Ice cream sandwich?

[mg121]

I am wondering, if at all, when ice cream sandwich will be pushed out? It has almost been a month since it was supposed to be released and I have not heard anything about it since the deadline passed. Are they working on it? Are they done? What is going on?

[demmo86rt]

It's being worked on, an early version has leaked out, but no telling on when it will get pushed.

[macrodroid]

For those VZW Reps watching these threads (and I certainly hope you guys ARE reading these!);  Take warning, HTC has released the OTA to VZW, this is a fact we all know.  If Verizon is holding this OTA back in hopes that their customers will jump ship into the newest/greatest device release, be warned that you're totally wrong! 

Not everyone can afford the latest and greatest every 3-6 months when it releases, and for those who can't these upgrades are important!!  Holding back to try and force customers to upgrade will only make your customers irate, disgusted and annoyed!  Amidst those emotions, ads like "unlimited 4G from T-Mobile" look really enticing!  I for one, expect this OTA soon!  If you have it, release it...  If you continue to delay, don't count on my upgrade at the end of my contract term, because your competitition, like T-Mobile and others,  offer a competitive device selections and comparable service.  Do your loyal customers a big favor here, release updates timely and treat us with some respect...  After all, the cost of the device doesn't keep you in business, it's the monthly returns for the service that does!  Don't lose sight of that with us!!!

And, yeah, a simple response with an estimated release date would put a lot of minds at ease...  So if you're going to drop something, best to let your customers know soon...  I might just consider paying the early term fees for my 5 phones and switch this month if I'm not going to get the service I pay for...  Short term loss for a long term gain!!!

[demmo86rt]

What proof do you have that it has need released to Verizon?

[Tidbits]

The last 10 times a timeframe was ever stated there has been lawsuits for every single one. Manufacturers and carriers keep even more quiet because of it. People treat them as hard dates even when they say it could change.

[waterproofone]

I agree! I think that most people are holding onto their phones longer because of the contracts and phone prices. I didn't mind the one year contracts at all and upgrading each year at a higher cost. Now since Verizon and AT&T have done away with one year contracts, I think people are thinking twice about their decisions since money is so tight. HTC and Verizon need to get this update out, these Inc 2 phones are not that old and I think they SHOULD get the update in a timely fashion. I do understand of making sure it's not going to mess up the phones either since I have had this happen to me...HOWEVER, don't give a timeline if you cannot adhere to it. First they gave initial date of March or something, then I heard May, then August. Well folks, it's now October and still no word.

I must say that when my contract is up, I am contemplating another carrier. Verizon's support is good, I will give them that. I also understand that I like one-year or no contracts at all and this two year thing is just not worth it. It's time they wrap things up with Ice Cream Sandwich. The Motorola Razr family has this update which is buggy but still very doable. There is no reason for this thing to drag on and on unless they have an agenda of getting more people to buy new phones. My cell phone bill with Verizon has turned into a cable bill so I expect some service out of it!

[Tidbits]

waterproofone wrote:

I agree! I think that most people are holding onto their phones longer because of the contracts and phone prices. I didn't mind the one year contracts at all and upgrading each year at a higher cost. Now since Verizon and AT&T have done away with one year contracts, I think people are thinking twice about their decisions since money is so tight. HTC and Verizon need to get this update out, these Inc 2 phones are not that old and I think they SHOULD get the update in a timely fashion. I do understand of making sure it's not going to mess up the phones either since I have had this happen to me...HOWEVER, don't give a timeline if you cannot adhere to it. First they gave initial date of March or something, then I heard May, then August. Well folks, it's now October and still no word.

I must say that when my contract is up, I am contemplating another carrier. Verizon's support is good, I will give them that. I also understand that I like one-year or no contracts at all and this two year thing is just not worth it. It's time they wrap things up with Ice Cream Sandwich. The Motorola Razr family has this update which is buggy but still very doable. There is no reason for this thing to drag on and on unless they have an agenda of getting more people to buy new phones. My cell phone bill with Verizon has turned into a cable bill so I expect some service out of it!

HTC was the company that was giving out the time lines, and later updated by Verizon to reflect the changes.  If you look at HTC's update page they have subject to change on there.  Now for the kicker...  If you paid any attention to their update page a lot of their devices were delayed and a lot of them are NOT tied to Verizon.  That means they delayed them not Verizon as if they were "on schedule" all their devices would have been updated already.

[summit21]

I find it interesting that the Incredible S was upgraded to ICS w/o issues, it is the exact same phone as the Incredible 2. This leads me to believe the update issues land at the feet of VERIZON, since the carrier is the only difference with regards to these 2 phones. Can anyone enlighten me as to why the S got it months ago w/o issues and the Incredible 2 months later is no closer to knowing if we are even getting ICS?

[demmo86rt]

Because the S is a GSM device, and the DInc 2 uses proprietary CDMA technology. Because Android is written for GSM, it takes more work to change it for CDMA. So it's not the exact same device. Also, since the S is not necessarily tired to any particular carrier, there is no carrier testing and approval process to worry about.

[macrodroid]

True, the Inc S isn't a verizon phone...  Hence the angered responses here abou the hold up with the ICS update.  That really only proves that Verizon is holding things back (Yes, I spoke with HTC and 2 different reps stated that VZW HAS the update!).  Making things work for CDMA isn't as hard as you think it is.  Considering that I have a custom Rom based on the Inc S update working on my Inc 2.  A handful of files controls network access, that's it!  VZW wants people to pick up new contracts, it's as simple as that.  Most people tend to forget over the long term and will just renew to a new phone when they can, completely dismissing this, but for my self, I've already looking into options.  Even though most of the other carriers are about the same when it comes to service, I can save a ton of cash switching to another provider.  HTC should simply STOP releasing updates to carriers and post source online.  Carriers can either adopt the update and push it out to their customers or let their customers choose what they want to do with it!!

And, it certainly wouldn't shock me if VZW decided to update my old, dusty outdated Eris before they get to this phone!  Just seems to be how they roll lately!

[demmo86rt]

Holding back an update from a majority of customers still under contract will cause them to buy new phone? Why does everybody think this makes any sense whatsoever? Also, if you are running a custom ROM, why do you care?

[Tidbits]

No it doesn't.  They'd have to buy the device outright...  Since they are unwilling to do this well... It does nothing while under contract.  Also if you are out of contract one could go to another provider which they'll end up on the same boat.  If they buy a non carrier branded device they'd wait just as long...  Why because manufacturers are in charge of the update and they would on their best sellers first before going down their list to the least selling device.  It has always been that way, and people believe carriers are withholding updates for months on end which is farther from the truth...  It's the manufacturer would rather you buy a new device as they don't get anything for the update... They don't get residual income like Google or Apple does to have incentive to update devices to keep people locked into their ecosystems.

This is the reason why Samsung for example bundles their Hubs into their devices and hopes you buy stuff through there for residual income...  HTC with their Listen App, and such...  Think about it...

Whether you upgrade, or get an update for the device... You are tied to Verizon or any carrier for that matter and continue to pay them.  Why would they care if you used a Old Droid A855, Droid Charge, Galaxy S3, Droid Incredible 2, or a new Galaxy Note 2... You pay the same price between them.

[macrodroid]

First, it's not the phones that make the difference here, it's the contracts for those who want upgraded software.  Any phone, typically, over 6-months old is considered out-dated.  The way I am looking at it is like this;

Example, you bought a new car 3 years ago from Manufacturer A and you want to upgrade your stereo equipment.  However, even though the manufacturer of your car has released specifications to the dealership, the dealer is not releasing those specifications to aftermarket vendors/distributors.  So when you go to the dealer to upgrade your equipment, no upgrades are available.  Now, your friend owns a vehicle similar to yours (Say, a chevrolet and you own a GMC).  Same model type, similar equipment...  The difference is that his Manufacturer and Dealer have both released those specifications and he has options available to do what he wants to his vehicle. 

What I've done is taken a part from your friends car and made it work on yours, because the specs are so close.  This is "Proof of Concept".  If VZW were to simply make a decision one way or the other (I could care less which way at this point, just tell me atleast!) and allow HTC (the manufacturer) to distribute the source code, it would give the end user "options" with their device!  I'd be more apt to stay with VZW if they were more open about their intentions, as would may others I am sure.  With regards to the "excuses" that the hardware isn't compatible or there are performance issues; I'm not buying it!  If an old Droid Eris can run JB (90% functional), with severely outdated hardware, there's no reason why the Inc 2 couldn't run ICS.  It's no more than an excuse from a carrier who either doesn't care or doesn't want to expend their resources to update devices over 6-months old.  I can understand it not fitting their business model, considering tech generally outdates itself 90 days after it's released...  My suggestion is to just say "It doesn't fit our business model, and we want to ensure new devices perform to peak for our customers", then allow the manufacturer to release source code so others can work on development of such updates.

Holding back, making excuses and not wanting to take care of their customers is going to drive them away!  Oh, and yes MY phone is rooted, but the other 4 I have on my plan are not, and I can gurauntee you that VZW's idea of "performance" isn't working!

[demmo86rt]

HTC doesn't release source code because it contains proprietary code, it has nothing to do with Verizon.

[raysjrny]

Personally I am debating the "jump ship" mentioned here.  But I am looking at NOT just another device, but another carrier.  We are heading toward 2 years of waiting here.  I have friends with a variety of other devices with and outside of VZ.  No one else has had to wait this long for an upgrade.  And VZ, you can blame HTC, and HTC can blame Android, and Android can go and blame whom ever they want.  I'm beyond tired of waiting, and will be making a decision very soon.  Get on the ball, or you are all loosing a consumer who doesn't mind spending money on GOOD products with GOOD support.

That's my 2¢.

[incredibletoo]

"HEAR-HERE"!!  I HEARD THAT Callahan89!!

[Callahan89]

Talked to a Verizon rep today.  He said they were working on it with HTC.  He said he didn't have a timeline, but it is definitely coming here on the Android forum is the best place to find out when they release the info.  He said they want to make sure that the update will not compromise functionality of the phone.  I told him there was an unoffcial ROM released that people were using without issue and he said the same response that they are working to make sure the update when mess anything up on the phone.  Very pleased with the customer service and communication by this rep, just wish there was a date, but I understand in an instance like this they may not actually know when it will be complete.  Hopefully they are actually working on it and not withholding so people upgrade (most people with Inc2 are not eligible for upgrades anyway).  The rep also did not suggest to me to upgrade my phone if I want the newer software or anything like that.

[davld2000]

I  have talk to an associate today and she told me that she couldn't find any update posted for ics. I hope you guys are still coming out of the ICS or at least tell us so we are able to move on from this. I have ask HTC also and they said when an update is posted it gets to us . No other explanation of if it is coming out or if its not. I don't understand does  that mean people who work at HTC and Verzion don't Know what they are doing. Or have no clue on planning updates and telling us about it?

Hopefully, They make an announcement soon.

[summit21]

Well the Thunderbolt is about to get it's taste of ICS, could the Incredible 2 be next? Probably pretty pointless now since many have or are close to an upgrade. I think the Manufacturer and the carrier should be obligated to keeping the phone current within 2 years of its release date, i.e..upgrade to the most recent Android OS, unless the phone no longer meets the min req. for upgrade.

[Tidbits]

Not possible... You have to consider it takes Google a while to write and release the code. When Google finally releases the code then drivers can be written for whatever device. There was a long write up explaining the process. "ROM cookers" bypass 70%+ of the process.

[mbwellstx]

I also use the Thunderbolt great phone
I am upgrading to ICS right now I just went to
menu - settings - software update - check new

it the said 4.0 ICS was available and gives options Install, delay, or cancel
cannot say the exact wording but sure can figure out