HTC ThunderBolt Android 4.04 ICS Update Release Date Roulette: Droid Incredible 2, Too
Whoops, HTC promised updates to Android 4.04 Ice Cream Sandwich by the end of August and owners are losing their patience.
HTC via its Facebook page told HTC ThunderBolt owners:
"We're aware we missed the deadline and know you're looking forward to the update. We're actively working with Verizon on ICS software for the Thunderbolt, and we'll notify customers as soon as we have an update."
The Droid Incredible 2 was also supposed to get the 4.0 ICS update in August. Questions from Facebook users asking about the Droid Incredible were answered with the exact same aforementioned statement.
Formerly via Facebook HTC posted, " We're still shooting to have ICS updates out to all announced devices by the end of this month, Jim."
Verizon Wireless, in general takes it's time sending out updates because it tests updates over and over again. Verizon typically starts the rollout of an update on a Tuesday and increases the OTA update on Thursday with a full blow release over the weekend.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich adds some features such as Android Beam, Face Unlock, a new UI, voice-to-text and improved camera (see all features and video). The update also includes an upgrade of HTC Sense to 3.6.
The update process has been very slow, with customers complaining with no recourse.
There is hope because leaked versions of the update have appeared suggesting that HTC is working on the update, it's just not done, yet.
FYI: We just noticed today that HTC is enabling owners of the HTC ThunderBolt and Droid Incredible 1/2 to unlock their phones with the HTC unlock tool.
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9:13 pm
I'm tired of waiting.
9:16 pm
Imagine that, Verizon sucks anyways..It took them months to get a release out for my rezound...
10:56 am
Well the ICS update for the Thunderbolt is 2 weeks late today. I guess it does not bother anyone @ verizon that this breaks a record for longest delay of an update. Way to go HTC/Verizon!
I am not and never have been an Apple person, PC all the way. With the PC you have the freedom to upgrade hardware and software any time you feel like it. With HTC Phone's You can customize them to suite your self largely. But after the Thunderbolt debacle I am ready to jump camp. 5 Thunderbolts, Verizon lied about the Problems with the Phone, largely denied most problems, Finally on the Blogs the Problems surfaced so much they could not be ignored. I can do an early upgrade in NOV. or wait till March 15, 2013, and do whatever suits me.
The Apple Iphone5 looks pretty good now that it has 4g LTE.
10:29 pm
Wow about 2 weeks ago Verizon finaly gave my town Williamson, NY 4G. the three towns directly around me dont have it yet wierd but go through the town to the west and enter the neigboring countie and the is 4G.
10:47 pm
I have the Thunderbolt, will NEVER have another HTC or any Android phone again because of this BS. Now it will be the end of September if ever. I'm eligible for an upgrade in December. IPhone it will be, one phone, one operating system EVERYONE gets the updates at the same time, and it works.
5:37 am
My thoughts exactly
9:11 am
Hey Jeff, I think you read the quote wrong. I believe they were referencing a previous quote "end of the month" referred to end of August. I'm hoping (as I'm sure you are) that the release is just around the corner.
6:25 pm
I just want to point out that just because HTC repeatedly and consistently drops the ball with the Thunderbolt and other phones isnt really a good reason to abandon Androids as a whole. It's like saying you dont like your next door neighbor, so you're going to leave the country.
That being said, I will also not be giving HTC any more of my business once I upgrade. They blatantly disrespect their customers by refusing to offer even the mkst geberal explanation of hiw they missed their own self imposed deadline.
And don't misunderstand, if you are more comfortable with an iPhone, then thats certainly your choice.
9:08 am
I really wouldn't blame this on HTC, blame it on Verizon. I have a Galaxy Nexus with Verizon and still don't have Jelly Bean, which is supposed to go to all Nexus devices as soon as Google releases it. It took 6 months to go from 4.0.2 to 4.0.4 and that was just bug fixes.
Verizon is notoriously slow with Android updates, claiming a rigorous testing procedure for the reason.
Sprint got their update a few days ago and there has been no word when Verizon is going to release theirs.
6:51 am
Clever strategy for HTC. Publish a "promise" to have all these phones updated to ICS by the end of August. So now you have all these owners with some hope and some renewed interest in their old phones. Of course they had no intention of actually meeting that deadline. So now that they have us all on the hook, they can jerk us along through September until who knows when, maybe close enough to all these customers contract renewal dates so that they will still have their giddy feeling of getting ICS, and therefore have more tendency to buy HTC again on the phone upgrade.
8:47 am
HTC and all of the other android phone makers are their own worst enemies! They make switching to Apple products a no-brainer. The Thunderbolt will be my last HTC phone as well as my last android phone.
12:47 pm
I had friends who spoke highly of HTC a few years ago, but those days appear to be gone when HTC missing and dragging its feet on updates.
Done with HTC
2:03 pm
I have a Thunderbolt and I have to say it has been the most unpleasant phone experience I have ever had. You can't run the phone all day without using the extended battery, which makes the thing ENORMOUS. Either that or turn off the 4G. Google already has phones on Jelly Bean and we don't even have ICS. Ridiculous.
I will never buy another HTC phone again. I will be getting an iPhone this month (what I had before Android) and will not look back. At least Apple updates their devices in a timely manner.
4:16 pm
Thunderbolt owner. Trust me, I'm getting impatient as well with the missed deadlines and it's not the first time with this phone. Needless to say, I'm use to it. Also, I'm not trying to troll or be mean but, who really cares? It's just a phone, it works and we get free updates (that are typically behind schedule). You won't see me switching to anything else because of it. Why does everybody have to hate so hard? Just enjoy what you have!
6:15 pm
Unfortunately, this is not the first HTC this has happened to, or even the first Android phone. This is one of the big things that drove me to the iPhone.
The main goal of HTC (or any other phone manufacturer) is to sell you phones. To that end, they have very little interest in keeping you updated to the current OS. The sooner your phone becomes obsolete, the sooner you'll be looking to replace it. I can't think of any Android phones that received vendor supported upgrades once they were no longer being actively sold, whereas the original iPhone is able to run the current version of iOS, and on the same day that it was released for every other model.
That was a huge selling point [for iPhone] for me after waiting for ever for HTC/Verizon to release an update for my Droid Incredible. And I've never regretted the decision.
9:07 pm
Sure, I plug in my tbolt all the time. HTC and Verizon should just do what apple does - don't tell anyone when the release date is.
I had an iphone and I think android is vastly superior in many ways. I would not buy something from apple, that profit greedy, monopolistic company. I find a lot of their stuff unusable. Have you tried their calendar on iOS? OMG
9:36 pm
I have an iphone and a bolt. They both do the same thing except:
iphone is not 4g. iphone gps mapping is useless as it forces you to take your eyes off the road frequently while driving. iphone juice did last a couple of days before last ota and now it only lasts a day - put the extended battery on my bolt and it does last two days. iphone is 3.7" and my bolt is 4.3" (the only reason i updated my og dinc was to get a bigger screen for my man fingers and aging eyes). iphone requires 4 to 6 key strokes to do what a bolt can do with two key presses (did you ever try to turn on blue tooth with an iphone while driving?). It's all about choice, people. I wish updates would cost money so we could choose to update or not - instead of just complaining about not getting something for free. Root if you are not happy with gbread until the update is finished. iphone is provided for me by my employer and it is absolutely the best free phone i ever had. bolt is something i pay for because i don't want iphone struggles when i am not at work. i do have family members that like their iphone - mostly b/c they think it gives them a cool factor. Bottom line is buy what you want but stop whining. As for me, i will upgrade any way b/c it is not just about dessert; i will be getting gorilla, hd, faster camera, dual/quad core. 4.7" beast machine...and Yes, I will buy htc b/c I like the efficiency of Sense.