Verizon Xoom Android 4.2 (Or Android 4.1) Update Rolling Out Soon

The Verizon Motorola Xoom Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update has been cleared for arrival, months after Motorola sent out soak test invites to those who still own the aging Android tablet.

Three months ago, Motorola sent out soak invites to Verizon Xoom 4G LTE owners, invites that we thought were for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Only, the soak test never began. Instead, Xoom owners on Verizon have been waiting for sign of an Android Jelly Bean update and today, after a long wait, they have the sign that they’ve been waiting for.

Update: It looks like Verizon may have made a mistake as JZO54M appears to be Android 4.1 not Android 4.2. Time will tell, but it looks like Android 4.2 might not be in the cards.

Verizon has approved Android 4.2 Jelly Bean for the Xoom 4G LTE today and that typically means that the software will start rolling out at some point in the near future. It typically takes a few days, or in some cases a few weeks, before it rolls out but given how old the Xoom is and given the lengthy delay, we expect the software to emerge from hiding relatively soon.

The software is a big jump as it will take owners from Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Android 4.2 Jelly Bean was recently replaced by Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, but that should not matter to owners who have been stuck on a piece of software from 2011.

The update comes with a host of improvements including Google Now, improved Notifications, and host of fixes and enhancements that should improve the device, and of course, a brand new user interface that will replace Android 4.0’s older look.

When the update becomes available, users will simply need to update through the device’s Settings, or through a prompt, and the process should only take a matter of minutes. Once the process is complete, the device should feel almost completely new thanks to the changes that Android 4.2 Jelly Bean brings along with it.

It’s unclear if the Xoom will be going any further than Android 4.2 but given how long this took, users will want to temper their expectations.