When Motorola updated its Ice Cream Sandwich timeline, some users were upset that the Droid 3 and X2 would forever remain on Android 2.3. In response, Motorola has detailed its process for deciding whether or not a given phone or tablet will be getting an upgrade. “We work very closely with Google and cell phone carriers for every software update,” it said in a statement. “And, obviously we want the new release to improve our devices. If we determine that can’t be done — well then, we’re not able to upgrade that particular device.”
Motorola: if Android 4.0 won’t improve a device, we won’t upgrade it
Motorola has stated that it will only provide upgrades to Android 4.0 on devices that it thinks will be improved by the new firmware.
Motorola has stated that it will only provide upgrades to Android 4.0 on devices that it thinks will be improved by the new firmware.
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
A more detailed Ice Cream Sandwich page shows users a four-step Android upgrade process, but while it does give a sense of what each phase means, it doesn’t elaborate much on what Motorola thinks constitutes an improvement. Motorola also hasn’t addressed the long wait even for devices that do receive Ice Cream Sandwich — it’s going to take another month or two for even the relatively fast Droid RAZR and RAZR Maxx updates to happen. Fortunately, Motorola is fairly good about updating its device list, so at least users can still watch the clock.
Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
