Android software updates

[mattlynch]

hi guys, my better half is looking into an android phone, the new Sony Z, from reading reviews they comment on how its disappointing that it only comes with android 4.1, does this mean it cannot be updated to the most recent version?

[tobiasclarity]

hi guys, my better half is looking into an android phone, the new Sony Z, from reading reviews they comment on how its disappointing that it only comes with android 4.1, does this mean it cannot be updated to the most recent version?

 

Normally if it is a brand new phone out the manufacturor will give notice if they are going to allow an upgrade to the new OS, some companies do it some dont. If he is prepared to wait a few new phones are going to be announced this month including the HTC M7 which is definitley worth waiting for. I have never personally got on with the Sony phones.

 

Bottom line is, if the phone comes with 4.1 there is nothing stopping it from being updated if Sony allow it, if not then a custom rom will give the update

[sonofsanta]

With a non-Nexus Android phone, it is up to the manufacturer to push the update out, which can be patchy. The only way to find out what's planned for a phone is to Google it up, I'm afraid, and try and look at a company's track record in this area.

 

It's why I went for a proper Nexus phone, so the updates come direct from Google.

 

FWIW though, 4.1 to 4.2 wasn't a massive change - a few gimmicky features like Photosphere, but essentially the same, including the Project Butter improvements to the UI.

[Arthur]

does this mean it cannot be updated to the most recent version?

According to what I have read, the Xperia Z will be updated to Android 4.2 within the first month of its release so I wouldn't worry about it. It should get Android 5.0 too, although not at the same time as Google's Nexus devices.

 

If I didn't already have a Nexus 4, the Z is the smartphone I would be getting since Sony are much better than any of the other manufacturers in terms of releasing updates (and the relevant source code required for third-party ROM developers)...

 

www.xda-developers.com/holiday-guide-2012/oem-of-the-year/

[X-13]

Sorry to hijack/derail... But does anyone know the I.P/URL for android updates?

 

I can't do it over mobile data [20mb update] but the connection fails on our WiFi. I want to check if it's being blocked.

[Arthur]

does anyone know the I.P/URL for android updates?

For the Nexus 4, it is...

 

http://android.clients.google.com/packages/ota/google_mako/625f5f7c6524.signed-occam-JOP40D-from-JOP40C.625f5f7c.zip

[X-13]

For the Nexus 4, it is...

 

http://android.clients.google.com/packages/ota/google_mako/625f5f7c6524.signed-occam-JOP40D-from-JOP40C.625f5f7c.zip

 

Cool, that works. I'm not sure if it's the same for S3 though...

[Arthur]

I want to check if it's being blocked.

I've just found some instructions on the XDA forums on how to find out OTA URLs. This method should work for your S3.

 

forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=21025378&postcount=27

[X-13]

I've just found some instructions on the XDA forums on how to find out OTA URLs. This method should work for your S3.

 

forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=21025378&postcount=27

 

 

Ironically, the thing to tell me how to check if the update is blocked... is blocked. [Web based social networking]

 

I'm fed up of this carp.

[Arthur]

Here's a copy-and-paste of the instructions (with a few amendments).

 

This is how to get the update URL if you've received an OTA update:

 

Method 1

1. Do NOT install the update yet! If you do, or reboot, the URL will disappear.
   
2. Cancel the update.
   
3. Plug your device to your computer and open a command prompt;
   
4. Type adb logcat > logcat.txt.
   
5. Recheck for the update and install.
   
6. When it finishes, look at the logcat.txt file on your computer and find a URL that starts off with http://android.clients.google.com/packages/ota/ with a bunch of numbers after it, and ending in .zip.
   
7. Done.
   

Method 2

1. Do NOT install the update yet! If you do, or reboot, the URL will disappear.
   
2. Cancel the update.
   
3. Go to Google Play and install aLogcat (or sideload the APK).
   
4. Recheck for the update and cancel again.
   
5. Open the app that you just installed, and browse through it backwards until you a URL that starts off with http://android.clients.google.com/packages/ota/ with a bunch of numbers after it, and ending in .zip.
   
6. Done.
   

 

Method 1 assumes you have already installed the Android SDK and your URLs might start with samsung.com instead of google.com?

[jamesfed]

Just to add something here - 2 years and 1 day ago I bought my HTC Pro 7 (Windows Phone 7) and just a few days ago I upgraded it to the latest version of Windows Phone 7 (v7.8)....

 

Now would someone mind comparing that to the release/update cycles of most modern Android phones?

[mattlynch]

Cheers for the reply's guys! Will pass them on

[Arthur]

Now would someone mind comparing that to the release/update cycles of most modern Android phones?

You'll like this.

 

Two-year-old phone receives 15-month-old software update « Ars Technica

 

The new features that many Android users are missing out on are just part of the problem—the more pressing issue is security. Flaws in the built-in Android browser, apps, and the Android operating system itself are going completely unpatched for months or years, which stands in sharp contrast with the more rapid security patches that Microsoft publishes for Windows (just to pick a prominent example).

 

Activist Chris Soghoian, speaking at the Kaspersky Lab Security Analyst Summit about Android's update problems, puts it the most succinctly: “You don’t need a zero-day to attack Android if consumers are running 13-month-old software.”

 

http://i.imgur.com/lwhszAK.jpg

Edited February 21, 2013 by Arthur

[Geoff]

I get nightly builds from Cyanogen on my Samsung S2.

 

BBQLog - Official CyanogenMod 7, 9, 10 and 10.1 Changelog for Android distrubtion

CyanogenMod Downloads

Edited February 21, 2013 by Geoff