Android upgrade should be carrier independent

[android_kid]

Based on the recent issues like Stagefright, that allows a hacker to take complete control of an Android phone or tablet. The bug threatens nearly a billion devices and has prompted Google and hardware makers such as Samsung and LG to rethink how they provide software updates to Android devices.

I do see many manufactures are coming up with monthly updates to fix most of them, but because of carriers those fixes are not reaching consumers, which makes consumer feel un-secured, and eventually might move on to different platform if they are victims of those bugs. This trend should be stopped, all together should make Android Robust.
It would be great if we can have some laws that eliminates carrier not block updates between manufacturer and consumer.
Stagefright is just an example but we might come across other issues to avoid all be happy, frequent updates would be great.

With this customers will be more loyal to their manufactures and OS.

If customer has contract let it be with the service and lock device but not with the Android OS, carriers do not want to spend money pushing those fixes and not even pushing the latest Android OS which makes millions of devices sitting with old versions and bugs.

 

[Aquila]

You lost me at the FUD in your premise. Stagefright had the ability to impact less than .08% of devices at the time it was discovered and not a single device was ever subjected to being "taken over".

 

[Laura Knotek]

I'm not overly concerned about Stagefright bug. However, I already dislike carrier branded devices due to the slow updates. After living with carrier branded devices for many years, I'm getting an unlocked unbranded device soon (Moto X Pure). I won't need AT&T for anything other than service, and I won't have a contract for that, since my contract expired back in April 2014.

 

[Aquila]

Added info on Stagefright:

All devices running Android 4.0 or higher are already protected by other mechanisms within Android for all known attacks that this vulnerability has available. What these updates will do, is eliminate the potential of this vulnerability to capitalize on potentially unknown applications that this bug could take on - however there is nothing to indicate that this ever impacted a single device. The number of impacted devices listed in the whitepaper and ensuing response from Google's engineering team was 0. The volume of devices deemed at risk was estimated to be below .08%, though Google stated in another publication that it could have been as high as .15% of devices.

The devices actually at the highest risk are devices with more than .5 GB RAM running android 2.3.3 to 2.3.7 Gingerbread API level 10 on phones and 3.0 Honeycomb to 3.2.6 (API levels 11 through 13) on Tablets, GoogleTV and other devices with more than 1 GB RAM and are MMS capable (you can imagine this is a tiny number of devices).

 

[xocomaox]

You're forgetting that you typically buy your phone from your carrier. Your carrier is ultimately the first line of support when you have a problem. They are the ones bundling the "bloatware" which actually does server a purpose.. It's the vehicle for the services you get from the carrier. They have every right to be controlling what their customers are buying from them.

It's the same as when you buy a car. You visit the dealership for repairs and help. Not Ford or Toyota, lol.

I'm not going to comment on the Stagefright aspect, as it's already been talked about here.

You do, however, have a choice in the matter. You can buy your phone unlocked and free of carrier firmwares, or you can root and take full control of what you're getting. Don't be fooled into thinking you're under their spell.

 

[Aquila]

You can buy your phone unlocked and free of carrier firmwares

DO THIS!!!

 

[android_kid]

LOL carrier doesn't help much in problems, only manufacture can help, if that is the case why carrier takes such a long time once manufacture releases fixes, if any things goes wrong with Toyota example recalls major issues, who does that Toyota does that thru their authorized dealers, dealers never come to you unless you opted a service from them.
another example, if you see in case of iOS carriers doesn't do much, it is totally controlled by Apple, once Apple pushes users get it irrespective of which carrier you are associated, that makes user experience difference, user adaptability and usage.

 

[android_kid]

my main reason for post is for more better ways and improvements in the android world, which would make more adaptability of android and increase android lovers, when we are locked for 2 years contract and maintaining service with they why should I pay additional price, other point is after 2 years contract will service provide release my device to manufacturer in reality NO, it is for ever locked with that service provider for updates, rooting device is another big unless you know what you are doing.
if you see iOS it is again apple decision of which devices get updates and what needs to be pushed, carriers doesn't have much choice they obey what ever apple says. if android too has those features from manufactures we might see more users migrate from iOS to Android

 

[xocomaox]

LOL carrier doesn't help much in problems, only manufacture can help, if that is the case why carrier takes such a long time once manufacture releases fixes, if any things goes wrong with Toyota example recalls major issues, who does that Toyota does that thru their authorized dealers, dealers never come to you unless you opted a service from them.
another example, if you see in case of iOS carriers doesn't do much, it is totally controlled by Apple, once Apple pushes users get it irrespective of which carrier you are associated, that makes user experience difference, user adaptability and usage.

Yes, the carrier is your first line of support when you have issues with your smartphone, unless you have an iOS device.

if you see iOS it is again apple decision of which devices get updates and what needs to be pushed, carriers doesn't have much choice they obey what ever apple says. if android too has those features from manufactures we might see more users migrate from iOS to Android

Apple's policy is just that, and they can get away with it because of the massive amount of customers they can bring in. This is not the case with all other manufacturers. Remember when AT&T was the first and only carrier to offer the iPhone? It wasn't Apple's first choice. They originally went to Verizon but they couldn't strike a deal because of how much control Apple wanted over the hardware and software. They wanted to control everything about it. Verizon eventually caved after seeing how much business it was bringing in.

Apple is really the only exception in the world of manufacturers who have this kind of negotiating power. The rest have to follow suit and play the carrier game, in the US.

 

[Crashdamage]

I'm all for no carrier interference with the OS or updates - in principle. As has been said, we should be able to go to the store or online, and buy unlocked phones that work with any carrier. They should get updates directly from the manufacturer regardless of the service provider the phone is used with.

In principle.

But there's some legitimate circumstances that makes a phone market Utopia difficult or impossible.

Consider T-Mobile's WiFi calling feature. It works slick. Transitions from WiFi to the cellphone network as you move about is so seamless you never know when it happens. But to make it work so well, it must be integrated into the OS.

Google's Project Fi works in a similar way and it must be baked into the OS for good results.

So what should happen in such cases, where a carrier has made a significant, positive change to their network but one that requires modification to the OS? There's limited choices.

Either the provider must supply the OS updates, including any required modifications, which puts things right where they are now, with carriers providing OS updates.

Or the provider would have to release the OS patch to manufacturers so they could include it in the phone's default OS. That way, a patch such as T-Mobile's WiFi calling could be included in all phones and OS updates could come directly from manufacturers.

Well, good luck getting providers to give away something like WiFi calling technology to everyone free. If for example, T-Mobile wants to keep their WiFi calling technology to themselves, you can't really blame them for wanting to keep that edge.

Anyway, point is, I'm just trying to give an example of why 'universal' unlocked phones are hard to do and that it will be difficult to take carriers completely out of the update loop, even if bloatware is not a part of the software package.

Android since v1.0. Linux since 2001.

 

[android_kid]

Yes, appreciate your updates, Apple is the one who had negotiating power because of its high volume customer base, later Verizon finally agreed to Apple terms because of customers demand, so practically it is possible to keep certain things carrier in-dependent, in countries were there are more unlocked phones they are not carrier dependent, that way manufacturers can attract more customers with their changes as they can push to customers directly. even in contract phones it should be the case, because contract should be tied to service not to the phone and its updates.

 

[android_kid]

appreciate your details.

 

[xocomaox]

How does Verizon or AT&T or whoever exclude data downloaded for these firmware updates from your plan? Especially if they are going to be coming from many different manufacturers, who don't even have the infrastructure to push out updates like the carriers do. Apple has this in place and spent a lot of money on it I'm sure. They must have a special server that is void of data charges.

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

Carrier interference with updates on phones that have their label on is one of the bazillion reasons why my phones are SIM unlocked.