Galaxy Nexus 4.3 OTA Upgrade?

[steampunk_cowboy]

It's Tuesday, 11 June 2013, and rumors continue about the much anticipated release of Google Jelly Bean 4.3 (or some variant of it). Though it didn't happen yesterday the 10th as some had expected--others now say July, an article by Robert Triggs just a few hours ago on Android Authority begs the question "Galaxy Nexus passes through Bluetooth SIG, is Android 4.3 incoming?" Apparently, a GT-I9250 (aka "Maguro": GSM/HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus variant on AT&T/T-Mobile networks) was spied being tested against Bluetooth standards, a requirement for new update releases. That, my friends, is a major step toward our beloved GNexes getting another transfusion that's slated to resolve the over-discussed problems of overheating and rapidly draining batteries. Plus, gaining a couple of new features: a new camera UI and a power-saving Bluetooth upgrade to v4.0 that most higher end devices have. To read Robert Triggs' complete article, go to " http://m.androidauthority.com/galaxy-nexus-passes-bluetooth-android-4-3-224336/ " . I'm so (steam)punked, I check my phone's System Updates in Settings every hour or so.

[vzw_customer_support]

TenaciousMV, thanks for sharing your recent customer service experience with us. It allows us hear your voice and recommendations on how we can be better for you. We apologize for any confusion this matter may have caused you. When canceling service during your contract, you will be billed an Early Termination fee as stated in your customer agreement. http://vz.to/1hw817  Additionally, service is billed till the end of the bill cycle to preven partial charges and prorated wireless allowance. However, if you reactivate your line back on our network for the remainder of your contract, we can reverse this Early Termination fee. Please contact our Telesales department at 800-256-4646 for assistance with reactivating your service. We look forward to hearing from you and hope to continue to provide your wireless service.

LasinaH_VZW
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[TenaciousMV]

This is why you guys have problems. Yes, I'm aware of that now.

The issue is that someone on your  team told me otherwise, so I moved early. All of the geniuses you have in middle management gave the same answer you did, overlooking the fact that someone told me incorrect information that drove my decision.

After four hours and much trouble, someone with a brain called me from the executive offices and took care of everything within about three minutes.

Thanks for the copy and paste response though. Keep up the thoughtful work. Sigh.

[bumblebeetuna]

The Moto X is likely to be the first Verizon handset with 4.4. I too think this is too good to be true but the soak tests don't lie. Galaxy Nexus won't receive 4.4 officially but it is absurd that a skinned phone is receiving an update quicker than a purported Nexus device

[eturk001]

Let's all remember that Google themselves have stated that the Galaxy Nexus will NOT be getting KitKat 4.4. It seems to be a problem with the graphic chip they chose from TI. TI is out of the mobile business so drivers get dumped because corporations hoard old code and just bury it (rather than give it to the public).

http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/31/google-galaxy-nexus-kitkat/

Google has also reminded the public that they only committed device support for 18 months. Good to know gang. Even Google has a clause to abandon updates.

Still no excuse for Verizon not updating GNex to 4.3 except:

1) they have the worst programmers of any company

or 2) upper management told them not to spend any time on it

Reminds me of the IBM monopoly days. Really slow upgrades & support forcing customers to buy new iron. It's an old U.S. model of "designed obsolescence." Remember how bad American cars used to be (and still are)? Compare that to HTC, which is pretty good about updates and openness, but will possibly go out of business. Hard to argue with profits.

[mbe3204m]

thanks for the info, eTurk. I was all set to flash my Gnex to work on PagePlus once my contract is up, but based on what you're telling me, maybe I should just think about a new device?  I did just invest $15 in a 3800mah battery for the phone, but I have had bad luck with these things (esp the charger port...) and I'm on my fifth replacement in two years.  So if I go to a carrier with no insurance on the phone then I'd need to source a used device somewhere or I'd be dumping the money I'm saving per month into a device (should it break...it's already over 6 months old and showing some wear).  Any suggestions?  I'd love to get the Nexus5 but I can't use that on PagePlus.  They are giving away S3's; a family member has that and it's not bad.  I'd be giving up 4g regardless because PagePlus doesn't offer it yet so a decent 3G android that I could root and load 4.4 onto would be great.

[eturk001]

mbe3204m,

I've got the Nexus 5 and it's a wonderful phone. I'll be going on to another carrier since I'm in a major metropolitan area with great coverage, saving 1/2 and still getting LTE.

As we know, the GNex was one of the first phones with LTE. It has a separate chip just for LTE and killed the battery FAST. Almost unusable without a spare battery. Two years has Qualcomm making great chips for all bands that sip juice.

I'm not expert, but here's my rationale: Even with smaller 2300mAh batttery, N5 lasts a day of normal use for me. Most important to me is the 2GB RAM & Snapdragon 800, so it will be plenty fast for a couple years. Buying outright and saving $600/yr, I can get a new phone every year and still save. Selling the old phone after a year, it's very cheap to upgrade.

If blazing snapdragon isn't important, as mentioned here previously, the Moto X looks like a great phone. It's made by Google now, so it will probably be supported to keep Android the front runner.

As far as KitKat support, we might watch the Cyanogen company to see what they support first as an indicator of what phones can be supported in software. I'm getting out of the GNex because it's unfortunately become a dead end in so many ways. Lesson learned by Google and maybe why they're sticking with LG rather than Samsung? LG's hungry. That's good for the market eh? Competition is a wonderful thing!

Vzw does have the superior network in non-metro areas! I may miss that in this experiment.

OK, so much for opinion. LOL

[mbe3204m]

Yeah, I have followed the discussion...even with the Nexus5 having better overall battery life, I still wonder if a Nike+ or other GPS-hungry app wouldn't kill the thing after upwards of 2 hours.  That's why I'm going through a second love affair with the GNex, because of the new battery!  But I do live in a 4g-heavy area (Boston market) so I imagine that's why I keep having battery issues (or had; not so much anymore). 

Still, a new device after two years would be great.  Which service are you going to w/ the 5?  T-Mobile?  Which *can* you go to?  And do you think they will discount the 5 after the holidays? I can be patient and wait it out a few months if I could get the 32gb version for $299 instead of $399, not sure what you think the chances of that are.  Considering it's already cheap for off-contract and they will likely have supply issues through the holiday, I'm guessing chances are slim for a discount any time soon.

[weapon-x]

I ordered my Nexus 5 last night.  Hopefully, it won't take a few weeks like the play store said.  I'm ready to ditch Verizon for good.  I may try the sim only plan from T-Mobile.  $30 a month sounds good to me...a lot better than $100.

[TenaciousMV]

I'm glad to see so many people leaving Verizon over this. It's a very valid reason and maybe they'll learn from their mistakes.

As for the battery life and price on the Nexus 5:

-I was very worried about the battery life and over the first 12 days it has been WONDERFUL. I don't really understand it, and maybe it was the antenna in the GNex, but the battery life on the Nexus 5 is much better than the GNex's ever was. When I go to bed I'm usually still at 60-85% after 15 hours off the charger with moderate use.

-I really doubt the price is going to drop in any time frame under 6-9 months. Check out the price history on the Nexus 4.

[mbe3204m]

awesome.. so which carrier are you using it on?  just curious if/how much the LTE radio is being used while you're noticing this amazing battery life! 

[TenaciousMV]

mbe3204m - I'm on something that rhymes with Bait Walk. If I type the name here they'll delete it. Very happy so far.

[mbe3204m]

Nice...but what tech does it use?  With PagePlus the idea would be to keep our phones and port them to the new provider; can only do that if you're on Verizon's network (3g only, even, for now).

[eturk001]

Can you bring your own Vzw phone to PagePlus? I don't see that option being clear. Searching around, it seems this is not directly supported. They also don't have LTE.

TenaciousMV, remember that Bait Walk has a clear line in their terms that prohibit streaming. If you...nathy reputation for being ruthless (the Walmart way).

[mbe3204m]

You can bring just about any VZW phone to PagePlus.  They don't *officially* support the iPhone, for example, and your LTE will not work on their network (yet - told that's coming in '14), but that's part of the flashing process from VZW to PagePlus - you'd still catch the 3G signal for data.

pageplusdirect.com will actitvate iPhones and the rep I am working with says they activate many with no problems at all, and that Page Plus will be supporting iPhone officially in the near future (again, early '14).  He also said they do not actively look to shut off service to anyone who is able to activate an iPhone or flash an LTE device to work on their network.  Worst case scenario, if I run into problems I go elsewhere or sign up for a Verizon plan with no contract and continue shopping. 

[Adirolf]

Knock, knock!!

Hello, Verizon?

Anyone listening?

Planning on updating us?

Let me help you all out. According to

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/528523/20131209/samsung-galaxy-nexus-android-4-kitkat-custom.htm#.Uqn...

When Google introduced the Android 4.4 KitKat update, the company confirmed that Samsung Galaxy Nexus reach the conclusion of its support life. The line will not receive an Android 4.3 and Android 4.4 update. Certainly, the primary reason why consumers purchase the Nexus devices is so they do not have to wait for the "official" updates and do it manually. The Galaxy Nexus is not far from this. Fortunately, there are custom ROM providers around.

NO 4.3 for us according to Google. I do not think that VZW will update the device on their own!

Let the weeping begin...

[Ann154]

Adirolf wrote:

Knock, knock!!

Hello, Verizon?

Anyone listening?

Planning on updating us?

Let me help you all out. According to

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/528523/20131209/samsung-galaxy-nexus-android-4-kitkat-custom.htm#.Uqn...

When Google introduced the Android 4.4 KitKat update, the company confirmed that Samsung Galaxy Nexus reach the conclusion of its support life. The line will not receive an Android 4.3 and Android 4.4 update. Certainly, the primary reason why consumers purchase the Nexus devices is so they do not have to wait for the "official" updates and do it manually. The Galaxy Nexus is not far from this. Fortunately, there are custom ROM providers around.

NO 4.3 for us according to Google. I do not think that VZW will update the device on their own!

Let the weeping begin...

There will be no Android 4.4 for the Galaxy Nexus. The rest of the Galaxy Nexus models have been updated to Android 4.3 already including the Sprint model.

[Adirolf]

Looks like I may have posted (given up) too soon.

http://www.gottabemobile.com/2013/12/12/verizon-galaxy-nexus-android-4-3-update-release-date/

https://twitter.com/VZWalbert/status/411164497261244417

Fingers crossed.

[Adirolf]

I think that proves that it is only Verizon holding back this update from customers. Other carriers have it. Verizon can't give an estimate on date even. I seriously doubt that Verizon is dedicating any developer time to the device now.

Seems to me that the bottom line is the last sentence in the article linked above: "... those who bought the Verizon Galaxy Nexus thinking it was a Nexus."

I feel hoodwinked by VZW

[lowenuf]

I just got my confirmation that my Nexus 5 has shipped.  I thought of asking Verizon to give me a reason I should continue service with them after over 12 years but I figured it would more fluff than substance.  I can say that I've been running a shiny gnex without any issues for a couple of months now.

[mbe3204m]

right - this is Google's decision (this time), not Verizon's.  Blame Google for us not getting 4.3 or higher.  Hey, the phone is two years old - smartphones are simply not expected to be in people's hands for much longer these days.

[eturk001]

As with any new device and OS, there's some bugs being worked out on the Nexus 5.

This article lays out three issues and some fixes: http://www.idigitaltimes.com/articles/20734/20131111/nexus-5-problems-issues-fix-google-device.htm

Some are seeing a challenge with battery life on such a small battery (by LG G2 standards). There's several tips for battery saving in the article, like the new "battery saving" setting just for GPS. Still, the battery seems to last forever when compared to my GNex that just sits on the nightstand and is 50% down in the morning. The N5 hardly moves.

On T-mo, LTE on all the time in this metro area. Battery sipped. The tech is way better than 2 years ago and I imagine in 2 years the N7 may even charge the battery while on the net. (LOL, ok, now we're hallucinating.) T-mo will have the N5 tomorrow and just $17/month to buy it on 2 yr contract.

Note that Google is subsidizing the N5 in the play store $100 BELOW retail. I doubt we'll see it drop at all until the N6 comes out.

BTW, I ordered the 32GB when play store said 2-3 weeks delivery.I got it in 4 days. Google learned from the N4 shipping fiasco and is not quoting long ship times and surprising people with early delivery. Great strategy!