an explanation of it here along with links to Google's explanation:
Droids 'n Things: 4.0.4 where are you?

 

[OfTheDamned]

I think it is important for people to keep in mind that having a Nexus device doesn't mean you get updated every time Google decides to change something. I get the impression that people (not really directed at the OP, just something I've noticed since the phone was released) think a Nexus means we'll being seeing things like nightly updates the way Cyanogen does them.

A Nexus device is a pure Google experience phone and a developer phone. It means that the bootloader is easily unlocked and that there are no custom UIs like Sense or TouchWiz on the device (although I am ready that someone is building Sense, Touchwiz and Blur 4.0 ROMs for the Nexus so go figure).

As Tim K pointed out in his well written Blog post, the phone is still every bit as much a Nexus device as it was the day we all bought it. The big difference is CDMA and that has been a difference with every CDMA device that has been created since day one. The technology behind requires the carrier to review and approve the software before we can see it. Does this mean that Google will stop doing anything with the device? No. Does it mean that we won't be seeing updates as quickly as our GSM friends? Yes, but that has been the case with every CDMA device that has a GSM cousin. It has also been the case for most US variants of any Android phone (I remind everyone of the Galaxy S line and the current Galaxy S2 line). Carriers in the US just have more power over their handsets than those in the rest of the world or at least it appears that way.

As many have said, if you always want to have the latest and greatest on a Nexus device then unlocking the bootloader and rooting is the best way to go. Either way though, you have and probably will continue to have ICS long before the majority of Android users in the world.

 

[Ken7]

Please don't misunderstand what "developer phone" means. This phone is still fully supported and will receive updates. It simply means Google cannot directly push updates to cdma phones for tech reasons. Thus it is not considered a developer phone. It has nothing to do with Verizon apps. I wrote an explanation of it here along with links to Google's explanation:
Droids 'n Things: 4.0.4 where are you?

It would have been nice if that were explained to people prior to the phone's release. Many many people, myself included, were given the impression by many on this very forum that updates would come quickly 'direct from Google'. I might very well have stuck with the Rezound and its much better reception.

Unfortunately the internet contains more people that 'think' they know what they're talking about than 'do' know what they're talking about.

Thanks for your explanation.

 

[The_Chief]

This looks like an update that NONE of us need:

Galaxy Nexus: Minor update breaks signal reception | ZDNet

Let's hope Google gets this fixed in a hurry!

 

[red66charger]

Ugh! I think I've had it. I'm about to reactive my Thunderbolt. I would very much miss ICS though.

I couldn't get a reliable connection at Tropicana Field during the Rays-Yankees game last night. Couldn't use my Sling box, couldn't use MLB At Bat. It was frustrating as hell. It is a dome stadium, but people with iPhones were rocking their data connection.

Chief, I'm so glad I took your advice and held on to my Thunderbolt rather than unloading it. I'll give it one more game, but I'm reaching my boiling point.

 

[The_Chief]

Ugh! I think I've had it. I'm about to reactive my Thunderbolt. I would very much miss ICS though.

I couldn't get a reliable connection at Tropicana Field during the Rays-Yankees game last night. Couldn't use my Sling box, couldn't use MLB At Bat. It was frustrating as hell. It is a dome stadium, but people with iPhones were rocking their data connection.

Chief, I'm so glad I took your advice and held on to my Thunderbolt rather than unloading it. I'll give it one more game, but I'm reaching my boiling point.

Red, I am SO sorry you're having such connectivity issues. I know it can be frustrating sometimes. I haven't had these super problems with connectivity yet, but I can certainly empathize.

I'm also relieved that you still have a fallback smartphone. Good luck resolving the issue

 

[trophynuts]

Ugh! I think I've had it. I'm about to reactive my Thunderbolt. I would very much miss ICS though.

I couldn't get a reliable connection at Tropicana Field during the Rays-Yankees game last night. Couldn't use my Sling box, couldn't use MLB At Bat. It was frustrating as hell. It is a dome stadium, but people with iPhones were rocking their data connection.

Chief, I'm so glad I took your advice and held on to my Thunderbolt rather than unloading it. I'll give it one more game, but I'm reaching my boiling point.

as many of us are. I'm getting irritated at the signal issue as well. I keep hoping that the update will fall on us soon.....

 

[pool_shark]

Please don't misunderstand what "developer phone" means. This phone is still fully supported and will receive updates. It simply means Google cannot directly push updates to cdma phones for tech reasons. Thus it is not considered a developer phone. It has nothing to do with Verizon apps. I wrote an explanation of it here along with links to Google's explanation:
Droids 'n Things: 4.0.4 where are you?

The people who throw that phrase around so loosely should know what it means as well.
I'm talking about the people who say, and I'm paraphrasing; "You bought a developer phone, so you're supposed to root it and ROM it in order to make it work".
It's a developer phone for Google. That is not the same.

 

[Tim K]

The people who throw that phrase around so loosely should know what it means as well.
I'm talking about the people who say, and I'm paraphrasing; "You bought a developer phone, so you're supposed to root it and ROM it in order to make it work".
It's a developer phone for Google. That is not the same.

Yep. That frustrates me as well. No one should ever HAVE TO root and rom their commercially available phone to make it work. "Developer phone" does not meant that everyone needs to be a dev to use one!

 

[ISASoilder]

Like Many of you I have had severe data connections issue with LTE, So i decided to try something, about 2 days ago i switch the Mobile Network setting to CDMA only mode and i havent had a connection problem since, it saves battery power so much more as well. You guys should give it a try and see if connectivity issues clear up.

 

[pool_shark]

Like Many of you I have had severe data connections issue with LTE, So i decided to try something, about 2 days ago i switch the Mobile Network setting to CDMA only mode and i havent had a connection problem since, it saves battery power so much more as well. You guys should give it a try and see if connectivity issues clear up.

Turning off 4G to alleviate connectivity issues really isn't a feasible solution.
It's like saying if you're having wifi bootloops, don't use wifi.

 

[trophynuts]

Even if there were no signal issues i would turn 4G off most of the time. I don't see a point in having it on if i don't truly need it.

However like Pool_Shark mentioned this is not a true fix.

 

[CharlzO]

It would have been nice if that were explained to people prior to the phone's release. Many many people, myself included, were given the impression by many on this very forum that updates would come quickly 'direct from Google'. I might very well have stuck with the Rezound and its much better reception.

Unfortunately the internet contains more people that 'think' they know what they're talking about than 'do' know what they're talking about.

This is basically what lured me in from my TBolt as well. I had a Fascinate before my Bolt, and I got rid of it before 2.2 was even a prospect on the horizon apparently. So my hesitancy on a new phone, especially from Samsung due to that experience, was justified. However, many people said "Hey, it's a Pure Google phone, you won't have to wait through that whole process for updates anymore" turned out to be wrong. But I can't really blame anyone but VZW for it, since they still have to push it from their end. Why? For two apps I never touch. There should be an opt-out option.. lol

I do love my Nexus, it's been problem free, thankfully. But I definitely got pulled into believing what a lot of others did, based on mis-information that we took as truths. Guess that's what I get for trusting things on the internets.

 

[pool_shark]

This is basically what lured me in from my TBolt as well. I had a Fascinate before my Bolt, and I got rid of it before 2.2 was even a prospect on the horizon apparently. So my hesitancy on a new phone, especially from Samsung due to that experience, was justified. However, many people said "Hey, it's a Pure Google phone, you won't have to wait through that whole process for updates anymore" turned out to be wrong. But I can't really blame anyone but VZW for it, since they still have to push it from their end. Why? For two apps I never touch. There should be an opt-out option.. lol

I do love my Nexus, it's been problem free, thankfully. But I definitely got pulled into believing what a lot of others did, based on mis-information that we took as truths. Guess that's what I get for trusting things on the internets.

Before this phone hit Verizon stores I stated that because of the apps Verizon installed, it makes sense that they would have to test and approve any updates.

No one paid any attention to it.

 

[trophynuts]

Before this phone hit Verizon stores I stated that because of the apps Verizon installed, it makes sense that they would have to test and approve any updates.

No one paid any attention to it.

supposedly the delay has nothing to do with the VZW apps but more the type of radio's that VZW phones have in it. GSM is standard. LTE, at least VZW's LTE, is proprietary to them.

 

[Tim K]

As I say, I like to bash vzw as much as the next guy, but the facts come straight from Google that, because of the cdma technology any release MUST go through the carrier for authentication so its really not about 2 apps.... but we all know that Verizon is all about excessive testing so now that its been a week and a half since google released 4.0.4 I'm starting to get annoyed myself. Vzw should really be rolling this out at this point. 2 weeks is plenty of time to do whatever it is that they "need" to do....

 

[pool_shark]

supposedly the delay has nothing to do with the VZW apps but more the type of radio's that VZW phones have in it. GSM is standard. LTE, at least VZW's LTE, is proprietary to them.

That may be true, but the delay wasn't my point.
To me it just seemed logical that because Verizon added apps to the phone that they would have to approve and test updates whereas so many others said the updates would bypass Verizon.

 

[jkc120]

That may be true, but the delay wasn't my point.
To me it just seemed logical that because Verizon added apps to the phone that they would have to approve and test updates whereas so many others said the updates would bypass Verizon.

True, but in my opinion VZW taking more time with an update to get an improved radio in there working with Samsung is much more likely of a cause for a "delay" than the VZW apps. I put "delay" in quotes because frankly we never received an official release date so technically speaking it's not delayed.

I have a feeling a lot of Nexicans on here will be jumping ship if this update doesn't drastically improve 4G reception for those in areas with issues, and perhaps VZW knows this and is waiting to push 4.0.5 until they have the best possible radios. That could be why they pulled the 4.0.4 OTA that was leaked because while the 4.0.4 radios do improve hand-off, not everyone sees much of a change in dBm or gets 4G now where they didn't before (where other 4G phones do).

Anyway, I hope for everyone with signal issues' sake this is the cause of delay!

 

[snuggles]

I may be jumping to the Galaxy Note if they keep jacking around and don't get a sense of urgency with their update.