AT&T CEO Blames Google for Slow Android Updates

[Roger H. Veteran]

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson has been talking a lot the last week. He first blamed wireless price hikes (increases he says he would have imposed anyway) on the blocked T-Mobile deal, then informed the public he wished he'd never offered unlimited data in the first place. Now Stephenson has found himself in a little PR hot water by blaming Google on slow Android updates, and in the process illustrating that he's either not really sure how his own products work -- or he's just not particularly honest.

"Google determines what platform gets the newest releases and when," Stephenson stated this week in response to a conference question about why some devices don't get timely updates. "A lot of times, that?s a negotiated arrangement and that?s something we work at hard." That statement rather confused Google, who issued a statement saying that Stephenson was apparently confused:

?Mr. Stephenson?s carefully worded quote caught our attention and frankly we don?t understand what he is referring to. Google does not have any agreements in place that require a negotiation before a handset launches. Google has always made the latest release of Android available as open source at source.android.com as soon as the first device based on it has launched. This way, we know the software runs error-free on hardware that has been accepted and approved by manufacturers, operators and regulatory agencies such as the FCC. We then release it to the world."

Again, you start to wonder if after the T-Mobile fiasco AT&T executives should just stop talking for a while. Quite often it's the carriers -- and their fear of change and layers of device bloatware -- that are to blame for update delays. Consider also while Stephenson's busy blaming Google for problems, AT&T is busy crippling the bootloaders of the latest and greatest Android devices like the HTC One X.

Source: http://www.dslreport...-Updates-119373

[j1232]

I dont think Google is to blame . . I think its the phone manufactures . . Its impossible to keep up with all the new devices that constantly come out. . .

[+Majesticmerc MVC]

It's obviously not Google's fault, given how quickly the Nexus devices generally receive their updates. My experience with Android updates is that it's either the manufacturer holding up the update while they test the update on their own mods (i.e. Sense, Touchwiz, etc), or the carrier testing it and/or adding in their own bloat (my first HTC One X update was delayed by 2 weeks before T-Mobile approved it).

[Roger H. Veteran]

Problem with that is they come out with updates for the "International" devices looong before one comes out for AT&T (and yes Verizon and the rest of the US carriers). The Nexus S from AT&T still hasn't received an ICS update while the T-Mobile one got it in December. There's only a small difference between the 2 (3G radio) so shouldn't be that long of an update. Sprint being a different beast with the addition of extra radios got theirs last month, still late but I guess. AT&T is the only one left here.

There are a few other examples of such madness that AT&T is behind. This is coming from an AT&T user but I have a internation SGS2 - GT-I9100 instead of the SGH-i777 version. Another device that should technically already have ICS as it's basically the same as the international one, just added NFC.

[thealexweb]

This guy just seems to find a scapegoat for everything -.-

[jakem1]

It's Google's platform so it seems reasonable to blame them for the fact that the Android update process is broken. Whether source code is available quickly on some website is irrelevant if users can't get there hands on an update for their phone. It's not as if the problem is restricted to AT&T either.

[xendrome]

It's Google's platform so it seems reasonable to blame them for the fact that the Android update process is broken. Whether source code is available quickly on some website is irrelevant if users can't get there hands on an update for their phone. It's not as if the problem is restricted to AT&T either.

I'd go back on what the others are saying to some extent, the carriers have to spend 2-3 months minimum trying to update their bloat ware and add more 3rd party apps in prior to release. This holds things up.

[Hell-In-A-Handbasket]

I'm with others, I don't think it's google limiting what devices can get what, I'm thinking its the manufactures of the phones. Got to get people to upgrade somehow

[DevilsNotDead]

It's Google's platform so it seems reasonable to blame them for the fact that the Android update process is broken. Whether source code is available quickly on some website is irrelevant if users can't get there hands on an update for their phone. It's not as if the problem is restricted to AT&T either.

As expected!!! there will be some fanboy to just bash...

Its like blaming Linus Travolta because no update was released for Ubuntu.

[Ently]

When phone carriers are run by muppets like this it just reminds us of the truth about phone carriers... You can't live with them and you can't live without them!

[jakem1]

I'd go back on what the others are saying to some extent, the carriers have to spend 2-3 months minimum trying to update their bloat ware and add more 3rd party apps in prior to release. This holds things up.

It's not just the carriers though is it (the OEMs need to ensure that their skins are compatible too) and it's not just a 2-3 month wait. 6 months after its release ICS still isn't available for all phones. I agree that this holds things up but Google created an OS that allows /needs this customisation and hasn't done anything to control it. That's why I think they're ultimately to blame.

I don't think AT&T are blameless as they've proven with WP7 that they're more than capable of holding up an update. But the wait for Android updates clearly occurs around the world.

[tsupersonic]

No, it's the manufacturers and the phone companies that are the delays in the process. They want to load and test bloat software (aka AT&T specific software). :/

[remixedcat]

what tsuper said and ATT needs to grow up, stop blaming others, and get on the ball or get hit by one...

[Scorbing]

The AT&T CEO is full of crap. Everybody knows how irresponsible AT&T is when it comes to updating their Android phones. How long has ICS been out? Over 6 months. Has AT&T updated any of their ICS-Capable phones? No.