I upgraded from a Galaxy S4 to a Galaxy S5 some time ago, and while my active Verizon service is on my S5, I still use my S4 as a wifi only device (I prefer it for things like reading because it is lighter and shorter, so extended use doesn't cause joint pain like the S5 does). I keep several of my accounts connected to it for email, etc. as well, so I feel that it is important to keep the OS updated for security purposes, but I've been told by Verizon support that there are only 2 ways to get the updates on an inactive Verizon device - I can either move service from my S5 to my S4, download/install the OTA update, then move service back to my S5 or I can take the S4 to a Best Buy store and have them install the update at their Samsung device center.
Option one is quite a hassle for a few reasons. First, my girlfriend and I both had the same S4 and we both have the same S5. When going through the service moving process on Verizon's site, it asks if I am activating a device that was previously active on my account. When I select the "Yes" radio button, a dropdown menu lists all of the devices on our account, but there are no unique identifiers to delineate between devices of the same model, so I don't know whether I'm about to move service to my old S4 or to my girlfriend's old S4 in the first stage, then when moving back to the S5, there are 3 identical choices because my girlfriend's original S5 had to be replaced at one point. To make matters worse, the first time that I tried updating my S4 this way - at a Verizon support person's suggestion btw - it forced me to cancel my insurance coverage when I deactivated the S5 and then wouldn't let me re-enroll when I reactivated it less than an hour later because it wasn't during an open enrollment period for the insurance! I contacted support and they told me there was nothing they could do about that.
Option two is not only a hassle, but it means handing over a device that has personal and potentially sensitive information on it to a complete stranger and giving them unfettered access to it.
There has got to be a better solution to this; it makes no sense to me that a Best Buy employee can jack in to the device and update it, but the device owner can't do the same thing from their own home!
