Unlocked Galaxy S II to be last to get Android 4.0
updated 10:55 pm EDT, Wed April 4, 2012
Must await testing by all wireless providers
UK Samsung Galaxy S II owners, who bought unlocked versions of the Android smartphone, may have to wait a while longer to get the Android 4.0 (ICS) update. The phone vendor has confirmed that the update will be made available to them, but only after all mobile operators have finished testing the release on their networks. This means that those who bought the phones unlocked, or "SIM-free" as it is called in the UK, have been sent to the back of the queue.
Samsung began rolling out the update in the UK mid-March. Many UK customers paid a premium up front to get unlocked phones with the expectation that they would be the first to get the Android 4.0 update. Samsung, however, claims that because the unlocked phones could be used on any network, they had to be tested on all networks first for compatibility. Carriers such as Three or O2, whose first obligation is to their customers who either bought locked phones through them or their retail agents, are focusing on that existing base first.
Samsung has made no apology for its prioritization of who gets Android 4.0 first and who will be last. It has acknowledged that it could have handled communications better and has learned from the experience. Updating other devices, such as the Galaxy Note, the company suggests, "will be a lot quicker." [via CNET]
