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Sentinel
Premium Member
join:2001-02-07
Florida

Sentinel

Premium Member

Who updates android?

I have 2 smart phones now; a Motorola and a Samsung. The Motorola is running 4.4.2 and the Samsung is running 4.4.4. The Motorola says that no updates are available but the Samsung obviously has a newer version on it. And, on top of that, the Samsung keeps prompting me to upgrade to 5.0! The Moto is quiet on the subject.

So my questions are:
1. Who updates android? The manufacturer of the phone (Motorola or Samsung) or Verizon my service?
2. Is it Google? If so then can we just download and install the latest version on any android phone?

My familiarity is with Windows which comes from Microsoft; not the manufacturer of your PC. So when a new version of Windows comes out you can get it direct from MS and install it on any PC running Windows.

Hall
MVM
join:2000-04-28
Germantown, OH

Hall

MVM

Unless you have a Nexus, the updates from your a combination of your carrier and the manufacturer. Google updates Nexus phones directly (similar to Apple with iPhones). Manufacturers routinely drop support, as far as new s/w, for phones too. The Motorola, for example, may never see another update and remain on 4.4.2 forever (if you depend on VZW/Motorola).

sachinqe
join:2008-12-08
India

sachinqe to Sentinel

Member

to Sentinel
I may not be very correct but all those Android updates are from Google further they are to be processed by the manufacturers of your smartphone such as Samsung, Motorola. These manufacturers modify them as per the handset requirements so that the phone works properly and if the phone can't that means that update won't be provided by your manufacturer because your phone could be a bit old and won't function properly with the new update and hence your last update will only be the final update. In most of the phones you can't install updates by going to any website like how you said.

nightdesigns
Gone missing, back soon
Premium Member
join:2002-05-31
AZ

nightdesigns to Sentinel

Premium Member

to Sentinel
Support seems to last 12-18 months from phone launch (not when you bought it). They figure any longer and you should just buy the newer model. Again, it's a mix of manufacturer and carrier.

mackey
Premium Member
join:2007-08-20

mackey

Premium Member

said by nightdesigns:

They figure any longer and you should just want to force you to buy the newer model.

FTFY.

I've been happy with LG recently as despite the G2 being almost 2 years old now, they have announced Lollipop is in testing for it.

Hall
MVM
join:2000-04-28
Germantown, OH

Hall to sachinqe

MVM

to sachinqe
said by sachinqe:

These manufacturers modify them as per the handset requirements so that the phone works properly...

More accurately, they don't want to spend $$$ to make sure it works on older phones.
GLIMMER
join:2004-01-17
Fisher, IL

GLIMMER

Member

here HTC did this really neat thing

»www.htc.com/us/go/htc-so ··· process/

you will see it takes a carrier more steps to get an update out.

Also to the op what moto phone?
Sentinel
Premium Member
join:2001-02-07
Florida

Sentinel

Premium Member

Motorola Droid Razr M

Hmm. Well I guess I am probably pretty stuck at 4.4.2 then as I don't think that Moto is going to update it and trying to do it on my own sounds pretty risky and probably not much benefit to justify the risk.

Thanks all.
OZO
Premium Member
join:2003-01-17

OZO

Premium Member

If you can root it, you probably may get a ROM with latest Android in it.

bbrcat
Remembering Lisa...
MVM
join:2000-12-09
FL
·Comcast XFINITY
ARRIS SBG900

bbrcat to Sentinel

MVM

to Sentinel
said by Sentinel:

Motorola Droid Razr M

Hmm. Well I guess I am probably pretty stuck at 4.4.2 then as I don't think that Moto is going to update it and trying to do it on my own sounds pretty risky and probably not much benefit to justify the risk.

Thanks all.

Same phone here,running Kit Kat (Verizon)
Sentinel
Premium Member
join:2001-02-07
Florida

1 recommendation

Sentinel

Premium Member

But 4.4.2 and 4.4.4 are both kitkat right?

bbrcat
Remembering Lisa...
MVM
join:2000-12-09
FL

bbrcat to Sentinel

MVM

to Sentinel
Yes,,,meant 4.4.4 Kit Kat.
GLIMMER
join:2004-01-17
Fisher, IL

GLIMMER

Member

According to the moto tracking site the m is not getting lollipop

pjsutton
join:2013-06-25
Kempton, PA

pjsutton to Sentinel

Member

to Sentinel
With the "HTC Advantage" they pledge to keep updating a phone for 2 years after it's released, which is really quite remarkable.

trparky
Premium Member
join:2000-05-24
Cleveland, OH
·AT&T U-Verse

trparky

Premium Member

said by pjsutton:

With the "HTC Advantage" they pledge to keep updating a phone for 2 years after it's released, which is really quite remarkable.

That's great and all but the OEM is only one piece of the Android update puzzle. Your cell phone carrier is also part of the process and if your carrier doesn't want to put the time into building, testing, and deploying updates it doesn't matter how much the OEM wants to make an update available, the update won't come out. Both AT&T and Verizon, two of the biggest names in the US cell phone carrier market, care jack squat about deploying updates. They're too interested in wanting to sell you a new device.

Things may be very different over in Europe. From what I've heard and read the European carriers aren't nearly as involved in the process of deploying updates as they are in the US. Leave it to the US carriers to completely fuck things up.

pjsutton
join:2013-06-25
Kempton, PA

pjsutton

Member

Sprint has been fairly good about getting the updates out. My old HTC Evo 4G LTE received an update in the summer of 2014, well over 2 years after its initial release.

trparky
Premium Member
join:2000-05-24
Cleveland, OH
·AT&T U-Verse

trparky

Premium Member

said by pjsutton:

Sprint has been fairly good about getting the updates out.

Yeah... they have to do something to appease their customers.
trparky

trparky

Premium Member

In a lot of ways I want my carrier to be nothing but a dumb pipe. Give me the connection and stay out of my way!!!

If the Android OEMs could get the US carriers completely out of the equation things would run a hell of a lot smoother in the Android camp. But until that happens the carriers have us by the balls.
tcope
Premium Member
join:2003-05-07
Sandy, UT

1 recommendation

tcope

Premium Member

... and I'd like to pick and choose the TV stations I pay for. But it's not going to happen any time soon. There is money to be made by the carriers and they like their money.

Napsterbater
Meh
MVM
join:2002-12-28
Milledgeville, GA

Napsterbater to OZO

MVM

to OZO
Root has nothing to do with that, having an unlocked or unlock able bootloader, does, you can have root and still not be able to flash a Rom like my AT&T Galaxy S5

trparky
Premium Member
join:2000-05-24
Cleveland, OH
·AT&T U-Verse

trparky

Premium Member

said by Napsterbater:

still not be able to flash a Rom like my AT&T Galaxy S5

And in that case, you are completely at the mercy of Samsung and AT&T to release updates. Which based upon their past history you have a fat chance of that happening.
GLIMMER
join:2004-01-17
Fisher, IL

GLIMMER to Napsterbater

Member

to Napsterbater
could be worse the note 4 and edge still have no root. The exploits are just not there.

Hall
MVM
join:2000-04-28
Germantown, OH

Hall

MVM

If you have Verizon or ATT, if I'm not mistaken, none of their Samsung phones can have the bootloader unlocked. With VZW, they started with the S4 shortly after it's release, then applied it to the already available S3. I'm certain the S5 is locked down tight as well as other Samsungs they offer. Don't know about other manufacturer's phones....

Someone will of course say, if a human locked it, a human can unlock it -- well, people have to try and I believe those with the skill or knowledge just don't feel it's worth their effort. It's going on ~2 years on Samsung's lock-down with ZERO success.
OZO
Premium Member
join:2003-01-17

OZO to Napsterbater

Premium Member

to Napsterbater
Technically you're right and I stay corrected here
Nanaki (banned)
aka novaflare. pull punches? Na
join:2002-01-24
Akron, OH

Nanaki (banned) to Hall

Member

to Hall
If it is any version of moto g or newer it will get lollipop so long as the carriers push it. My moto g is on 4.4.4 and it is a gen 1 variant on boost. So it has a update for at least 4.4.4 just depends on if the carrier ever pushes it.
Nanaki

Nanaki (banned) to Sentinel

Member

to Sentinel
Oh the razy m yeh your pretty well stuck on 4.4.2. Check xda-developers.com and see if there is a rom with newer version. I know there is/was one moto phone that can not really go above 4.4.2
Sentinel
Premium Member
join:2001-02-07
Florida

Sentinel

Premium Member

Nothing is wrong with the moto and I'm not the one in m family using it , and since I don't think it adds all that much capability to the phone I'm not worried enough about updating to risk messing it up. It works fine now the way it is so I'll just leave it like that for now.

As for the Samsung S5, that one I may upgrade. Haven't made up my mind yet.
Nanaki (banned)
aka novaflare. pull punches? Na
join:2002-01-24
Akron, OH

Nanaki (banned)

Member

If 4.4.4 is a option you may as well pull the trigger it will be just fine with it. On that phone changing roms probably is not really worth it. The moto i mean

Tornado15550
join:2012-12-16
Canada

Tornado15550 to Sentinel

Member

to Sentinel
said by Sentinel:

As for the Samsung S5, that one I may upgrade. Haven't made up my mind yet.

You should definitely upgrade. Samsung made a lot of improvements to TouchWiz with the 5.0 update. The entire UI is sleeker and smoother too. The phone will be more responsive and should also have improved battery life thanks to the base lollipop code from Google. Apps will open up quicker too thanks to the switch from the dalvik runtime to ART. It adds other features too. Here's the complete list of changes and features (scroll down to the bottom and click on the "see all features" button).

Napsterbater
Meh
MVM
join:2002-12-28
Milledgeville, GA
(Software) OPNsense
Ubiquiti UniFi UAP-AC-PRO

Napsterbater to trparky

MVM

to trparky
said by trparky:

said by Napsterbater:

still not be able to flash a Rom like my AT&T Galaxy S5

And in that case, you are completely at the mercy of Samsung and AT&T to release updates. Which based upon their past history you have a fat chance of that happening.

This I know all too well, When I got this phone I didn't expect that AT&T had changed their policy on locking the bootloader. If I would have know, I would have gotten the T-Mobile version of this phone.