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Wait for Galaxy Nexus Android 4.0.4 Update Gets More Bizarre

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Tomorrow will mark the five month anniversary of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus launch on Verizon. And if the device is not updated with Android 4.0.4 today, it will also mean that in the five months since it has been out, Verizon has yet to release an update for the Nexus phone.

Clearly, Verizon has dropped the ball and if I were Google, I would think twice about ever partnering with the carrier again for a Nexus launch.

Five months without an update is ludicrous for any smartphone, let alone one that is supposed to be at the forefront of Android updates.

Read: Verizon Dropped the Ball with the Galaxy Nexus.

It’s unacceptable and quite frankly, it has tarnished my experience with a phone that I was expecting to become my go-to phone over the iPhone 3GS, a phone that is almost three years old.

Today though, it appears that I can now place a cherry at the top of my Galaxy Nexus sundae.

According to a tweet from Galaxy Nexus owner Zach Menchhofer, a Galaxy Nexus demo unit at his local Verizon retail store actually has the Android 4.0.4 update running on it.

Verizon currently has the Galaxy Nexus on Android 4.0.2 which, as I’ve pointed out, is littered with issues.

So, this sick joke new development seems to point to something rolling out in the near future. If a demo unit has the update, then surely, the software must be pretty close to being ready for the thousands of Galaxy Nexus owners on Verizon.

Right?

Yeah. I don’t know either. At this point, I don’t even know if Verizon knows what’s going on.

Read: Why Did I Buy the Galaxy Nexus Again?

What I do know though is this. I have been waiting five months for an update to the Galaxy Nexus and in those five months, I haven’t heard so much as a peep out of Samsung or Verizon.

I’m fed up, how about you?

40 Comments

40 Comments

  1. Mark

    05/14/2012 at 1:28 pm

    That update has been out for Verizon for like a week or two.. Try manually updating..

  2. Michael

    05/14/2012 at 1:38 pm

    There was a rumored soak test, but that update has not been released. I manually update about a dozen times a day to no avail.

  3. Joel McLaughlin

    05/14/2012 at 2:36 pm

    That update was not an update. It was taken down less than 24 hours after. Move along…

  4. ESC Services

    05/14/2012 at 2:40 pm

    There was a test and I am currently on 4.0.4 but I had to unlock my phone, not very hard to do and well worth it I not have a faster boot time and 4.0.4 has included a similar but slightly different ui and comes with major fixes to cell service especially with 4g and the battery life problem. here is a link to how to do it https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1630349 I have been using it for about a month much better that than 4.0.2 and im no on like a fake rom or something it is the legit copy from verizon, I asked a friend who works at verizon who has the gnex and he said it was real. Enjoy now I’m waiting for 4.0.5 lol

    • Joel McLaughlin

      05/14/2012 at 2:50 pm

      IMM76K was real but it was a test. Verizon’s site was never updated.

      • ESC Services

        05/14/2012 at 3:08 pm

        Yes your right verizon never updated the site, I was just listing a way you could get it, also I am talking about build IMM30B. That’s the build I’m on.

        • Joel McLaughlin

          05/15/2012 at 10:14 am

          Also not an official update.

  5. ESC Services

    05/14/2012 at 2:44 pm

    sorry correction I have a faster boot time than I did before, also when I after I said 4.0.2 I meant to explain its not fake, guess I wasn’t wake when I wrote that. (auto correct lol)

  6. Stefan Puryear

    05/14/2012 at 2:55 pm

    I am so sick of Verizon screwing us. I want my 4.0.4 update like 3 months ago. I hope Google does not partner with them again. My kids like to throw it in my face that Apple does not rely on carriers to release updates. They do it themselves. My next phone is an iphone.

    • ESC Services

      05/14/2012 at 3:21 pm

      well technically that’s the benefit of having a nexus its purely google which means our updates come from google and I’m 98% sure, the slowness of it being released might be verizon if google needs information like verizons new baseband version/channel and verizon drag there feet well now we blame verizon but it could also be google taking there time like between froyo gingerbread and honeycomb. or like how google had to delay the release of the galaxy nexus because they had to make a change to the os to NOT INCLUDE GOOGLE WALLET per verizons request, because verizon is releasing there own knock off of google wallet.

      • Stefan Puryear

        05/14/2012 at 3:52 pm

        That is why I wish Google could become their own carrier. The customer service would be awesome just like their phones. Verizon gives me a lot better cell phone coverage than at&t but since the 4.0.2 update my nexus has been restarting on its own and the blue tooth is crazy to the point I just turned it off full time since Im afraid to use it.

  7. peter

    05/14/2012 at 3:35 pm

    Hey guys. Updates for galaxy nexus work like this:
    The jakuya (gsm) is the first public galaxy nexus.to.get updates. On the day android 4.0.4 was publicly anounced jakuya phones had it.

    After that phone cariers and networks all over the world start working on it. Here in europe they make sure they block google books etc, and you guys gey addons from verzion. After that is finished those phones will start rolling out their updates.

    Flash your gsm to jakuya or othet official factory images from google and you will automaticly join the group that get’s updates first in line
    Info here: https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images and on your XDA forum

    • ESC Services

      05/14/2012 at 4:57 pm

      Yes that’s correct but that’s for a GSM or jakuya model we are talking about mysid or the CDMA/LTE version which is verizon non GSM which is the one in the USA except for when sprint got it then they got the gsm, also the jakuya model updates are regional based tweaks which is why they got 4.0.3 it fixed small problems that were regional Canada/Europe just not the USA. So yes it may seem the jakuya model might get more updates or get them first but its really just because its a regional update the USA didn’t need. For example we should all get the next os at the same time “android 5.0” but if there was a baseband change in Europe or Canada then the jakuya model will get a update but the verizon/USA will not becasue we don’t need it just like mysid or CDMA model might get 4.0.5 and jakuya might not.

    • Joel McLaughlin

      05/15/2012 at 10:15 am

      Yeah this won’t work for mysid devices….or whatever the Sprint version is called.

  8. Felipe Rodriguez

    05/14/2012 at 4:48 pm

    If u can’t get the update rooting is a option, I’m rooted and running 4.0.4.

    • Joel McLaughlin

      05/15/2012 at 10:17 am

      That’s find if you are fine with your phone being open for attack which is what you do when you root. A rooted Android phone is like logging into your Windows system and browsing the web as Administrator…..a bad idea.

      GRANTED….you CAN ROM your device WITHOUT rooting but almost noone does.

      • ESC Services

        05/15/2012 at 5:04 pm

        Thats what I did I have a non rooted phone running 4.0.4. I just have an unlocked phone which for those who don’t know is when you allow your phone to be reprogrammed and used on any other cell service provider like and Iphone on T-moble service. Surprisingly it was easier than rooting and using a rom manager, when you flash the clockwork mod to install the root zip file I I used it to update and told it to update via update.zip and I was done. The cool thing is that nothing stuck ether there was no clockwork mod recovery setting no root nothing out of the ordinary other than the little unlocked Icon at boot

      • Jan Iwan

        07/08/2012 at 1:22 pm

        Giving root doesn’t automatically makes you vulnerable to attack, granted it’s like browsing the web as administrator. You might as well suggest you can’t trust those rooting apps or custom roms. That might as well be suggesting you cant trust a community of dedicated people. Do you even trust Google or any carrier?
        If you just a bit cautious and don’t download anything that’s free your should be fine.

        I’m happy with having root, gives more things to fizzle with

  9. scott privett

    05/14/2012 at 7:58 pm

    I requested the BBB to step in on this and wow I’m shocked that Verizon wants to talk to me know. I will fill you in on the details when I talk to them tomorrow.

  10. Tim

    05/15/2012 at 4:27 am

    Glad to see something here on Verizon delaying the Galaxy Nexus update. Verizon admitted late last December that there was a radio reception issue with the Galaxy Nexus (not just a meter reading). I bought two phones back then and have been told an update on the radio would be coming out, last time was suppose to be in early March…. nothing of erizon. I have to go out on the porch of my house to use the phone and the tower is about a mile away at the most. My neighbors using other phones d o just fine and have about 20 db better reception than we do. Mine runs between -100 to -120 db outside. Verizon is not only hard to deal with, they are completely silent, there is no way to talk to someone who can provide an explanation.

  11. Seb

    05/15/2012 at 5:12 am

    Here in the UK we’ve had 4.04 for more than a month now so this is not a Google issue but obviously the carrier is more than hopeless, which puts back into perspective the idea of buying a Nexus device from a carrier.

    • ESC Services

      05/15/2012 at 4:58 pm

      Well like I said before the UK got it because you did not need a baseband change we do so google would have to created a new 4.0.4 with the new basebands. Also Europe and canada have a different version Nexus than we do the GSM model which have different problems and different solutions, also 4.0.4 for your phone might be 4.0.5 for my phone because of the differences of the phone models.

  12. GerberGEEK

    05/15/2012 at 5:12 am

    Idk guys and girls 4.04 update or not gnex is the nastiest phone and will only get nastier with the gnex 2. My theory on this is that certain people were deprived of Happy meals at a young age and still have yet to have one.

    • ESC Services

      05/15/2012 at 5:14 pm

      I agree, when the Gnex was first released it broke the boundaries of the phone market I believe it was the largest phone at that time it still is the largest phone on verzion, I would like to see how people take downgrading to 2.3.5 gingerbread. I couldn’t. It also has NFC technology a curved glass display a rapid fire camera shutter and much much more. I thought I missed put on the galaxy note but my friend has it and he is very jealous of my Gnex with ICS. Hail to the NEXUS

  13. Daddio

    05/15/2012 at 5:29 am

    I’m tired of Verizon and Google for that matter. I bought the phone base OS was billed add having better updating capabilities. I will buy an iphone next time.

    • ESC Services

      05/15/2012 at 5:25 pm

      I can’t change your mind but I have windows 8, an ipod touch “4g” and a galaxy nexus I can tell you windows 8 is awesome but the windows phone 7 still needs work. The iphone and ipod touch are similar and your not missing much. Its small slow thick not 4g and also I don’t think it has a very nice User Interface. Android Sucked until android 4.0 and the Nexus was the first it came to, now I think its the best phone ever. But if you can find any phone running 4.0 its a good phone. Fun fact the iphone has 512mb of ram, ram in basic terms memory used to run things like games and apps, the nexus has 1gb most phones have 1gb. the iphone has a 1.0ghz processor and its under clocked meaning they limit the speed of the processor to a lower speed. The fun thing is that this info is nowhere to be found on apple.com or verizon or where every you buy it because they are afraid if people find out they wont buy the phone.

  14. AndroidArmy

    05/15/2012 at 6:21 am

    Amen!!!!

  15. Jon

    05/15/2012 at 9:35 am

    Verizon is full of sh*t. They are unreasonably and unnecessarily too expensive. I have the Verizon Galaxy Nexus and this damn update is taking forever and everyone at Verizon acts or is actually ignorant about this whole 4.0.4 update. It’s really frustrating paying $150/month for a phone that turns off randomly, has the hardest time switching between 4G and 3G, and has no cell phone reception when my wife’s iPhone, also on Verizon, has two bars when she’s standing right next to me.

    • Stefan Puryear

      05/15/2012 at 11:01 am

      I feel your pain and absolutely agree with you 100%.

  16. eric_edge

    05/15/2012 at 11:55 am

    just bought one 3 days ago and…well…wow :\ the signal drops out CONSTANTLY for 10-15mins at a time and the battery only lasts a few hours (6hrs on standby with NO USE is standard). given how the company is backpedaling on all these issues i have no confidence that the update will fix any of these issues. i’m certainly not going to wait for an update that *might* work and gamble on being stuck with a pretty $250 brick for the next 2 years. i want to return it but there arent really any great alternatives…

    • ESC Services

      05/15/2012 at 5:08 pm

      I wouldn’t return it, as someone said before the Gnex update or not is a beast, I have 4.0.4 and I can assure you its much better, now I have a great reception, most of the problems are fixed except the battery it gets a little better but I went to verizon and bought the extended batter for $20 and I get an extra 2hrs maybe 3 it feels like a huge difference.

  17. James

    05/15/2012 at 6:38 pm

    Wow, Up here in Canada, ICS 4.0.4 update was released last month, then google pulled it because they found issues. I would rather wait for an update knowing it will not screw up my phone, then getting an update and my phone being worse. I tell you, you have to wait for updates from apple too, but do I see people crying about that? You go buy your iphone and not be able to do 1/4 of what you can with android phones. Glad the iphone 4 I was using is now gone, and I’m back to waiting for a stable update on a great phone.

    “The update is temporarily unavailable for download dues to issues discovered by Google in the latest software release.”

    Makes me respect google more, unlike Apple who would blame the phones user. Anyways, have a great night!

  18. Brian

    05/16/2012 at 2:23 am

    Anybody want to start up an antitrust class action lawsuit against Verizon for them blocking certain apps from the play store, violation of agreement of nexus device terms through Google, knowingly distributing defective devices, resistance to provide the software programmers with the keys required to allow nexus branded devices on cdma devices, false advertisement for Google updates instead of carrier updates, etc. also, by blocking wallet from the market or having Google remove it from market for Verizon devices, they are engaging in anticompetitive practices in order to promote their own mobile payment solution Isis.

    • ESC Services

      05/16/2012 at 6:16 pm

      You could try but you wont get far all the things you mentioned are no illegal and are perfectly allowed like how fast food companies can allow up to I think 19% of an unknown substance in there food we dont want it but they can do it. you can distribute defective items, you can also restrict certain things off devices like google wallet as long as the manufacturer allows it but also android is open source so theoretically if I got a ok from google to distribute a version of android I could even remove the market from the device and add in my own hell amazon did on there kindle fire, and at that point its technically all verizons decision what they do with the phone and it says all this in the contact agreement you need to sign when you get verizon service also verizon can choose not to give the required keys to software engineers because it could lead to a security breach and its in there security policy. I thought I’d give you a heads up before you 1 spend thousands of dollars for a lawyer and 2 fighting a huge company that could squish you like a bug.

    • patyo

      06/02/2012 at 1:44 pm

      YES YES YES YES. Cannot use Google Wallet which was a huge factor for WHY I bought it bought. I’m on my 4th gnexus through warranty because they keep failing!!!!!! this is what we got when we purchased the pure Google flagship phone….

  19. Jon

    05/18/2012 at 4:37 am

    Wow am I frustrated. What can be said? Total fail. The hardware and software have so many documented flaws, I never thought 300 and 2 year contract would lead to this kind of neglect and screwing. The google mail browser has so many troubles. Do you know when you capture a photo for SMS or receive one that there’s now way to get photos to the gallery. You can’t increase the font size, you can’t delete mail permanently, but if you accidentally trash a mail it can’t be retrieved.
    The camera crashes after three or more fast pics.
    The phone is mushy has a terrible landscape lag
    The phone crashes on its own just sitting there, sometimes in tiles of death needing a battery pull.
    How many flaws do you want me to list?
    Pathetic
    Google doesn’t have a human being in a store or on the phone to help……what can i say? Pathetic.

  20. yark

    05/18/2012 at 1:01 pm

    What you forgot to mention in the article is that the Galaxy Nexus suffers from game-breaking problems like random reboots if you play music through headphones and having its data connection go to sleep and not waking up.

    I can’t use my GNex as a music player because of the above issues and the data thing is very annoying as it requires constant reboot.

    Either of these issues warrants an immediate patch. but no.

  21. Mike G.

    05/20/2012 at 12:27 am

    I seriously wish to see a class action lawsuit brought to Verizon over this fiasco. As far as I am concerned. They damned owe me a new phone of my choice at this point.

  22. Alex

    05/23/2012 at 2:34 pm

    We are all getting raped by Verizon. I feel sorry for all of our sore a**holes.

  23. GNexUser

    06/29/2012 at 6:57 pm

    I’ve been wondering this for the SIX+ MONTHS that the Galaxy Nexus has been available in Canada and from what I’ve read it has nothing to do with the carriers up here (for the Galaxy Nexus anyway). Rather Google produces the image for the yakju stream, then gives it to Samsung to prepare for the Canadian/yakjuux stream and the other regional streams.

    Samsung Mobile Canada has been saying that it’s up to Google, but there’s a thread going on the Samsung Mobile Canada FB page that says this is not the case.

    I’m getting really sick of waiting for what should have been timely updates on a Nexus phone, so I’m reading up on the flashing process to get over to the yakju stream, not that we should really have to do any of this.

    I’ve also been posting on the FB and Google+ pages for Samsung, Google and Nexus listed below. They should all know how pissed off we are, despite the choices you make/made (flash to yakju or wait it out).

    Love the phone, just wish I could have enjoyed the speedy updates that I was sold on, earlier.

    https://www.facebook.com/samsungmobilecanada

    https://plus.google.com/112786243106950675413/posts
    https://plus.google.com/104629412415657030658/posts
    https://plus.google.com/112773496741623034196/posts

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