5 Worst Broken Promises in Mobile Tech

Fast Android Updates

Save a precious few Nexus devices, Android updates never go as planned.

Manufacturers promise upgrades for smartphones, even attaching dates to the Android 4.1, 4.2 Jelly Bean updates and Android 4.3 updates, but often fail to deliver.

Recently HTC cancelled the HTC One S Android 4.2.2 update with Sense 5, leaving owners stranded on an older operating system until they upgrade to a new phone.

Despite the Android PDK, which Google hopes will fix fragmentation, there are still delays in delivering timely Android updates.

There is some improvement in the past year, with more devices launching on the latest versions of Android, but even Google owned Motorola delivered the Moto X one version behind.

Even when a company like HTC makes good on a swift Android 4.3 update, U.S. Carriers slow things down dramatically. Apple, on the other hand is able to push out updates to every supported iPhone without carriers throwing their weight behind a delay.

Android 4.4 is now official with more details coming in October, which could help speed up some updates. Also helping the issue is a shift in delivering features in Google Apps, but there is still no such thing as a fast Android update for the average smartphone use.