Nokia Phones - Windows 8.1, Firmware and Future

[JPRZ]

Lots of posts about Windows phones and the Windows Phone 8.1 update and firmware update(s) that are not happening for Verizon customers.    The talk on the net is Verizon has discontinued the Lumia Icon, so I called Verizon to find out.   The rep. I spoke to could not/would not confirm if the Lumia Icon was discontinued.    When I asked about the status of the Windows Phone 8.1 update (and firmware updates), he again could not/would not provide a status, or any kind of time frame.   I expressed to him my concern that I have a Verizon Lumia Icon that is about 1 month old, and potentially will no longer be receiving updates.  I also told him there are many other Verizon customers with Windows phones with the same concerns.  

Still - no substantive response.    Can't speak for the rest of you, but this concerns me.   Other carriers have updated their Windows phones to 8.1 and current firmware, but not Verizon.   Do I now have a phone that will *never* be updated, and am locked into a 2 year contract !?   Verizon is playing the silent game with us.

On a more positive note, I received an email from T-Mobile today asking me to come back.   They said they would buy out my current wireless carrier plan.   I will give Verizon a little more time to let their customers know what the future is with the Windows phones (and specifically the Icon), but I will not wait forever.   I will dump Verizon and go to a carrier that is actively supporting Windows phones.

[#2]

No carrier other than AT&T has released any update.

You just have to wait.

[#3]

Not even the almighty T-Mobile?!

[Alexvrb]

mrhelper wrote:

Not even the almighty T-Mobile?!

At this rate they're on track to beat Verizon to it. 😕

[#5]

Alexvrb wrote:

mrhelper wrote:

Not even the almighty T-Mobile?!

At this rate they're on track to beat Verizon to it. 😕

I don't really care. the 15 of you that bought Windows phone do I'm sure.

[IcemanAM]

Thats not entirely true. Cricket has released it for the Nokia Lumia 1320 in the US. In terms of North America, most canadian providers (Rogers and Telus being the most prominent) have almost completely released it across all relevant devices.

Availability in North America - Nokia

Pretty much every country in the world with the infrastructure to support wireless communication and not currently under a trade embargo has >75% rollout of windows phone 8 across thier supported devices. You can get windows phone 8 even in Iraq.

Let that sink in for a moment.

You can get windows phone 8.0 in a country who, less than 15 years ago, we couldnt sell a first gen playstation to for fear they might turn it into a missle guidence computer, and who presently has people running around chopping the heads off of other people for praying to the wrong imaginary figure,  yet they've somehow managed to get thier shit together faster than Verizon Wireless. Verizon is literally the most deficient service provider IN THE WORLD when it comes to this update, because T-mobile has at least rolled it out to thier european customers (if not thier american ones).

[#7]

Let's slow down a bit.

There are four major carriers. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon.

Cricket wireless is not a cellular carrier.

Canada I could care less about.

No us based carrier or should I say major carriers has given the update other than AT&T.

My statement is still correct.

Thanks

[#8]

Cricket is not only not a carrier they are owned by at&t. Crick is basically At&t pre-paid. It's similar to if Verizon decided to call it's pre-paid service by a different name, it would still be Verizon pre-paid.

[Trenton07]

"Couldn't" care less about. Otherwise you do care because you "could" care less. At least you try to be a good troll.

[littlegeo]

I'm onboard for switching because of the update,the service is good but not going to be left behind in software. I'mm
thinking back to android! My be a big company but they should offer a HTC or something if they are dicontinueing the Icona.

[vzwenduser]

As much as I like the fact that At&t has updated windows phone before other carriers, Verizon still has coverage in places other carriers don't. T-Mobile's coverage is not good, you can't use it when you go a little distance away from the city, this makes their plan, no matter how cheap, not worth having.

It stinks that we do not have the latest update though. In my mind Verizon is a premium wireless carrier. I would have thought Verizon would have had the update to its users before any other carrier including the pre-paid carriers.

[Mamma4ever]

I contacted support myself today, and this is what I got:

My name is Kim, how may I assist you?

Visitor: Hello! I have the Lumia Icon and I was wondering if you guys have ANY idea when we can expect to get the Cyan update? And furthermore, the Denim update that we are supposed to get before the end of the year?

Kim: Good Afternoon!

Kim: Great question! We do not have an idea of when the software updates will be made available by the phone manufacturer. You can definitely reach out to Nokia and see when the updates would be available for download from their site or when they would be pushed out to your phone once they have been tested.

Visitor: Really? They are saying it's being held up by Verizon.....

Kim: I would be more than happy to get a link from the manufacturer's site and then put it here in to the chat for you.

Kim: We do test it before they release it, however the software does come from the manufacturer for the phone

Kim: >>>Click Here<<< 

***if you click this link and go to Nokia's website, you find this:

Latest software release for Nokia Lumia Icon is 1028.3566.1417.0047

The availability of this update may depend on your network service provider. To check for updates, on your phone, tap Settings -> phone update.

Kim: Here is a link to the manufacturer's site

Kim: What else may I take a look at with you today?

Visitor: Even on their website it says that it is dependent upon your service provider. Does this mean since you guys don't know anything we are probably just never getting it since you don't plan to continue selling the Icon?

Kim: We complete the testing for the software and then provide our results to the manufacturer per the information that was provided by our network engineers

Kim: As far as the information that I have available to me, the software is then sent back to the manufacturer in order for it to be released to the devices and made available on the manufacturer website.

[JPRZ]

And so it goes - Verizon is saying they are waiting on Nokia, Microsoft says they are waiting on Verizon, and back and forth.   It's rather pathetic that MS, the carriers and Nokia (which is now Microsoft) can't just be up front about these updates.   We all know the 8.1 update is available, so perhaps keeping the *customer* in the loop would be a good idea?

In any case, whether this update happens next week, next month, next year, or never, I decided not to wait for these bozos to get their act together.   I installed the 8.1 developer preview.    It is working just fine, and now I have Windows phone 8.1.  There is even a firmware update for the 8.1 developer preview, from Verizon.  It would seem Verizon know users are installing it.  If you want to install it, it is very simple.   Check the link below for the how to. 

All you need to know about the Windows Phone 8.1 'Preview for Developers' | Windows Central

[Mamma4ever]

So, I've spent the last 3 hours trying to get the preview for developers....I can't seem to install Windows Phone SDK....it says my compatibility mode is on and I need to turn it off. The only thing I can think of is that it might be because I have windows 10 on my PC....I'm trying a different route....I hope it works, otherwise I guess I'll just have to wait like I was anyway

[littlegeo]

I had the same problem with win 8.1 but I kept click thru and viola it worked.

[JJut]

I am also a long term Verizon customer that is totally unsatisfied with Verizons lack of communications and support for the advertised FLAGSHIP windows phone they have sold me.  I am thinking the P in flag ship has been turned to T for ICON owners...  If that is the case, I will also take my entire family plan top a different carrier (4 phones)  I have always been very happy with verizon but they have apparently and deliberately stiffed their ICON customers.  Their silence on this issue is defeaning!

[dgc1962]

I'm considering a trip to the Sprint store in an hour or two.

I believe that they are still offering ETF buyouts, and even if they aren't I will have saved enough in a year to cover it.

This will probably involve going back to Android or even moving to IPhone, but that might be OK until Windows 10 hits phones. 

I really do like the Windows Phone 8 OS, but there are several apps I use to use regularly that aren't available, and until WP gets greater market penetration (likely with Windows 10?) I don't see the app gap closing appreciably.