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HTC ThunderBolt Ice Cream Sandwich Update Finally Rolls Out

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The HTC ThunderBolt Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update, promised for August but delayed, is finally rolling out to patient owners just a few days after Verizon signed off on it.

HTC ThunderBolt owners, or what’s left of them, are reporting that Verizon is pushing the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update out right now through an Over-the-Air update. This means that owners can now head into the device settings, assuming a prompt hasn’t appeared, to check for the update. To do this, simply head into Settings, go into the About section, and check for an update.

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The HTC ThunderBolt Ice Cream Sandwich update is rolling out now.

The update, if it’s available, will prompt a download and after that, the installation process will begin. The update is a sizable one, checking in at well over 300MB in size so HTC ThunderBolt owners will want to set aside some time to install the software. It could take several minutes and given the HTC ThunderBolt’s age, it could take quite awhile.

Verizon says that the update is rolling out in phases, which means that it should hit a select few today and then roll out to more users in the coming days. Verizon has said that the roll out could take as long as three weeks. The HTC ThunderBolt is also an older device which means that there likely aren’t tons of owners left which should help to shorten the update’s roll out period but again, owners should brace for the worst.

For those that waited this long for the update to arrive, this is a big day. HTC had originally slated the Android 4.0 update for the ThunderBolt to roll out in August of last year, only to delay it indefinitely at the last minute.

Since that day, owners were left without any concrete answers from either company until the last day of February when Verizon approved the update for roll out.

Android 4.0 will be a huge upgrade over Android 2.3 Gingerbread, bringing a new user interface, Face Unlock, new Folders, Multitasking functionality, and more.

18 Comments

18 Comments

  1. James

    02/05/2013 at 10:16 am

    Just got the update. It’s prettier and seems smoother. The bottom line that I held onto the HTC TB was because I didn’t want to lose my unlimited data plan. Definitely not for holding out for ICS.

    • jim

      02/05/2013 at 10:26 am

      If u upgrade in the future just buy a phone via eBay or Amazon and u get to keep the grandfathered unlimited deal.

      • James

        02/05/2013 at 1:58 pm

        Thanks for that bit of info. I’ll do just that.

  2. shawn

    02/05/2013 at 4:03 pm

    forced a check in and i got the update and am loving it already downloaded the Chrome browser and so far every thing is running clean and smooth

  3. tan

    02/05/2013 at 6:30 pm

    does this mean there will be a screen-shot function for thunderbolt users?

    • RicS

      02/06/2013 at 8:18 am

      Press the volume down and power buttons at the same time. You’re welcome ;)

      • Chris

        02/06/2013 at 11:10 am

        It appears to be different with this configuration. Power+Home snaps a screenshot and puts it in your gallery, under “Camera Shots” by default.

        • RicS

          02/06/2013 at 8:27 pm

          Really? That’s quite odd. Power + home did nothing for me over here.Holding Power + Volume down (has to be held down for a couple of seconds) takes a screenshot and put it in a “screenshots” directory on my SD card.

          • Chris

            02/06/2013 at 8:52 pm

            Now that is a puzzler. I honestly haven’t got a clue why mine would be different, I swear I haven’t done anything special to my phone.

        • RicS

          02/06/2013 at 8:59 pm

          Update: Power+Home works for me as well! Was my error, I was doing it wrong. Didn’t realize I had to hold down power before hitting the home key. I was hitting them at the same time and it was just bringing up the power off dialogue. But it does in fact take a screenshot on my device and puts it in the “Camera Shots” directory as you have informed us. Thanks for the tip !

      • Chey

        03/19/2013 at 10:18 am

        THANK YOU. I accidentally took one the other day and could not figure out how I did it if my life depended on it.

      • Jenifer

        04/13/2013 at 9:15 pm

        OH MY GOSH SO GLAD I SAW THIS! my phone did a screen shot on accident and i was like WOAH! how did i do that!! :)

  4. Steve Smith

    02/06/2013 at 1:52 am

    Finally got it yesterday. I like it!

  5. RicS

    02/06/2013 at 8:31 pm

    Will also add that I am loving this. was using some rooted flavors of the pre release, but got tired of the headache and all of the bugs. Since I plan to get a new phone this year anyway, I decided to Unroot, downloaded the OTA, and all I can say is I Wish our T-bolts had this from the start. Fast, smooth, battery life is finally fixed. Running the rezound battery and after 14 hours of somewhat heavy / regular use (pandora, flashlight, youtube, browsing), I am at 56% remaining. It’s about time !!!! =)

    • Chris

      02/06/2013 at 8:54 pm

      I couldn’t agree with you more. THIS is the phone I think Thunderbolt users were promised. This is more than just a fresh coat of polish, it’s almost like an entirely new device. Utterly fantastic. I’m still a little gun-shy when it comes to HTC since we had to wade through a bog of misinformation and misdirection to get to this point, but I’m pleased they made this happen, and appear to have taken the time necessary to get it right first time out the gate.

  6. Anonyj

    02/07/2013 at 12:02 am

    Gotta agree with the above… feels like a ‘new’ phone! I forced the update last night, installed it today. Fantastic so far. With Gingerbread, there was an annoying glitch when coming out of airplane mode and having trouble trying to connect to the internet. Usually had to cycle the phone off, then back on… That appears to now be fixed :) Patience pays off; too bad many (understandably) became so frustrated… but you can appreciate HTC/Verizon taking time to make sure ICS was done right when everything else about this phone had been rushed. Now time to replace my aging Rezound battery with a fresh one. And if I could find a brand new TBolt, I’d snap it up as well.

  7. Ted

    02/10/2013 at 12:24 pm

    Update Made my mic quit working. Needs patched now please. some peoplelike to talk on their phones.

  8. Joe

    03/16/2013 at 9:52 pm

    Anyone else want to admit they can’t live without the kickstand? I know, I know, I can buy a case with a kickstand, but for me, it’s just not the same! I am happy about screenshots and trace keyboard typing function. Any other goodies like this anyone cares to share?

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