Galaxy S4 Google Edition may NOT receive Nexus quick updates

[smooth4lyfe]

With OEM-provided kernels, will Google Play edition devices receive Nexus-quick updates? | Android and Me

Next, it seems that the kernels for the two new devices are not made by Google, but by the OEM. This means that future updates won?t depend solely on Google, but on the OEMs as well. This makes sense; you?d expect the OEM to make the best kernel for the hardware they designed (unlike a Nexus phone, where the hardware and software are designed together). But this would mean an extra delay while waiting for the OEM to build a proper kernel. Will Google provide the code before releasing the update to Nexus devices or release the code to the OEMs afterward like they have traditionally done?

This is for both the GS4 and HTC One Google Phones

 

[Aquila]

There wasn't really another way for this to work, but hopefully it's still much faster than the TouchWiz and SenseUI devices.

 

[donm527#IM]

Google Play edition HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 wont be receiving updates directly from Google
http://phandroid.com/2013/06/26/google-play-edition-htc-one-samsung-galaxy-s4-no-google-updates/

I liked the idea when they first announced it but now it doesnt seem worth it the cost... really just better off getting the standard and putting in a rom... it may run faster than the bloated regular ones but phones are coming out with the new snapdragon 800 and reports are showing it just kills the 600... i rather hope for a new nexus with hopefully an 800 and LTE and key lime and that will be worlds better than a S4 GE.

 

[WickedRabbit]

Given that the changes are incredibly minor, I imagine the updates won't be far off. It's not as if they have to reskin it, but rather HTC just needs to make sure their Beats still works properly and Samsung needs to make sure that their Smartcover still works within the new code and both need to make sure that their button layout works. Given such minor changes and the fact that they likely will have access to testing the new software shortly before release, personally I don't expect long delays. We're probably talking days or within the month or release at the latest.

 

[mattopotamus]

I hate to say it, but that is still reason enough for me to cancel my order. There is a lot of uncertainty with the manufactures having to get involved, and for $650+ tax I want updates to be basically guaranteed in a timely fashion. HTC has still not rolled out 4.2.2 on their Carrier versions, and it has to be HTC delaying it as the s4 already has it with the carriers involvement.

 

[Aquila]

It's okay, we stripped everything out of (by we I mean developers smarter than me on these things) and put them on our nexus devices already July 9th!? Fogettabootit!

 

[garublador]

Given that the changes are incredibly minor, I imagine the updates won't be far off. It's not as if they have to reskin it, but rather HTC just needs to make sure their Beats still works properly and Samsung needs to make sure that their Smartcover still works within the new code and both need to make sure that their button layout works. Given such minor changes and the fact that they likely will have access to testing the new software shortly before release, personally I don't expect long delays. We're probably talking days or within the month or release at the latest.

The other option, which we have no way to prove, is that the HTC and Samsung updates will come at the same time as the Google update, but the Google update will be later than it would have been otherwise. So rather than just the HTC and Samsung Google phones getting updated later, we'll all get updated later. It will just look like the Samsung and HTC updates are earlier.

The optimist in me wants to think that what this could mean is that Samsung and HTC will be forced to work harder/earlier on kernel upgrades for new Android versions which could mean more timely updates for their non Google Edition phones. I'm not sure how much I really believe that will happen, though.

Edit: Don't forget that any difference in hardware (display, touchscreen, audio, camera) could mean more kernel updates. It's not just features that are unique to each phone that are different, even very similarly acting hardware could cause software differences. So it isn't just the Beats Audio and Smartcover, it's any hardware difference between the two.

 

[snookasnoo]

I hate to say it, but that is still reason enough for me to cancel my order. There is a lot of uncertainty with the manufactures having to get involved, and for $650+ tax I want updates to be basically guaranteed in a timely fashion. HTC has still not rolled out 4.2.2 on their Carrier versions, and it has to be HTC delaying it as the s4 already has it with the carriers involvement.

The S 4 had it from the beginning which is very different from certifying a new version on a existing phone. Typically the carriers are the bottleneck when it comes to upgrades.

 

[kgbkny]

Android 4.3 for the GS4 Google Edition has already leaked, and the phones haven't even been shipped yet. I wouldn't worry about update delays too much.

 

[planoman]

It say directly on the Google play website that it will receive the lastest updates directly from Google and fast too!

Sent from my Nexus 7

 

[mattopotamus]

Android 4.3 for the GS4 Google Edition has already leaked, and the phones haven't even been shipped yet. I wouldn't worry about update delays too much.

that is not 4.3...just a rom. The only thing that leak has different is the camera app, which anyone can get right now.

 

[kgbkny]

that is not 4.3...just a rom. The only thing that leak has different is the camera app, which anyone can get right now.

It is, in fact, a test build of 4.3 that was ported over from the Galaxy S4 Google Edition.

Install Android 4.3 on your Galaxy S4 (GT-I9505), ported from Google Play Edition (GT-I9505G) | SamMobile

 

[markray]

That's not good, if you can't get the latest updates as soon as they launched, why would someone go for Stock S4?

 

[Ry]

To quote the great Phil Nickinson- "It's not a Nexus".

Posted via Android Central App

 

[quietlybrilliant]

Pretty sure Google isn't going to joke around with this and make sure that, in collaboration with Samsung, they can get the updates out ASAP.

 

[planoman]

Directly from the S4 Google Edition website...and fast too!

Google Play edition.
The latest in Android.
The Google Play edition phones automatically receive updates of the latest Android software. Optimized for the latest apps, more storage for your content and a fast, clean user experience all come standard.

 

[garublador]

Directly from the S4 Google Edition website...

Google Play edition.
The latest in Android.
The Google Play edition phones automatically receive updates of the latest Android software. Optimized for the latest apps, more storage for your content and a fast, clean user experience all come standard.

I'm not sure you understand what's being talked about. You can't just take "pure Android" and install it on any phone. Each version of Android has to be tweaked to work with the kernel developed for each phone's specific hardware. So the "pure" Android on the Nexus won't be exactly the same as the "pure" Android for the GE S4 and neither will be exactly the same as the "pure" android for the GE One. The OEM's write part of the OS for these devices, so it's not all directly under Google's control.

The question is when will each version of "pure" Android be released? Will they all be released at the same time or separately? Will they all be delayed because there are more versions of "pure" Android to develop? Granted we can't possibly know if the latter happens becasue we can't know when the Nexus versions would have been released, but you can see where these questions are coming from.

 

[planoman]

I'm not sure you understand what's being talked about. You can't just take "pure Android" and install it on any phone. Each version of Android has to be tweaked to work with the kernel developed for each phone's specific hardware. So the "pure" Android on the Nexus won't be exactly the same as the "pure" Android for the GE S4 and neither will be exactly the same as the "pure" android for the GE One. The OEM's write part of the OS for these devices, so it's not all directly under Google's control.

The question is when will each version of "pure" Android be released? Will they all be released at the same time or separately? Will they all be delayed because there are more versions of "pure" Android to develop? Granted we can't possibly know if the latter happens becasue we can't know when the Nexus versions would have been released, but you can see where these questions are coming from.

lol! I understand perfectly what is being discussed. The Google playstore S4 Google edition says in the promotion of the product that it will receive updates directly from google. Pretty simple to understand. It is not like the code that that much different. If may come after the Nexus devices but surely before the skinned versions. Either way the updates will come from google. Not like the updates are rolling fast for the Nexus devices 4.2.2 was a while ago...

 

[garublador]

lol! I understand perfectly what is being discussed. The Google playstore S4 Google edition says in the promotion of the product that it will receive updates directly from google. Pretty simple to understand. It is not like the code that that much different. If may come after the Nexus devices but surely before the skinned versions. Either way the updates will come from google. Not like the updates are rolling fast for the Nexus devices 4.2.2 was a while ago...

The question was not how the updates will be rolled out, it's when. Posting that they will come from the Google Play store has nothing to do with what's being discussed because that's only how and we are discussing when.

 

[planoman]

The question was not how the updates will be rolled out, it's when. Posting that they will come from the Google Play store has nothing to do with what's being discussed because that's only how and we are discussing when.

Yes, read what I posted from the goole play website...looks like a lot of conjecture going on here. Some posters are trying to make an issue of something that isn't an issue. Google and the OEM's all have a track record you can look at. Without the carriers, I predict it will be very close in time to the Nexus pushes if not the same. International Samsung of which I have owned one, got updated all the time! I feel confident that if the carriers are out of the loop the updates will come.

Did you order one?