Does Google roll out any updates or only carriers?

[orangeman]

I have a Nexus 6 on order from the Google Play store. Sometimes I will have a T-Mobile sim and other times it will be AT&T. Does it just depend on which sim happens to be in the phone at the moment for the source of the update or does Google ever provide it directly?

 

[LeoRex]

Well.. the Nexus devices are a bit of an oddity.... Typically for OEM phones, like a Note, Google releases the Android source, it goes through the OEM for development (which also includes carrier modifications), the software is given to the carrier for qualification, and then it is published. The carrier then decides which phones get what version.

The Nexus 6 cuts out the middleman in a sense, since Google handles all the software. But you still need to have your phone 'blessed' by the carrier... but the update itself still comes from Google. So yes, what you get and when you get it is determined by the SIM that you have loaded in your phone. There are a couple of different versions kicking around at the moment... 5.0 (release), 5.0.1 (the update from December). Then things got a little messy with the release of 5.1... the addition of VoLTE seems to have caused a bit of a scramble as there are currently 3 different versions in the wild. LMY47D, LMY47E and LMY47M.... I'm not sure who got D, but E was really for Verizon and M is meant for T-Mobile.

Funny thing is that any of these versions are for the most part compatible with every Nexus 6.. other than the VoLTE additions (maybe)... there MAY be some variation there between carriers and versions.... but it gets messy. For instance, M is for T-Mobile, but the radio included appears to be the same as the D release... E, for Verizon, uses different, newer radio firmware, presumably to support VoLTE on Verizon's network. BUT.... there are some people on T-Mobile that loaded E, with the Verizon radios, that say that VoLTE is working.

It's kind of a odd mess.... and I suspect that the next updates (5.1.1, 5.2? not sure) might see the different forks converge again to a single release... at least until T-Mobile incorporates Wi-Fi Calling...

 

[rnbd]

LMY47D is for ATT.

 

[orangeman]

It's kind of a odd mess.... and I suspect that the next updates (5.1.1, 5.2? not sure) might see the different forks converge again to a single release... at least until T-Mobile incorporates Wi-Fi Calling...

Thanks so much for that very helpful answer. That really clears it up. I have a Nexus 4 with a broken sim slot and have gotten updates on wifi without carrier intervention. It doesn't sound like that would be the case with the Nexus 6.

Good point about doing the T-Mobile version to get the Wi-Fi calling!

 

[planoman]

Thanks so much for that very helpful answer. That really clears it up. I have a Nexus 4 with a broken sim slot and have gotten updates on wifi without carrier intervention. It doesn't sound like that would be the case with the Nexus 6.

Good point about doing the T-Mobile version to get the Wi-Fi calling!

Wifi calling is not in the M for TMO update but will come at a later date from my understanding.

Posted via Nexus 6!

 

[LeoRex]

Thanks so much for that very helpful answer. That really clears it up. I have a Nexus 4 with a broken sim slot and have gotten updates on wifi without carrier intervention. It doesn't sound like that would be the case with the Nexus 6.

Good point about doing the T-Mobile version to get the Wi-Fi calling!

Yeah... M doesn't have WiFi Calling. That is still being tested and yet to be released. Sorry if that wasn't clear. And even if it did, you will only be able to use the Wi-Fi Calling feature if you are on T-Mobile's network.

As for the Nexus 6 getting an update via Wi-Fi. That's a very good question that I have to say I have no answer to. I can only assume that at some point, ALL Nexus 6's will get the update notification regardless of what carrier they are on.... so once your particular phone is 'blessed', it might get the update regardless of whether or not it has a SIM. You might have to wait a while.

 

[Knyte]

Without a sim in, I was updated to version D which works on Verizon and already has the backup software from vzw baked in. I have not seen the E version that's supposed to be for vzw yet...

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