Connect with us

Editorials

The Worst Part About the Wait for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus Update

Published

on

The Verizon Galaxy Nexus Android 4.0.4 update was rumored to be out on Tuesday. Tuesday came and went without an update, just like the other days have in the five months since its launch.

I’m not mad that it missed that date and I’m not even mad about the ridiculous bugs that seem to be getting worse and worse. What I am mad about is that Verizon, knowing full well that its customers are fed up, has yet to issue any sort of update or statement about the progress of the update or the update itself.

Since the launch of the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, the phone has received a grand total of zero updates. Zero. Seriously, not one. I find that unacceptable, especially for a Nexus-branded device. And I know that others do too.

It’s especially terrible because the Galaxy Nexus is indeed suffering from a number of issues that need to be sorted out.

The Worst Part About the Wait for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus Update

I can deal with the terrible battery life, but not the silence.

Read: Wait for Galaxy Nexus Android 4.0.4 Update Gets More Bizarre.

But again, I can deal with those. I’ve just put my phone aside until the software inevitably arrives.

What I can’t deal with is the lack of communication. While other carriers like T-Mobile and Sprint have been very open and honest about various bug fix updates and Android upgrades, even when the news is bad, Verizon has yet to utter a single word about an update for the Galaxy Nexus.

Maybe it has mentioned something on Twitter that I’ve missed but it’s account responds to hundreds upon hundreds of tweets a day so it’s hard to keep track.

Point is, it hasn’t issued anything official in regards to the update. If this was a normal phone, I would understand. But this is a best-selling device and a Nexus device at that.

Just how quiet has Verizon been?

A Google engineer launched a thinly veiled accusation toward Verizon in regards to the delay and the carrier didn’t even retort. It remained silent. Just like it has in the five months since it launched the phone to great fanfare five months ago.

Read: Five Months With The Verizon Galaxy Nexus.

Seriously, a simple “We’re working as hard as we can on the update and we hope to share news soon” would do. Anything is better than the sound of crickets I have endured since December.

So, you want to know what the worse part about the wait for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus is? It’s not the fact that I’ve been waiting five months. It’s not the fact that my phone is absolutely plagued with bugs.

It’s the fact that carrier has remained completely silent about an update that has clearly pissed off hordes of its customers.

21 Comments

21 Comments

  1. Neil

    05/23/2012 at 12:26 pm

    I agree 1000% that their silence is worse than the issue.
    However, the more frustrating and angering thing is that the only word that has been uttered by Verizon is about new $30 upgrade fees and the ending of the grandfathering unlimited data plans. They are silent about things that they need to fix but they they have no problem in announcing that they are going to be charging the plagued customers more. Really ridiculous.

  2. mario

    05/23/2012 at 12:33 pm

    so i emailed big red customer service because i saw the rumours all over the web yesterday about the update. they called back and told me they were not aware of any update to the verizon nexus phone and they have no control over what and when the ota will show. i asked about the in store models, how they have been updated already and again, he had no idea… what was the point of the call back? my specific question was, i see an ota is rolling out today, it’s posted all over the inernet, i was wondering if this were true? sigh…. yet another mislead verizon customer, i hate them, i liked tmobile better

  3. ralph bretz

    05/23/2012 at 12:52 pm

    Maybe VZW is taking so long because they’re trying to figure out how to push their bloatware onto the phone with the update. Is it strange that not one other Verizon phone has been updated to ICS? Big Red is trying to figure out to lock their apps onto the phones.

  4. JR

    05/23/2012 at 1:02 pm

    Verizon will give you a month’s credit if you call customer service and tell them you have this issue- they’ll also offer to exchange your hardware if you wish.

  5. Leo

    05/23/2012 at 1:25 pm

    I agree 100% with this article completely. I HAD the Verizon galaxy nexus, thinking it was going to be treated like previous REAL nexus phones, but time passed by with no updates and a bunch of bugs, that i decided to cancel my contract and buy the galaxy nexus direct from the Google play store and sold my Verizon nexus to pay my cancellation fee. Totally worth it. the unlocked galaxy nexus already came with the 4.0.4 update and after about 5 minutes of having the phone on for the first time, it already prompted me to download a new update. Best of all, i got an email from the Android team welcoming me to the galaxy nexus saying that i would be getting updates directly from google.

    • Vito

      05/24/2012 at 8:27 am

      You said it! That’s why I bought the Nexus, I thought we would get the updates first, new versions first, etc. Boy was I wrong! My original Asus TF101 Transformer tablet has a newer version of Android than my Nexus! Google has posted the update on there server, so I’m just going to download it and do a manual install; I had to do the same thing with my HTC back when gingerbread came out. Verizon always takes their sweet time with updates.

  6. Jesus Chrysler

    05/23/2012 at 1:40 pm

    I think it’s high time an on-line petition was prepared and circulated. I would do it if I had the knowledge.

    Does our “contract” with Verizon give them sole ownership of our devices? They have broken so many promises. They sicken me. Doesn’t there PR department listen to the customer rages?

    Never again Verizon…CREDO is on its way.

  7. John

    05/23/2012 at 1:54 pm

    THANK YOU! I’ve been so pissed that I’m still stuck on 4.0.2 since I got this thing. It also angers me, that there’s still no charging desktop and car dock available for the Verizon version. What kind of flagship device gets this kind of treatment? I really regret leaving my Droid X for this. Not because it isn’t a nice phone, but because I was able to enjoy my X more the way I wanted to use it.

  8. John

    05/23/2012 at 2:01 pm

    I only wish I had done more homework on this device before switching from Sprint to Verizon last month. I left Sprint and ordered mine from Amazon almost 2 months ago and have been through 3 of them so far. At this rate Sprint’s LTE network will be up and running before the VZW Galaxy Nexus gets updated to 4.0.4. I wish I could leave and go pre-paid, but unfortunately I’m stuck for another 22 months.

  9. Leo

    05/23/2012 at 2:15 pm

    I can only imagine how long it will take for Jelly Bean to be updated to the Verizon Galaxy Nexus when it comes out. Im glad I left them. Good luck to the rest of you :/

    • michael

      05/24/2012 at 1:42 am

      its going on 6 months just for an update to ics. JB 5.0 is a new os, it’ll probably take them over a year to try and install it to the Nexus, right after they stop supporting the phone all together. We’ll be lucky if we get 5.0.
      As of right now Verizon doesn’t support the Galaxy Nexus at all. VZW can go to hell

  10. Chase

    05/23/2012 at 2:26 pm

    The thing I don’t understand is how many people are experiencing major issues with this phone? Is it just a small portion of the galaxy nexus population? I have had this phone since 2 days after Christmas and other than it restarting itself maybe 4 times (which it has not done in a very long time) I have not had any issues. Battery life is awesome, signal is good, the phone just works. This makes me think that the bugs people have may be hardware related. Or maybe I just got really lucky, all I know is you couldn’t pay me to use another phone.

  11. Alex

    05/23/2012 at 2:30 pm

    I agree with this article, too. Not many companies manage to make customers reach this amount of anger towards themselves. I’ve been loyal to Verizon for several years. After this contract is over, I’m not coming back.

  12. glenn

    05/23/2012 at 2:42 pm

    Just got off with verizon and they said the update is under review and can be released anytime now.

  13. chris

    05/23/2012 at 2:43 pm

    the only real issues i have noticed is the occasional random reboot and a dropped call here or there. it doesn’t do it very often but it is annoying when it does. i really like my nexus but going on 6 months without a single update is rather ridiculous, especially considering it’s a part of the nexus family. c’mon verizon, it’s high time you start treating your customers with some respect rather than spending your time devising new schemes to fleece us.

  14. d0ublebind

    05/23/2012 at 3:04 pm

    Want to know a sure fire way to get Verizon to respond. File complaints with the BBB and FTC. Its easy, takes about 15 minutes, and you have a 100% chance Verizon Corporate calling you in 48 hours.

    Spell out your problem, Make them read it back to you.
    Take their time. Ask for answers, if they cannot answer, ask who can.

    Enough complaints filed, they will take action, their a corporation, they have a reputation to maintain, and they hate wasted time. Flood their corporate office with complaints.

  15. Leo

    05/23/2012 at 3:07 pm

    The update eveyone is waiting for fixes connextion issues for a lot of people and one problem I had with mine and have noticed a lot of other people are having is multitouch issues. Also it enhances the system altogether, meaning its smoother and faster all around.

  16. Leo

    05/23/2012 at 3:09 pm

    Im sure there are more enhancements with the update, but the network connection and multitouch issues were the problems that mine had.

  17. James

    05/24/2012 at 12:39 pm

    I have a vzw galaxy nexus and i really havent had any problems with the device EXCEPT FOR THE SIGNAL ISSUES!!!!!! I just cant believe how long this update is taking. But if and when my signal issues are fixed then this’ll be the best phone ive ever had

  18. James

    05/24/2012 at 12:40 pm

    Yes I have a vzw galaxy nexus and I really havent had any problems with the device EXCEPT FOR THE SIGNAL ISSUES!!!!!! I just cant believe how long this update is taking. But if and when my signal issues are fixed then this’ll be the best phone ive ever had

  19. chris

    05/24/2012 at 1:17 pm

    i got tired of waiting on verizon so last night i manually flashed the 4.0.4 straight from google, everything seems to work as it should. i haven’t noticed any major differences yet, but the display orientation definitely seems to rotate faster. i’ve only made one call since the flash, but it was crystal clear and my mic didn’t cut out. ;)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.