The Verge - Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich updates: everything you need to know

HTC Thunderbolt, Verizon's first LTE smartphone, finally getting Android 4.0 update

2013-01-31T21:56:57Z

Sure, it took over a year to get here and you can't even buy the device anymore, but Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) is finally coming to HTC's Thunderbolt. Verizon Wireless has approved a forthcoming update that will bring ICS to the carrier's first-ever LTE handset, which it stopped selling to customers months ago. Despite it's end-of-life status, Verizon apparently hasn't given up on extending the Thunderbolt's utility for anyone that's managed to hold onto one this long.

After downloading and installing software update 7.02.605.06, users will be greeted with Android 4.0.4 and version 3.6 of HTC's Sense skin. Verizon had first hoped to deliver this update to Thunderbolt owners — who've been saddled with Android 2.3 until now —...

Motorola Atrix 4G will not be upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich, despite earlier promises

2012-09-30T00:08:08Z

Motorola has confirmed that the Atrix 4G won't be receiving an upgrade to Android 4.0 after all. The manufacturer broke the news with a recent update to its Android upgrade schedule, noting that the Atrix 4G, Electrify, and Photon 4G will all remain on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, rather than making the jump to Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Atrix 4G was among the handful of handsets pegged for a Q3 2012 upgrade earlier this year, when Motorola released its device roadmap. Of the three devices relegated to Gingerbread, the Atrix 4G is the oldest, having been released in early 2011. The Photon 4G hit the market in July 2011, followed by its US Cellular variant, the Electrify, a few months later. This would suggest, then, that owners of these...

Sony adds 'Glove Mode' to Xperia Sola for use in the cold

2012-09-28T16:22:01Z

Nokia's Lumia 920 isn't the only smartphone that lets you use your gloves while navigating, Sony has just brought Android 4.0 to the Xperia Sola along with a new feature called "Glove Mode." Automatically built into the Sola's Ice Cream Sandwich update, "Glove Mode" makes use of the device's floating touch technology, which previously provided only a few advantages such as hovering over items in a browser to open drop down menus. When enabled, the handset actually detects the user's finger instead of the glove itself. The feature is turned on by default, otherwise Sola owners just have to unlock their phone with a glove on to ensure that it is activated. If the video below is any indication, the feature works well with what appears to be...

Droid Bionic Android 4.0 update now coming in Q4 as new Motorola exec promises transparency

2012-09-23T09:23:05Z

New Motorola VP of product Punit Soni has pledged on Google+ to improve the company's poor track record of supporting its devices with software updates. Specifically, he calls out Droid Bionic owners as having gotten a "raw deal" and says that a plan is still in place to update the phone to Android 4.0 — it was supposed to happen in Q3 this year, but with only a few days left on the calendar it looks like that deadline will be missed. Motorola has updated its device roadmap to state that the Bionic will now be getting Ice Cream Sandwich in Q4 along with the Droid Xyboard 8.2 and Xoom Family Edition.

O2 refuses to update Xperia Arc, Ray, and Neo to Android 4.0 due to 'speed and performance' issues

2012-09-03T11:19:11Z

O2 will not update the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, Ray, or Neo to Android 4.0, despite Sony greenlighting updates to its own customers throughout the world. In a blog post, O2 says it has been testing the updates over the past few months, but they didn't meet its requirements. Apparently, the Ice Cream Sandwich update negatively affected the "speed and performance" of all three devices. Because users unhappy with the change would be unable to roll back to Android 2.3 without performing a full wipe of their device, O2 will not be providing the update to any of its customers.

As Engadget points out, any O2 user that wants to update their phone — and doesn't mind the risks involved — will be able to find a fully-functional Android 4.0 ROM...

T-Mobile SpringBoard gets Android 4.0 this week, three months after international variant

2012-08-14T08:59:04Z

T-Mobile's SpringBoard tablet, a rebranded version of the Huawei MediaPad, is finally receiving an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, more than three months after its vanilla sibling. According to a message on the T-Mobile site, the update will be available over the air on Wednesday — eager users will be able to download it manually by tapping the "System updates (Google)" label in the "About tablet" section of the device's settings menu.

The package will include the 4.0.3 build of Ice Cream Sandwich — not 4.0.4, the latest build of ICS — as well as a number of bug fixes, including a patch for a common "Unrecognized SIM Card" error and improvements to the tablet's handling of Wi-Fi connections. Intriguingly, it also delivers...

Droid 4 Android 4.0 update rolling out now, brings GSM global roaming to the device

2012-08-13T22:28:56Z

It's been a long wait, but the Droid 4 is getting its update to Ice Cream Sandwich. Verizon Wireless has confirmed that the update is now rolling out "in phases" to owners, and, as an added bonus, the upgrade enables GSM global roaming on the device. The carrier promised long ago that the Droid 4 would get the feature enabled sometime this summer, and now it's arrived. Global roaming allows the device to run on GSM networks abroad, and means that the phone now runs on GSM, CDMA and LTE — quite the combo. Of course, the phone isn't unlocked, so you'll need to pick up an international data plan from Verizon if you're planning on going abroad. We've yet to receive the update (version 6.16.217.XT894.Verizon.en.US), but from what we can see...

HTC insists all its Android 4.0 updates are coming by the end of August

2012-08-10T08:37:57Z

Amid grumbling about its commitment to provide updates for all the devices on its Android 4.0 roadmap in a timely fashion, HTC took to Facebook to remind everyone that yes, the remaining updates are on the way, just a little behind schedule, reports Android Police. That’s good news for owners of the Droid Incredible 2 and Thunderbolt, who had been expecting an August release, as well as people with phones like the Rhyme and Desire S, who have been waiting patiently since the company missed its original goal of June or July. HTC says that all of the phones on the previously-announced list, save for the shunned Desire HD, will be getting updates by the end of August.