November Security Patch Now Live -- Updated @ 11/5 1PM EST)

[TraderGary]

Well, I do know that I haven't been outside my house for 5 days since going out to dinner on Friday night and I have no neighbors close to my acreage to hotspot from. My only connection for my phone and for my computers is my Comcast WiFi. I cannot see how T-Mobile could have had anything to do with my Google September update. Why couldn't that update have come directly from Google over WiFi with no requirement of going through any phone provider?

 

[mustang7757]

Well, I do know that I haven't been outside my house for 5 days since going out to dinner on Friday night and I have no neighbors close to my acreage to hotspot from. My only connection for my phone and for my computers is my Comcast WiFi. I cannot see how T-Mobile could have had anything to do with my Google September update. Why couldn't that update have come directly from Google over WiFi with no requirement of going through any phone provider?

I feel the same way , I bought the pixel 3xl unlocked from Google I should get it from them directly not from who's sim is in my phone . But as I watched yesterday Verizon Sims or models were getting the updates first.

 

[TraderGary]

Well, I do know that I haven't been outside my house for 5 days since going out to dinner on Friday night and I have no neighbors close to my acreage to hotspot from. My only connection for my phone and for my computers is my Comcast WiFi. I cannot see how T-Mobile could have had anything to do with my Google September update. Why couldn't that update have come directly from Google over WiFi with no requirement of going through any phone provider?

I meant to type November update, as that is what I now have. And it had to have come from Google over WiFi and not through a cell phone provider!

 

[Almeuit]

How can there be a WiFi hotspot to latch onto if my house is in a rural valley completely devoid of all carrier hotspots? Where then does my Security Update come from?

Your wifi is your carrier when you're home.

 

[TraderGary]

Your wifi is your carrier when you're home.

So my Security Update would then come directly from Google over my WiFi connection and there is no cell phone carrier involved. Is that what you're saying?

 

[Almeuit]

So my Security Update would then come directly from Google over my WiFi connection and there is no cell phone carrier involved. Is that what you're saying?

Should be.

 

[bhatech]

I'm not sure I understand, updates come from Google servers always. If you are connected to WiFi, the bits are delivered from Google servers to your phone via your home internet provider network. If you are connected to carrier network and pull the update, the bits are delivered from Google server via you carrier network.

What you are connected to doesn't determine where the source of the update is, they always come from Google servers. Your connection only determines what route it takes to get to your phone.
Or may be I'm misunderstanding what you are asking.

So my Security Update would then come directly from Google over my WiFi connection and there is no cell phone carrier involved. Is that what you're saying?

 

[TraderGary]

I'm not sure I understand, updates come from Google servers always. If you are connected to WiFi, the bits are delivered from Google servers to your phone via your home internet provider network. If you are connected to carrier network and pull the update, the bits are delivered from Google server via you carrier network.

What you are connected to doesn't determine where the source of the update, they always come from Google servers. Your connection only determines what route it takes to get to your phone.
Or may be I'm misunderstanding what you are asking.

That's what I always understood too. Some on this thread were saying that the updates were controlled by T-Mobile when on Google Fi. I didn't think that could possibly be true.

 

[bhatech]

That's what I always understood too. Some on this thread were saying that the updates were controlled by T-Mobile when on Google Fi. I didn't think that could possibly be true.

When they say controlled its more of a certification or blessing from carriers that the OTA is good to go. So let's say you have a T-Mobile SIM in your Pixel and T-Mobile hasn't certified the OTA yet then your phone won't see the OTA from Google servers until they get a go ahead. Generally it's just a day or two difference and I have never seen an ota held up more than that because of carrier not certifying or something like that. It looks like Google and carriers have some good system set up for this where the certification is pretty quick and easy. Also, it's not clear if certification happens with all carriers or just with T-Mobile and Verizon. I don't remember seeing any delays with AT&T sim and they seem to get update as soon as security updates are announced if I recall correctly.

For project fi since its using TMobile network, may be they don't push until TMobile certifies the OTA is my guess.

 

[TraderGary]

When they say controlled its more of a certification or blessing from carriers that the OTA is good to go. So let's say you a T-Mobile SIM in your Pixel and T-Mobile hasn't certified the OTA yet then your phone won't see the OTA from Google servers until they get a go ahead. Generally it's just a day or two difference and I have never seen an ota held up more than that because of carrier not certifying or something like that. I looks like Google and carriers have some good system set up for this where the certification is pretty quick and easy. Also, it's not clear if certification happens with all carriers or just with T-Mobile and Verizon. I don't remember seeing any delays with AT&T sim and they seem to get update as soon as security updates are announced if I recall correctly.

For project fi since its using TMobile network as well may be they don't push until TMobile certifies is my guess.

How would that be handled since Google Fi uses 3 carriers, T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular. The carrier that is used is the one that has the best signal. Here in the Atlanta area when I'm away from home I can be on T-Mobile one minute and then on Sprint the next.

 

[TraderGary]

Instead of guessing what is going on I need to contact Google Fi and find out what they actually do.

 

[KrisYYC]

Your carrier should be irrelevant and have no control over the update if you bought directly from Google instead of from a carrier store. The updates will come straight from Google.

 

[bhatech]

[deleted]

 

[bhatech]

Good luck getting answers from support people especially on explaining how updates work

Instead of guessing what is going on I need to contact Google Fi and find out what they actually do.

 

[bhatech]

And if you have time here is detailed explanation from an old Reddit thread on how updates work on Pixel devices and they are still subjected to certain carrier approvals, but irrespective of where you buy all updates come from Google servers. Good read if you have time


https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/7bfkdr/psa_pixelnexus_updates_can_still_be_subject_to/


If you don't want to read thru that long detailed explanation, here is a tldr version:

Conclusion

You Nexus/Pixel phone may be subject to carrier restrictions which delay software updates. You can circumvent this by using ADB with the factory images or OTA images posted on Google's website. Alternatively, if you don't want to use ADB, you can circumvent the carrier association by swapping sims, or removing and performing a factory reset.

But for MOST users, I recommend waiting the additional days or weeks for the update just in case there was a carrier-specific firmware, or carrier-specific bug fix that was needed.

Instead of guessing what is going on I need to contact Google Fi and find out what they actually do.

Your carrier should be irrelevant and have no control over the update if you bought directly from Google instead of from a carrier store. The updates will come straight from Google.

 

[J Dubbs]

I meant to type November update, as that is what I now have. And it had to have come from Google over WiFi and not through a cell phone provider!

When I set up my pixel directly out of the box, I set it up with no sim card in it. I went completely through the setup process over my home wifi network, and upgraded from Android Nougat to Oreo to Pie, along with the latest security update. This was all done before the phone ever had a sim card put in it. So in that particular instance there was no carrier involvement at all, yet everything updated instantly. I had a similar experience with my unlocked Moto X Pure edition. And it was even the same with my wife's unlocked Alcatel Idol 4s windows phone.... I updated it with no sim in it.

From my limited experience it seems that unlocked phones get their updates straight from the manufacturer without the need for any carrier intervention.....at least originally. Maybe once you put a sim card in them that changes? That might explain why sometimes folks get updates quicker when they pull their sim cards out. Things that make you go hmmm....

 

[klau25]

We see the same topic every month, with the same arguments going back and forth. Maybe someone should just put up a sticky about how update works with Pixel.

I personally don't think it is a big deal. We generally get our updates within couple of days Google releases it. I'm fine with that. Still much better than most other manufacturers who may or may not even send out an update.

 

[Mike Dee]

Your carrier should be irrelevant and have no control over the update if you bought directly from Google instead of from a carrier store. The updates will come straight from Google.

It's Google but it's sold through Project Fi. The carrier is not irrelevant because until they authorize the release it's not available for download. We have since the same behaviour on the last few updates.

 

[Mike Dee]

How would that be handled since Google Fi uses 3 carriers, T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular. The carrier that is used is the one that has the best signal. Here in the Atlanta area when I'm away from home I can be on T-Mobile one minute and then on Sprint the next.

Well it's seems to be controlled and realeased around the same time as TMobile based on at least the last two updates. This time around there wasn't a big delay from the first to get it and those getting it now.

 

[Mike Dee]

When they say controlled its more of a certification or blessing from carriers that the OTA is good to go. So let's say you have a T-Mobile SIM in your Pixel and T-Mobile hasn't certified the OTA yet then your phone won't see the OTA from Google servers until they get a go ahead. Generally it's just a day or two difference and I have never seen an ota held up more than that because of carrier not certifying or something like that. It looks like Google and carriers have some good system set up for this where the certification is pretty quick and easy. Also, it's not clear if certification happens with all carriers or just with T-Mobile and Verizon. I don't remember seeing any delays with AT&T sim and they seem to get update as soon as security updates are announced if I recall correctly.

For project fi since its using TMobile network, may be they don't push until TMobile certifies the OTA is my guess.

Agreed