One of the most important promises Google makes about Pixel phones is immediate access to the latest Android software updates. Yet practical experience shows that’s not always the case – and both Google and US carriers are to blame.
Take last week’s Pixel 2 patch. After users complained about dull colors caused by controversial color calibration, Google announced
it was rolling out an OTA (over-the-air) update that would allow users
to set their colors to a hyper-saturated mode more typical of AMOLED
displays.
Though the update isn’t perfect, it was an encouragingly
swift response by Google. Not long after the announcement, some Pixel 2
users around the world began to receive the update.
But the keyword here is ‘some.’
Nearly
a week after it first began to roll out, many Pixel 2 XL owners have
yet to receive the update. This primarily seems to affect T-Mobile and Project Fi (a Google-owned carrier powered by T-Mobile and Sprint) customers.
As explained by this excellent Reddit post
(and confirmed to us by Google), US carriers have to approve updates
for devices running on their network – even though the phone is only
sold in Verizon Stores. Basically, carriers want to make sure the
updates don’t break compatibility with their own features like Wi-Fi
calling, so the Pixels check which carrier you’re on. (This only appears
to apply to feature updates, not security patches).
Once you’ve inserted a SIM, the Pixels will associate your
phone to a specific carrier, and only deliver updates that have been
approved by said carrier. Occasionally, they’ll even download specific
builds for those carriers, even though functionality is essentially
identical.
Case in point: if you’re carrier is blocking an update
download on your Pixel, all you have to do is remove the SIM and perform
a factory reset. The Pixel will then be able download the latest
update, and after that’s done you can put your SIM back in. Google won’t
revert you to an older build, even if the new build hasn’t been
approved by the carrier.
In fact, it seems that usually all you really have to do is
simply swap out your SIM to another carrier’s – even if that SIM is no
longer active. On my own T-Mobile device, popping an inactive Verizon
SIM immediately did the trick: the OTA showed in System Updates. Putting
the T-Mobile SIM back in made it disappear.
That’s all a little disappointing, even if the update
should be out for everyone within the next few days. After all, one of
the primary reasons for getting a Pixel phone is being able to get
updates as soon as they come. Waiting a week may not sound all that bad,
but it still runs counter to that initial promise. Considering the
issues plaguing the first batch of Pixel 2s, a timely update could be
the difference between a user keeping their phone or exchanging it for
something else.
It’s also worth noting this delay is neither the first nor
the worst I’ve seen from Google’s own devices; I sometimes had to wait
weeks for Nexus devices to get updates over the air for the same carrier-related reasons.
It’s fair that carriers want to make sure updates don’t
break any of their services. And if you’re impatient, more advanced
users can simply sideload OTAs through some command-line via ADB (or use
the aforementioned SIM tricks). There’s an excellent guide on how to do
so here ( though proceed at your own risk).
But I really shouldn’t have to go through such circuitous
methods for a device that’s supposed to represent the best software
experience on Android. I expect that from other Android devices, but not
from the Pixels. After all, carriers have to approve Apple’s updates in
the same way, yet iOS updates arrive for everyone at the same time. If anything, Apple actually manages to build some hype around small updates because they become mass events.
Of course, even Google can’t match Apple’s smartphone
clout, and chances are the latter gets the highest priority for OTA
approvals from carriers. But I can’t help but feel Google could handle
updates a little more seamlessly, ideally by pressuring carriers for
faster approvals. If that’s not possible, other options include timing
the OTA updates so that everyone gets them at the same time, making it
easier to sideload them, or being more transparent about why these
carrier-related delays exist.
Point is, the Pixel is supposed to be team green’s choice
for the latest and greatest Android software experience. Though the
Pixels may be far better than most other phones in this regard, making
some of its most ardent users wait even a few days still puts a damper
on that image.
Comments
Post a Comment