Android 4.2.2 finally coming to Verizon's Galaxy Nexus
First update for 4G LTE Nexus mobe in six months
Owners of Verizon's 4G LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus handset may soon receive an update to the latest version of Android, weeks after other Galaxy Nexus devices received it and fully six months after the Verizon model got its last official update.
Twitter user @WinDroidGuy was the first to spot the update package on Monday, which so far is only available as a downloadable Zip file that must be flashed to the device by hand.
Android devices with the "Nexus" designation are considered Google's flagship handsets. As such, they're generally the first to be upgraded to the most recent version of the OS.
In the case of the Galaxy Nexus, however, that has really only been true for the GSM/HSPA+ version of the device. Verizon has earned itself a reputation for being slower than any other carrier to test and deploy Android updates, and its version of the Galaxy Nexus now lags well behind the others.
Owners of GSM/HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus mobes began receiving updates to Android 4.2.2 "Jelly Bean" in February, and Sprint's version of the device has been on 4.2.1 since January. But Verizon's version has been stuck on Android 4.1.1 since the last time it received any kind of official update, way back in September 2012.
That's a shame, since Verizon's Galaxy Nexus has been the only Nexus device so far to support 4G LTE connectivity. But from the look of things, owners of the devices won't have to wait much longer to get up to date.
The new update package discovered on Monday brings Verizon Galaxy Nexus phones on par with the GSM/HSPA+ versions, bumping the OS version to Jelly Bean 4.2.2 with the same kernel version number as the 4.2.2 updates for other devices.
The package is an incremental update, not a full ROM image, so to install it you'll need to be running the official, stock version of the most recent 4.1.1 ROM for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. Detailed instructions on how to flash the device are available from various sources around the web.
If you don't feel comfortable flashing your own phone, on the other hand, you may just want to wait for Verizon to push the update over the air (OTA). The carrier has made no public statement about the update, but the fact that it exists at all suggests that it's currently in testing and will probably be made available OTA in the coming weeks.
Don't expect many more updates after this one, however. Verizon discontinued its version of the Galaxy Nexus in January, and so far it hasn't picked up Google's replacement, the Nexus 4, either. ®
COMMENTS
Re: Verizon *can't* pick up the Nexus 4
The Nexus 4 is a really nice device. I think the S3 technically has the edge but it costs more. It beggars belief that the US is still hobbled by using a proprietary tech which means some networks still can't use bog standard GSM / GPRS phones enjoyed by the rest of the world. Not that it stops with the move to LTE - the S3 even had to ship in two models build around different SOCs to accommodate the US market and everyone else.
Verizon *can't* pick up the Nexus 4
It doesn't do CDMA at all, so it's not compatible. This is actually a good thing as it drove me to get off my butt and move to T-Mobile, for 2.5x the data cap (5gb vs 2gb) at 1/2 the monthly charge ($31 vs $65) with no contract and better customer service.
Plus if I ever hit my data cap, T-Mobile just turns off 3G. On Verizon, I'd pay up the ass for every additional byte transferred.
It's speculated that Google left out 4G LTE specifically since Verizon has historically been so slow.
4.2.Whoop
Who cares? It's not like 4.2.2 actually fixed anything. I have a Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Google are falling in my opinion. It's no better for 4.2.2.
The 4.2 upgrade (the first one) made my bluetooth unreliable and made the lockscreen corrupt when playing music. I'm just saddened by Google's quality issues. No, subsequent 4.2. issues didn't fix the problems.
Hey ho, maybe I'll get reliable bluetooth back in Keylime Pie, who knows?
