Vodafone walks us through a phone's Android 4.0 upgrade, explains our protracted thumb-twiddling

[![Vodafone walks us through a phone's Android 40 upgrade, explains those long, long waits][1] ][2]

We're used to seemingly [interminable waits][3] for phone firmware upgrades for carrier-locked phones. What is it that takes so long? [Vodafone UK][4] isn't promising a quicker process, but it's offering a rare walkthrough of just what itself (and many other carriers) do to rubber stamp a firmware upgrade. Using the [Huawei Ascend G 300's][5] Android 4.0 update as the reference point, Vodafone explains that the actual network testing lasts a week or less, depending on the scope of the upgrade -- it's the requirements for branding and carrier-specific network settings that introduce additional overhead. Android phones that skew closer to Google's stock OS (like the G 300) tend to be easy updates, although Vodafone warns that the verification process is typically getting longer, not shorter. There's not much consolation here for phone owners around the world [still using Android 2.3][6]; if you'd rather skip the carrier update process entirely, however, [you know where to turn][7].

Filed under: [Cellphones][8]

[Vodafone walks us through a phone's Android 4.0 upgrade, explains our protracted thumb-twiddling][2] originally appeared on [Engadget][9] on Sat, 21 Jul 2012 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our [terms for use of feeds][10].

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