Software Update Weekly Wrap – 18th April, 2012

Update 20/04/2012: Overnight approval has been granted to the Nokia Belle update for the N8-00 handset (3 Variant) and the C7-00 handset (both 3 and Vodafone Variants).

Roll-out will begin soon, keep an eye on our blog for further information.

Update 19/04/2012: I’m pleased to confirm that the Nokia Belle update for the N8-00 handset (Vodafone Variant) has been granted approval.

We expect further Nokia Belle updates to be approved over the coming days and will share the news as it becomes available.

Welcome to this week’s Weekly Wrap! This post will give you all the information we currently have on software updates working their way through our labs.

If you’ve ever wondered how an update makes its way from Google to your Android smartphone or tablet, we hope this series will help to shed some light on the process. Check out the first instalment here.

What will this post tell me?

The information in this Weekly Wrap only details information on software updates that manufacturers have advised are currently under preparation for submission, or have physically provided to Vodafone for testing and certification. Although you may hear news about updates from around the web and overseas, please be aware that local delivery timelines can differ. This is due to local hardware variants and Australian regulatory requirements.

What will this post not tell me?

We rely on our manufacturing partners to develop software updates prior to submission to us for testing and certification. We will only provide news on an update once the manufacturer has confirmed its forthcoming availability to Vodafone. However, due to the fluid nature of this development process, delivery schedules may shift and a previously communicated update may not enter testing.

What’s new?

Recently we received some feedback regarding the legibility of new information each week being lost in the larger table.

We are working towards a more permanent solution for this historical data, but in the interim we will provide a quick summary of what’s new each week at the top of the post

If you’re looking for information regarding past updates, the full list is available further down in this post.

Manufacturer	Model	Current	Future	Status
Nokia	Lumia 800	Windows Phone 7.5 (FW11501)	Windows Phone 7.5 (FW12070 + Volume Bugfix)	Approved by Vodafone. Pending roll-out by manufacturer; keep an eye on our blog for further information.
	N8 (3 and Vodafone Variants)	Symbian Anna	Nokia Belle	Approved by Vodafone. Pending roll-out by manufacturer; keep an eye on our blog for further information.
	C7 (3 and Vodafone Variants)	Symbian Anna	Nokia Belle	Approved by Vodafone. Pending roll-out by manufacturer; keep an eye on our blog for further information.
Samsung	GALAXY Tab 10.1v	3.0.1	3.2.1	Approved by Vodafone. Pending roll-out by Google, keep an eye on our blog post for further information.
	GALAXY Tab 7″	2.3.6	2.3.6 “Value Pack”	Manufacturer preparing update for submission.
	GALAXY S	2.3.3	2.3.6 “Value Pack”	Manufacturer preparing update for submission.
Motorola	XOOM 3G	3.2	4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich”	Update received from manufacturer, testing scheduled to being shortly.
HTC	One X	4.0.3	4.0.3	Manufacturer preparing update for submission.

Questions, comments or need help?

If you have any questions regarding these updates, check out the links below to start a discussion or join an existing conversation at our Vodafone Community:

For all Android smartphone software related questions, head over to our ‘iPhone and Android’ section
For Tablet software related questions, head over to our ‘Tablets’ section
For other devices that don’t fit into the above, drop into our ‘Windows Phone and other mobiles’ section

Smartphone software updates

The table below lists all smartphone software updates submitted by manufacturers for testing:

Manufacturer	Model	Current	Future	Status
Samsung	GALAXY S*	2.3.3	2.3.6 “Value Pack”	Manufacturer preparing update for submission.
	Nexus S	4.0.4	TBA	This update is now available; please see our blog post for further information.
	GALAXY S II (Vodafone Variant)	2.3.5	4.0.3	Currently in testing.
	GALAXY S II (3 Variant)	2.3.3	4.0.3	Currently in testing.
	GALAXY Nexus	4.0.1	4.0.4	Manufacturer preparing update for submission.
	GALAXY W	2.3.6	2.3.6	Approved by Vodafone. Pending roll-out by Manufacturer; keep an eye on our blog for further information.
HTC	Nexus One	2.3.4	TBA	This update is now available; please see our blog post for further information.
	Legend	2.2	TBA	This update is now available; please see our blog post for further information.
	Desire HD	2.3.5	TBA	This update is now available; please see our blog post for further information.
	Desire Z	2.3.3	TBA	This update is now available; please see our blog post for further information.
	7 Trophy	Windows Phone 7.5 (8107)	TBA	This update is now available; please see our blog post for further information.
	Salsa	2.3.3	TBA	This update is now available; please see our blog post for further information.
	ChaCha	2.3.5	TBA	This update is now available; please see our blog post for further information.
	Sensation	2.3.4	4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich”	Currently in testing.
	Sensation XE	2.3.4	4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich”	Currently in testing.
	Sensation XL	2.3.5	4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich”	Currently in testing.
	One X*	4.0.3	4.0.3	Manufacturer preparing update for submission.
LG	Optimus	2.1	TBA	This update is now available; please see LG Mobile’s Support Page for further information.
LG	Optimus Black	2.3.4	N/A	This update is now available; please see our blog post for further information.
Sony Mobile	X10 mini pro	2.1	TBA	This update is now available; please see our blog post for further information.
	X10i	2.3	TBA	This update is now available; please see our blog post for further information.
	Xperia arc	2.3.4	TBA	This update is now available; please see our blog post for further information.
	Xperia ray	2.3.4	2.3.4	Currently in testing.
INQ	Cloud Touch	2.1	N/A	No update planned by manufacturer.
Motorola	FLIPOUT	2.1	N/A	No update planned by manufacturer.
Motorola	Milestone II	2.2.2	TBA	This update is now available; please see our blog post for further information.
Huawai	Vodafone 858	2.2.2	2.2.2	Approved by Vodafone. Pending roll-out by manufacturer; keep an eye on our blog for further information.
Huawai	X3	2.3.5	2.3.5	Approved by Vodafone. Pending roll-out by manufacturer; keep an eye on our blog for further information.
RIM	BlackBerry Storm 9500	v5.0.0.742	TBA	This important update is now available; please see our blog post for further information.
	BlackBerry 9100	OS 6.0 bundle 3050	TBA	This update is now available; please see our blog post for further information.
	BlackBerry 9300, 9700, 9780, 9800	OS 6.0 bundle 3049	TBA	These updates are now available; please see our blog post for further information.
	BlackBerry Bold 9900	OS 7.1 bundle 921	TBA	This update is now available; please see our blog post for further information.
	BlackBerry Curve 9360	OS 7.1 bundle 889	TBA	This update is now available; please see our blog post for further information.
Nokia	N8* (3 and Vodafone Variants)	Symbian Anna	Nokia Belle	Approved by Vodafone. Pending roll-out by manufacturer; keep an eye on our blog for further information.
	C7* (3 and Vodafone Variants)	Symbian Anna	Nokia Belle	Approved by Vodafone. Pending roll-out by manufacturer; keep an eye on our blog for further information.
	E6		Nokia Belle	Manufacturer preparing update for submission.
	E7		Nokia Belle	Manufacturer preparing update for submission.
	N9	MeeGo PR1.2	TBA	This update is now available; please see our blog post for further information.
	Lumia 800	Windows Phone 7.5 (FW11501)	Windows Phone 7.5 (FW12070 + Volume Bugfix)	Approved by Vodafone. Pending roll-out by manufacturer; keep an eye on our blog for further information.

Tablet software updates

Below are various Tablets that we are currently testing for future release.

Manufacturer	Model	Current	Future	Status
Samsung	GALAXY Tab 7″ *	2.3.6	2.3.6 “Value Pack”	Manufacturer preparing update for submission.
	GALAXY Tab 10.1	3.2	TBA	This update is now available; please see our blog post for further information.
	GALAXY Tab 10.1v*	3.0.1	3.2.1	Approved by Vodafone. Pending roll-out by Google, keep an eye on our blog post for further information.
Motorola	XOOM 3G*	3.2	4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich”	Update received from manufacturer, testing scheduled to being shortly.

Please note:

*Indicates new information since the previous update

It is the device manufacturer’s responsibility to ensure that the devices shown above continues to be compatible with the Vodafone network.

Any new software or hardware revisions must be tested to ensure there is no regression on the performance of the device before it is released in the market.

Recent Comments

165 Responses to “ Software Update Weekly Wrap – 18th April, 2012 ”

Cam says:

10.1v – “This update is now available”?
Reply
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 5:25 pm
blog enthusiast says:

sad s2 still in testing
Reply
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 5:28 pm
Djoker says:

10.1v update available huh?
Anyone care to elaborate?
Reply
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 5:29 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Djoker, as I’ve stated in the 10.1v post linked in the table – “We have been advised that roll-out of this update will be re-started this week. More detailed timelines are not available at this stage but will be shared when they become available”. For the purposes of the Weekly Wrap and the limited space in which to share more detailed information, this is the best applicable status.
  Reply
  Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 5:31 pm
  - Cam says:
    
    I disagree. The most applicable information would be “Approved by Vodafone. Pending roll-out by Google, keep an eye on this blog post for further information.”
    
    To say it’s out when it’s not is serious BS.
    Reply
    Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 6:56 pm
    - Kieran McIlwain says:
      
      Hi Cam, fair call. I’ve updated the table to reflect this.
      Reply
      Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 9:11 am
M. Haddad says:

may i just ask that what aspects of the Belle update are you currently testing that the whole world have been using for 3 months?
the update is now available for Unlocked phones in Australia. Even if testing is essential, how long does it take? it’s been 5 weeks so far…
i’d be happy to hear a response,
thank you.
Reply
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 5:31 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi M. Haddad, although written with the Android audience in mind, Part 3 of the Software Journey explains the kind of things we test in Software Updates and is applicable to every software update we test: http://blog.vodafone.com.au/blog/the-android-software-journey-part-3/
  
  I hope to have more news to share soon, however right now the latest info is that the Nokia Belle update remains in testing.
  Reply
  Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 5:34 pm
  - Mr. Samsung says:
    
    neverending story …. no one on earth has received the update . . .
    Reply
    Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 5:40 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi M. Haddad, I’m pleased to confirm that all variants of Nokia Belle were approved for roll-out last night. Keep an eye on our blog as I’ll be making a dedicated post to announce the release of the update to customers.
  Reply
  Friday, April 20, 2012 at 9:51 am
  - Adam says:
    
    I notice it is showing up on navifirm now……when do we get it???
    Reply
    Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 11:43 am
  - M. Haddad says:
    
    it’s already tuesday and no news, tomorrow is anzac day as well, so i asume we’re not going to hear anything till next monday :\
    Reply
    Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 6:54 pm
    - Adam says:
      
      Just downloading it now on Nokia Suite!!!!!!
      Reply
      Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 6:55 pm
      - M. Haddad says:
        
        LOL, cannot believe it, wonder why no one is saying a world?
        
        Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 9:25 pm
Meh says:

And here we are again. Optus are now rolling out Ice Cream Sandwich for the Samsung Galaxy S II.

I guess from all the previous posts (previous weeks) that we are in for at least another 5 working days (plus fix time) before we see this.
Reply
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 5:47 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Meh, there are two separate hardware variants of the Samsung GALAXY S II sold in Australia – the GT-i9100 and GT-i9100t (which we sell). In fact, globally there are nearly 20 separate hardware variants known as “GALAXY S II”: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S_II#Variants
  
  Although these handsets share the same name, they require completely separate software builds. The delivery timelines of these builds will vary just as the hardware does. When there’s news to share on the update, it will be here.
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 9:23 am
  - Mike says:
    
    Come on Voda….I don’t want to wait till summer to get my Ice cream sandwich update…Ice cream tastes better in winter ! lol
    Reply
    Friday, April 20, 2012 at 6:22 pm
Sam says:

This comment has been removed by a moderator for not following Vodafone’s Social Media User Terms. Please feel free to read over these guidelines and re-submit your comment with these in mind.
Reply
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 6:02 pm
Brian says:

Is the Samsung Galaxy W 2.3.6 update a normal firmware update or is it a “value pack” like the Galaxy S / Tab ??
The international version got a value pack update; 2.3.6 (i.e. Romania and other Europe countries)
Reply
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 6:15 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Brian, this is a simple bug-fixing release. Samsung haven’t communicated any plans to us regarding a Value Pack upgrade for this handset.
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 9:24 am
TGV says:

Kieran, yes its me again (you are probably at the point of saying “not this guy again” lol …

Just to confirm a few more things, I got my hands on a second SGS2 I9100T which has Vodafone based DUJK1 2.3.5 firmware on it.

I flashed the Telstra TDVLB1 Androind 2.3.6 firmware to it (as the person who owns that handset is now with Telstra), I can confirm the following:

GSM Only mode is an option that end user can select
Once network scan in GSM/WCDMA Only mode is completed the handset displays all the available networks in range

In this case as it got a Telstra SIM card in it:
Telstra Mobile (3G)
Telstra Mobile (2G)
Vodafone (3G)
3Telstra (3G)
Vodafone (2G)
YES OPTUS (3G)
YES OPTUS (2G)

Location: Sydney CBD (Pit Street Mall where Telstra building is)

That being all siad and done, the Telstra version is full of spam (but what else is new on that front).

Thought I would let you know about it.

As for me on my end, I have started a thread over at the VHA Community about my issues I am experiencing and also started a thread about things that in general concern the remaining Three Mobile subscriber base.

Regards
TGV
Reply
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 6:22 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi TGV, I’m well aware of the concerns you’ve raised, we recognise that the feature you’re requesting is not present in the current approved 3 firmware. Comparisons to Vodafone or other carriers’ firmware will not apply to your specific experience once you update your handset to Android 4.0.3. As I’ve always said, once I have the final approved software version for your handset I will contact you via email with the information you’ve requested.
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 9:25 am
  - TGV says:
    
    Hold on a minute Kieran, we the subscribers and potential customer base keep on getting spammed in emails and via sms messages, and on the Vodafone and Three website that “its all one happy family” … clearly that is not that case as the Vodafone customers don’t have their handsets restricted like the Three Mobile handset owners do.
    
    Hence why the comparisons are made Kieran why are the Three Mobile versions basically prevented from working the way like other SGS2 I9100T’s are which were sold by Vodafone and Telstra.
    
    And remember this, Three were selling the SGS2 I9100T until August 28 2011 to anyone via website, stores and phone sales (and still are for those Three Mobile customers who don’t want to switch to Vodafone), that is well into the merger between the two companies, so why have one firmware DUKF4 2.3.3 basically have no restrictions and then with the 2.3.4 and then 2.3.5 updates restrict the Three version but keep the Vodafone version the same way, if i were a person that believed conspiracy theories I would say that VHA did it on purpose to get the Three Mobile customers to switch .. lol thankfully I don’t think like that.
    
    As for Android 4.0.3, meh! I installed an OPEN EUROPE version, found it to be very sluggish or not that optimized, that said it did have what I need it to do from a network selection point of view but for now will stick with 2.3.3 DUKF4 until there is an official through Kes update for Three Mobile UA.
    
    Regards
    TGV
    Reply
    Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 12:57 pm
    - Kieran McIlwain says:
      
      Hi TGV, thanks for your posts, to clarify the points I’ve raised earlier I’d like to be a little more specific.
      
      The change in Android 2.3.5 which removed the ability to select “GSM Only” was not a change requested by or implemented by VHA. The only way that this can be corrected is with a different version of software, and I’m glad you’ve found an alternative by rolling your firmware back to Android 2.3.3.
      
      Separately, as you’re aware the Android 4.0.3 update is currently undergoing our testing and certification process. I have passed your feedback onto Samsung for consideration as we value the input of all customers including those using the 3 Network.
      
      As I’ve promised to you, once I have the final approved software available I will confirm whether or not the “GSM Only” switch is available and contact you via email with the results.
      
      To reiterate – the change you are concerned about was not made by VHA. I have passed your feedback onto the party that did make that change. And, once I have the final software with which to answer your original query, I will be in contact with you.
      Reply
      Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 2:40 pm
      - TGV says:
        
        Kieran, I understand the position you have with regards to this matter, I would not like to be doing your job right now having frustrating customers keeping on asking the same questions over and over again …
        
        Lets hope that Samsung have restored GSM Only mode and lists the networks as separate 3G and GSM listings for the SGS2 I9100T Three Mobile variant.
        
        If Samsung value feedback then they should also value that customers at the end of the day make them money and if they continue to do stupidity then customers will buy other brands.
        
        The same can be said of network providers.
        
        regards
        TGV
        
        Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 3:05 pm
      - Geoff says:
        
        Hey TGV,
        
        Been following your problem with interest… sure does seem like a pain for you.
        
        But, that having been said… you are canning poor Kieran a bit. He has been doing his best to let you know that VHA didn’t request… and that he can’t help you with info on the new release till it is approved.
        
        I do sympathise… in your shoes I too would find it SUPER annoying. My Vodafone branded GS2 can switch to GSM mode (I checked), and can see why you would find it an horrid issue to deal with. I have no idea why Samsung would have thought it a good idea to remove GSM only mode… does not make the slightest bit of sense.
        
        I have my fingers crossed for you it is better in ICS… in the meantime… rather than hammer poor Kieran anymore, jump over to the Samsung site, and start hitting them, since it seems they are the ones who made the switch on you, not VHA.
        
        Any yeah… your right on what you said to Kieran… it must be a PITA to have all these guys getting so grumpy… asking the same thing over and over… no matter how much he answers them. Guess he has developed a thick skin by now.
        
        And for what it is worth… I am an old Three customer who went over to Vodafone… and couldn’t be happier. I don’t understand your total reluctance to make the switch… but, it is your choice, and you are entitled to your choice.
        
        I really hope you get what you want out of ICS.
        
        Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 8:34 pm
      - TGV says:
        
        ["Geoff said"]
        ['But, that having been said… you are canning poor Kieran a bit. He has been doing his best to let you know that VHA didn’t request… and that he can’t help you with info on the new release till it is approved.']
        
        Yet VHA approved the firmware update from DUKF4 2.3.3 to DUJK12.3.5, obviously no one within VHA ever considered that the removal of GSM Only mode and combined listing of 3G/2G networks would hurt some customers on the Three Mobile network that rely on ability to manually select what net3work option is best for them and not leave handset in auto mode.
        
        As Kieran and other VHA reps have stated numerous times, they claim they test firmwares and then approve firmwares, so if they can get that drastically wrong then who knows what else they can get wrong, clearly in this case it was VHA not giving a damn about the Three Mobile customer base as we know its moving to one brand (in my view the wrong brand, they should of dumped Vodafone and kept the Three Mobile brand) .
        
        ['I have my fingers crossed for you it is better in ICS… in the meantime… rather than hammer poor Kieran anymore, jump over to the Samsung site, and start hitting them, since it seems they are the ones who made the switch on you, not VHA.']
        
        I asked someone at Samsung Australia (not some low rank customer rep, but someone in management in Mobiles section) they claimed that its a VHA problem and not theirs (after she checked with the technical dept in South Korea), apparently the 1st batch of SGS2 I9100T “allocated to Three Mobile AU” were installed with a special “Three Mobile CSC specification” which is CSC:HUTKG1… the 2nd batch was changed after something happened, there was a firmware change to DUJI1 2.3.4 (which is what I mentioned to Kieran some 6 weeks ago) and then again a change to DUJK1 2.3.5 … anyway that is what was passed on to me, and then you have Kieran saying its not a VHA issue … in other words each side is saying its the other side problem … meh! just fix the damn problem is all I ask.
        
        ['And for what it is worth… I am an old Three customer who went over to Vodafone… and couldn’t be happier. I don’t understand your total reluctance to make the switch… but, it is your choice, and you are entitled to your choice.']
        
        Reluctance?
        
        lol, if VHA are serious about wanting to compete, they would not limit themselves to 94.5% population coverage, I was in Tottenham NSW the other week, Vodafone and its claimed “bigger better stronger network” was no where to be found once you were about 10km west of Parkes NSW and did not return until you were back in Parkes, now also factor in that “3 2G” drops out once you go past Mt Victoria the only network coverage I had access to was Roaming 3G/2G … which is great for voice, MMS and sms and selected Planet 3 content.
        
        getting back to Tottenham, lol I had (via external antenna connection) access to Roaming 3G … Now that is damn impressive (of course others in the group had Telstra and a few had Optus which surprising us all did have coverage their where we all though it was NextG only coverage) … Vodafone? NO WHERE TO BE FOUND …
        
        That is just 1 major issue as to why I want nothing to do with Vodafone, they are not serious player in the mobile telco field, the other issue is the treatment of Three Mobile customers over the last 2.5 years, I won’t go any further into it but really until VHA fess up and say they have made errors (other than Nigel being forced to over the Vodafone 3G/GSM network issues) why would anyone really ever choose Vodafone, since 1994, Vodafone has meant nothing to the mobile telecoms industry and never will because of their lame attitude over many many years …
        
        Regards
        TGV
        
        Friday, April 20, 2012 at 11:02 am
      - Geoff says:
        
        Wow TGV,
        
        Slow down… or you will pop a blood vessel!!! I can see this whole issue really irks you.
        
        All I said was that I hadn’t had any trouble with Vodafone, and that was happy to have made the switch… I do understand you have problems with the whole setup, and as i said, are rightly upset and want it fixed. I am not saying you have to swap… I said you were entitled to your choice.
        
        You do seem to be getting the run-around, and yeah, that does get the blood boiling doesn’t it. Oh.. and am on your side with the whole “Call Catcher” thing… wasn’t that a PITA… even more so when I tried to disable it and stared oddly at my phone screen when I saw the message, “Your carrier does not allow this to be de-activated”. I got very mad… But at least it is off my (and my wifes) phones now…
        
        Fingers crossed for ICS soon… been hanging out for it, sounds like it will be good when we get it… all the conspiracy theory people in here aside! Hope you will be happier with that and it fixes what you need fixed.
        
        Friday, April 20, 2012 at 11:15 am
      - TGV says:
        
        Call Catcher?
        
        Oh wow, not once did I ever ask for such a crappy service to be activated on my account yet last year in February it was activated, my customers were very upset with me as I have a “always answer calls” as part of the customer service program contracts, yet after 15 seconds (way to early to terminate calls to call catcher, voicemail or diversion to another number) my customer calls were being diverted.
        
        As I mentioned before, I work in server rooms where mobiles are not allowed into and as such we have to leave them outside with the customers service reps, needless to say by the time the phone starts ringing to the point where you get the phone into your hands it takes approx 35 seconds before you answer, anyway (I’ve mentioned this story many times over at Whirlpool) I called up Three customer care which claimed there is no diversion on the account, ok so left it there, bam call catcher rears its ugly head, call up again this time told to call Vodafone customer care who in turn say its not their problem and to call Three Mobile who in turn say call Vodafone … endless circle .. I put up with it for 3 months before I got mad and went to TIO, within 10 days problem solved, not only did they remove this lame service but now my phone rings out to a full 1 minute 30 seconds (tested many times) .. i asked many times if the service could be removed only to be told to
        
        1; live with it (yes they actually said that, Vodafone customer care)
        2: Can’t be removed as its a Vodafone system (Three customer care)
        3: If you don’t like it leave Three and migrate to Vodafone (Vodafone customer care)
        4: We will look into the matter and get back to you within 5 days (Three customer care) they called and said can’t be removed
        5: Stop calling up about this matter its on your account because you don’t use voicemail, so start using voicemail to have call catcher removed (Vodafone customer care)
        
        Is anyone else here starting to see why I loath Vodafone so much? Then factor in serious holes in coverage and also count that I don;t want nothing to do Vodafone but have to went my frustration on the Vodafone blogs and community forum as their is no Three Mobile alternative other than to call up Three customer care in Mumbai and for the most part have to deal with care reps that simply don’t understand the issues we face here …
        
        Finally once TIO was brought into to fix this total mess, Three technical support (who never personally call customers) gave me a call and as I mentioned above the issue was fixed …
        
        I hope Kieran takes that back to (I think he mentioned his name being) Cormac, VHA need to fix their reputation up as well as many other things to numerous to mention …
        
        But pulling this post back on topic, I stated a thread up in the community forums and said i am willing to give VHA 2 weeks (full 14 days) to get this problem resolved before I go to TIO … hopefully it won’t come to that .
        
        Regards
        TGV
        
        Friday, April 20, 2012 at 11:54 am
Steve says:

Crikey, by the time Ice Cream sandwich arrives for my HTC Sensation Jellybean will have appeared!

Reply
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 6:33 pm
- Mark says:
  
  I am waiting for the same for the sensation XE. Very slow testing process Voda. I would let the manufacturers release it as Apple do, and if there are any bugs, then rely on customer feedback and apply patches accordingly at a later date.
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 7:42 pm
  - Kieran McIlwain says:
    
    Hi Mark, we test all software updates including those for Apple devices. The difference is there’s limited information I can share about the update process for Apple handsets. We think the best possible customer experience is to iron out any bugs before we release the update to our customers rather than force incomplete updates out early.
    
    Tim_H our Community Manager put it best, I think: “We’re not willing to sacrifice the testing process to release an update “early”. All that’s going to get us is a few cheers and celebrations when the update arrives and weeks or months of customers having a sub par experience on a device with flaws.”
    
    Hope this helps you to understand why we believe it’s important to test these updates thoroughly
    Reply
    Friday, April 20, 2012 at 9:41 am
    - Bearig says:
      
      Hi Kieran, I think you are changing the subject. No one is saying you should sacrifice the testing process to release an update “early”. The key point is why it take so long for Voda AU to test when the other SP in other country have released their ICS about month ago already. I believe the other service provider also test the system as you do, the fact is they are much quicker.
      Reply
      Saturday, April 21, 2012 at 9:00 am
ccsvchost says:

still waiting for my nokia belle update…:|
Reply
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 6:36 pm
- shaad says:
  
  still testing!!!!! country variant nokia n8 ALREADY GETTING IT HERE………….chk nokias belle update avaibility page
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 4:38 am
  - Kieran McIlwain says:
    
    Hi shaad, I’m pleased to confirm that all variants of Nokia Belle were approved for roll-out last night. Keep an eye on our blog as I’ll be making a dedicated post to announce the release of the update to customers.
    Reply
    Friday, April 20, 2012 at 9:51 am
    - shaad says:
      
      but WHEN?………-_-
      Reply
      Monday, April 23, 2012 at 10:32 pm
      - Kieran McIlwain says:
        
        Hi shaad, I’ve provided a response to your query on your earlier post here: http://blog.vodafone.com.au/blog/software-update-weekly-wrap-18042012/#comment-24387
        Unfortunately the answer hasn’t changed in the twelve hours between your two comments. Right now we’re waiting on Nokia to deploy the update and as soon as they have provided me with more detail I will share it, but until then you’ll just have to hold tight!
        
        Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 7:26 am
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi ccsvchost, I hope to have some good news for you soon but at time of publication the update was still undergoing testing.
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 9:25 am
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi ccsvchost, I’m pleased to confirm that all variants of Nokia Belle were approved for roll-out last night. Keep an eye on our blog as I’ll be making a dedicated post to announce the release of the update to customers.
  Reply
  Friday, April 20, 2012 at 9:51 am
Chris says:

I flashed my Galaxy Nexus with Standard 4.0.4 last night.

No chance I’m waiting for the official Vodafone release. Has to be one of the slowest roll outs in history
Reply
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 6:43 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Chris, unfortunately we don’t even have the software with which to begin testing. Once Samsung have delivered the update to us we can begin the process, but I’m afraid we can’t test something we don’t have.
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 9:26 am
Damitha says:

Whats wrong with GS 2 update Kieran Please explain ????????????????????????????????? Its very bad about Voda
Reply
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 6:45 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Damitha, the update is still undergoing its testing and development cycle. It’s not appropriate for us to comment on any specifics regarding why a device hasn’t passed testing yet, but rest assured we’re working closely with Samsung to address any concerns we have with this firmware. Once it’s in a condition that’s suitable for release, we will release it – but not a moment before.
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 9:28 am
Arthur says:

Why is everyone so impatient! Do you really think ice cream sandwich will make the s2 better, more likely you will lose some speed for features you won’t even like.
Reply
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 8:37 pm
Tahaa says:

Can we please get a definite date for the Galaxy S2 ICS update, I am really starting to regret going with Vodafone, no offense but it’s taken you guys a really long time to deliver this update which we where first suppose to receive in March, then it got delayed to mid April, then from 13th to 17th, and that was alright, but now it’s just getting ridicules.
Reply
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 8:50 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Tahaa, until each round of testing is completed it’s impossible to know if further rounds of testing are required. In fairness, neither ourselves or Samsung have ever communicated a planned release date for the update here in Australia, so to say we’ve missed a deadline or “delayed” the update is untrue. The update will be delivered when it’s in a condition that’s suitable for release. Right now, Android 4.0.3 for the GALAXY S II is not in that condition.
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 9:15 am
jimmy says:

for all GS2 Users,

no worries for the 4.0.3 updated and no need to enforce the latest updating,
because GS3 will be promoted on 3 may

good vodafone, put us and let us wait to change GS3

i guess we cant get 4.0.3 till GS4 right?
Reply
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 9:31 pm
- Geoff says:
  
  I love these conspiracy theories about not releasing the software update for the GS2 so that Vodafone can sell the GS3. Nice theory…. except it does not make sense.
  
  All the carriers heavily subsidise the new handsets that are included in plans… so effectively make a lot less money when packaging with a new handset.
  
  So why would Vodafone want you to take up a new handset, which cuts into the monthly fee with the subsidy… over upgrading your old one, on which they get to keep 100% of your monthly fee? Far more money to be made by Vodafone by keeping you on the older handset.
  Reply
  Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 10:11 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi jimmy, the sales of devices has no impact on our plans for software updates. We work to release all software updates as soon as possible, but we are not going to release an update that contains bugs uncovered during testing just for the sake of advancing a version number.
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 9:30 am
Prav says:

Mr McIlwain,you said that there is a confidential software agreement (whatever it is) between the manufacture and Vodafone; which is fair. However, the most important agreement is with us, your customers. I have requested you to give us (your customers) an indication in percentage regarding the status of testing stage. Could you please care to explain us (your customers) why it is so hard to come up with a figure? Here are few examples to help you – 0%, 10%, 50%, 75%, 90%, 95% or 100%. Thanks for your attention.
Reply
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 9:35 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Prav, happy to help explain this for you. Our testing schedules run for 10 days and involve over a thousand individual tests. After these tests are completed the testing report (which is nearly 100 pages long) is reviewed. If any defects are uncovered in testing, we pass this information back to the manufacturer to address and fix the bugs. This bug-fixing process may take days or weeks but as we’re not making the changes we don’t have a clear view of the progress.
  
  Once the manufacturer believes they have fixed the issues, we run another round of testing. That’s 10 more days and 1000 more tests, and another 100 page report. Once again this is reviewed for defects and to ensure the issued raised in round one are fixed. The reason I can’t provide a percentage is that “Testing” involves a number of different individual processes, and we’re never going to know if an update needs another round of testing until testing is complete.
  
  I could easily provide a percentage counter for each individual /round/ of testing, but that percentage counter would be reset back to zero if another update is required. This makes the percentage counter completely inaccurate as it would not be a true reflection of the progress of getting the update out to customers.
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 9:34 am
  - Percy says:
    
    1% Receiving Update from manufacturer
    2%
    3%
    4%
    5%
    6%
    7%
    8%
    9%
    10%
    11% TEST RUN 1 Running Tests
    12%
    13% Reviewing Test Report
    14%
    15%
    16% Report forwarded to Manufacturer to fix bugs
    17%
    18% Received fixed file from Manufacturer
    19%
    20%
    21% TEST RUN 2 Running Tests
    22%
    23% Reviewing Test Report
    24%
    25%
    26% Report forwarded to Manufacturer to fix bugs
    27%
    28% Received fixed file from Manufacturer
    29%
    30%
    31% TEST RUN 3 Running Tests
    32%
    33% Reviewing Test Report
    34%
    35%
    36% Report forwarded to Manufacturer to fix bugs
    37%
    38% Received fixed file from Manufacturer
    39%
    40%
    41% TEST RUN 4 Running Tests
    42%
    43% Reviewing Test Report
    44%
    45%
    46% Report forwarded to Manufacturer to fix bugs
    47%
    48% Received fixed file from Manufacturer
    49%
    50%
    51% TEST RUN 5 Running Tests
    52%
    53% Reviewing Test Report
    54%
    55%
    56% Report forwarded to Manufacturer to fix bugs
    57%
    58% Received fixed file from Manufacturer
    59%
    60%
    61% TEST RUN 6 Running Tests
    62%
    63% Reviewing Test Report
    64%
    65%
    66% Report forwarded to Manufacturer to fix bugs
    67%
    68% Received fixed file from Manufacturer
    69%
    70%
    71% TEST RUN 7 Running Tests
    72%
    73% Reviewing Test Report
    74%
    75%
    76% Report forwarded to Manufacturer to fix bugs
    77%
    78% Received fixed file from Manufacturer
    79%
    80%
    81% FINAL CHECK Running Tests
    82%
    83% Reviewing Test Report
    84%
    85%
    86% Report forwarded to Manufacturer to fix bugs
    87%
    88% Received fixed file from Manufacturer
    89%
    90%
    91% Approved by Vodafone. Pending roll-out by Manufacturer
    92%
    93%
    94%
    95% Waiting from Manufacturer
    96%
    97%
    98%
    99%
    100% Released
    Reply
    Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 11:11 am
  - Percy says:
    
    This is just a suggestion Kieran,
    For something as popular as this SGS2 update people want to know current status. This might actually save a lot of questions as well.
    You can also add further information if you want.
    
    Cheers,
    Reply
    Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 11:13 am
    - Kieran McIlwain says:
      
      Hi Percy, that’s quite a detailed timeline that you’ve presented there but it’s not applicable to the realities of the testing process. We’ve managed to have some very minor updates received and approved in as little as five days, where some updates have taken months. Unfortunately a percentage scale is just not an effective way to communicate testing progress.
      
      We are however constantly reviewing the way we communicate this info and we do recognise and appreciate the feedback.
      Reply
      Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 11:20 am
    - Jack says:
      
      I would disagree with the whole “percentage” approach as it is not an accurate representation of what’s happening and what will happen, for instance, you would never know how many bugs the OS would have and how many test cycles are required. Testing doesn’t go through ‘X’ number of test cycles all the time and placing a “percentage” will just be useless.
      
      However, I would agree if we could get a bit more info on the testing phase (e.g., Awaiting submission from manufacturer for reported bug issues, etc)
      Reply
      Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 11:24 am
Enchanter says:

The whole world got the Galaxy S II ICS update except Australia for several weeks. But vodafone is still testing it. I am sure your tested ROM will not have less bug than any others. Please finish your inefficient test ASAP and release it to customers.
Reply
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 9:55 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Enchanter, it’s important to understand that around the world there are nearly 20 handsets called the “Samsung GALAXY S II”. You can see the full list here:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S_II#Variants
  These different hardware variants need different software to run on them. Each country also has different local and regulatory requirements which means even more software variants. Delivery schedules will vary between hardware variants and comparisons from around the world are not applicable to local release schedules here in Australia.
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 9:51 am
  - TGV says:
    
    Kieran, I feel for those guys and gals that got the Samsung Wave, they are still stuck with Bada 1.0 when the rest of the world (well excluding Three Mobile, Telstra and Virgin Mobile that is) got Bada 1.2 and some countries now have Bada 2.0.
    
    Oh wait this can’t be a Vodafone issue or can it as Vodafone UK, GR, CYP, DU and I think from memory a few other countries where Vodafone operate all passed on Bada 1.2 and now Bada 2.0 …
    
    But thats another story for another day.
    
    regards
    TGV
    Reply
    Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 1:06 pm
    - Kieran McIlwain says:
      
      Hi TGV, we happily test and certify all software updates provided to us by manufacturers. Unfortunately as we don’t manufacture handsets or develop software ourselves, we rely on those manufacturers to provide software updates to us.
      
      If Samsung were to provide the Bada 1.2 or 2.0 update that is localised for Australian regulatory requirements, and customised for our network set-up we would be eager to begin to testing process and pleased to see the update roll out to our customers.
      Reply
      Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 1:19 pm
      - TGV says:
        
        As far as I know how the process is done for firmware updates, in this case for Bada OS, the “network” part of the baseband does not change from original factory code, Three and Telstra sold the S8500T version while Virgin, Crazy Johns and Vodafone (not sure if Optus sold the Wave or not) sold the generic S8500.
        
        The difference is in network mode type, obviously the S8500T is UMTS 850/2100 / quadband GSM and the general S8500 is UMTS 900/2100 / quadband GSM.
        
        Having previously owned a Wave (S8500) that had XSA Bada 1.0, there was no difference in baseband to XXKOR (OPEN EUROPE) 1.2 and then again to XPKOR (OPEN EUROPE) 2.0
        
        Now I am not going to go into the technical details here as it will just confuse the issue at hand, the primary difference that said now comes down to the CSC (xml) that is used for each country and or operator.
        
        i.e.: branding
        
        In this regard VHA (and that goes for H3GA, Telstra, Crazy Johns, Virgin and Optus if Optus sold this handset) is not to blame for Australia not getting the bada 1.2 and now Bada 2.0 upgrade, its more to do with Samsung as they no longer support the “wave” / bada OS in australia.
        
        But I do feel for those customers that are stuck on Bada 1.0
        
        regards
        TGV
        
        Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 2:59 pm
Jack says:

ICS for Galaxy SII is still in testing??????
Reply
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 10:08 pm
haipad says:

When I’m given a project to do…I’m also given a timeframe AND a due date to finish by. It seem that either Vodafone have no due date for their software engineer/programmer OR they’ve become slack. So I say SACK your project manager/tester/programmer or whatever you call them and inject new people into your department.

It’s becoming a joke that s2 owners like myself are still waiting with no idea of timeframe when they’ll be release. And the only sentence we got from Kieran is to wait because they are doing the best they could. Why not give us a percentage of your progress like someone have already suggested you do.
Reply
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 10:21 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi haipad, the testing process is a multi-faceted procedure that includes input from both Vodafone and the manufacturer. Our involvement in the process is testing alone, we do not have any role in the software development process. Our testing schedules run for 10 days and we have consistently met those timelines. What we don’t have control over is the period of time between each test cycle where the manufacturer has to fix any bugs we have reported to them.
  
  I’ve given a more detailed answer to Prav as to why we can’t give a precise timeline for release here: http://blog.vodafone.com.au/blog/software-update-weekly-wrap-18042012/#comment-24208
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 9:48 am
Keat says:

I agree with Prav and haipad, create a column which indicates the percentage of testing. Let it be transparent to the consumer…….
Reply
Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 12:02 am
David. Z says:

GALAXY Nexus, quick!!!!!!!!!!

why nexus already 4.0.4 but our galaxy nexus still stay in 4.0.1?
Reply
Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 12:24 am
Essa says:

My wife’s Optus GS2 has already received the ICS 4.0.3 firmware update. It looks great. When will the Vodafone GS2 ICS update will be ready for my GS2?
Reply
Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 1:01 am
Mandeep Saini says:

I guess by the time voda will roll out the ics update for gs2, android will be planning to release android 5.0 as well..why is it taking forever to do minor changes to the firmware and then test it??
Reply
Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 2:30 am
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Mandeep, we don’t make the changes to the firmware to address any issues uncovered during testing – that’s the role of the manufacturer (Samsung). You can read more about the Software Development process in my series of articles here: http://blog.vodafone.com.au/blog/the-android-software-journey-part-1/
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 9:38 am
Andrew says:

In this thread: Kieran putting out fires.
Reply
Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 9:50 am
- Michael says:
  
  Just wait till he announces the 10.1v update has been delayed again by a further week, as Tim just did on the forums.
  
  He’ll be putting out bushfires then…
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 10:02 am
  - Kieran McIlwain says:
    
    Hi Michael, this information was already shared on the blog first thing this morning: http://blog.vodafone.com.au/blog/samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1v-android-3-2-1-update/
    Reply
    Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 10:06 am
    - Michael says:
      
      So you did, my Chrome cache is out of date for some reason -_- Shows up in IE, but not Chrome. Odd.
      Reply
      Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 10:12 am
Will says:

Can I say that these Galaxy S2 users do not reflect the majority.
These Android users are carrying on like a bunch of Apple users!

Your phone works doesnt it?! Do you require Face Unlock in your day to day life!? What is in this update that you “require”?? Just let them do their job and release it when its ready.

No other company has “an indication in percentage” on their sites (or any sort of update page for that matter).

I dont agree with Vodafones coverage, and I dont get along with their customer service BUT the updates do and will be released before most other companies… except the 10.1v update…
Reply
Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 10:07 am
- barto says:
  
  I agree with you and love your thinking… ICS is just a nice to have.
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 11:39 am
- Geoff says:
  
  +1
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 8:07 pm
Mitch says:

Hey kieran,

Is it possible to give us a “% completed” for the “current phase” of testing for the nokia belle update? And also how many phases of testing it has gone through? It would be much appreciated for all of us waiting patiently for the belle update.
Reply
Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 10:16 am
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Mitch, please to confirm the current round of testing is 100% complete. We’ll receive the testing report shortly expect to have an outcome for you in next week’s post if not sooner.
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 10:49 am
  - Mitch says:
    
    Thank you kieran! Much appreciated. Just two further questions: is it possible to let us know how many rounds of testing it has gone through since you’ve received it? And is the above quote “the current round of testing is 100% complete” relevant to both the N8 and the C7? thanks again.
    Reply
    Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 10:53 am
    - Kieran McIlwain says:
      
      Hi Mitch, we’ve had two test cycles for the Nokia Belle update with a period of development by Nokia in between. This applies to both the N8 and the C7.
      Reply
      Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 12:35 pm
      - Ross says:
        
        Hi Kieran
        i have noticed that nokia have released the country variant for belle in australia.Who test that version to see if that works with vodafone and other carriers networks and also if it complise with ACMA regulations.
        If you guys are still testing the version given to vodafone.
        
        Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 1:18 pm
      - Kieran McIlwain says:
        
        Hi Ross, that is the responsibility of the manufacturer (in this case Nokia).
        
        Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 1:22 pm
      - Kieran McIlwain says:
        
        Hi Ross, I’m pleased to confirm that all variants of Nokia Belle were approved for roll-out last night. Keep an eye on our blog as I’ll be making a dedicated post to announce the release of the update to customers.
        
        Friday, April 20, 2012 at 9:50 am
  - Mitch says:
    
    ??
    Reply
    Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 12:33 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Mitch, I’m pleased to confirm that all variants of Nokia Belle were approved for roll-out last night. Keep an eye on our blog as I’ll be making a dedicated post to announce the release of the update to customers.
  Reply
  Friday, April 20, 2012 at 9:50 am
  - Mitch says:
    
    Thanks for being so informative Kieran! The information that you have detailed above is exactly what us consumers look for when reading a blog on software updates. We like to know the status of the updates: i.e “% of phase ‘x’ completed, where x is the number of cycles the software has gone through, and the % is the percentage completed within the cycle of testing. Thanks again for the good news,and i look forward to obtaining the update soon!
    Reply
    Friday, April 20, 2012 at 1:53 pm
JJ says:

@Kieran: Mate Ive been defending the testing time of this release for 8 weeks now. As a software developer/tester even Im a bit WTF at the moment!! Hope it’s here soon
Reply
Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 11:43 am
- JJ says:
  
  oops! … My comment refers to the GS2 ICS update
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 11:44 am
Gdog says:

Hi Kieran

Would you be able to provide information on how the sensation/sensation xe update is going? Such as how many test cycles they have done, whether issues were uncovered or we’re waiting on HTC, and whether it appears more testing is needed? Cause all I have is ‘currently in testing’. Appreciate all you’ve done so far mate

Thanks!
Reply
Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 12:44 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Gdog, the Sensation, Sensation XE and Sensation XL are separate handsets and updates to both are still in the early phases of testing. I’m afraid I don’t have any more specific information to share at this stage.
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 12:57 pm
  - aedan says:
    
    still in early phases of testing? you have been testing for over a month
    Reply
    Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 6:22 pm
Mark says:

Hi Kieran,

Are you able to let us know how many test cycles the GS2 update has gone through so far?

Curious to know, as a few customers have asked instore about it.

Cheers.
Reply
Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 3:09 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Mark, I don’t have any specific information to share on that update at this stage.
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 3:59 pm
Gdog says:

Hi Kieran,

How is the sensation xe update still in the early stages of testing? It’s been testing since near the middle of march…
Reply
Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 3:20 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Gdog, as I explained earlier I’m afraid I don’t have any more specific information to share at this stage.
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 3:27 pm
  - EpicRawr says:
    
    hey i got SGs2 3 weeks ago is it possible just to swap for galaxy nexus on same plan because i dont know what the reason for testing where uk vodafone and rest of the providers got theres out weeks ago?
    Reply
    Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 3:51 pm
Tony says:

I have a Crazy Johns SG2 which doesn’t have any of the Vodafone branded software. My understanding is that you guys are performing the tests, is that correct?
Am I better off just rooting my phone and installing a custom ROM? Cyanogen 9 seems stable.
Reply
Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 4:58 pm
- Jay & Silent Bob says:
  
  Hi Tony, If you have an unbranded handset (what they call a SIM only handset). If your phone has no Voda apps installed on it, you would know there is around 9 apps that you can’t un-install on the voda handset.
  
  You will have to wait until voda, telstra and Optus start their roll outs. Samsung announced a few weeks back that sim only handsets will have to wait until all carrier roll outs are under way.
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 5:35 pm
Prav says:

Kieran, I’m in I.T industry and support extensive testing to minimise any future incompatibilities. However ‘currently in testing’ is less informative and demonstrates lack of respect to all SG2 customers from Vodafone (or the testing team). I’m more than happy to wait if you give all us an indication where the testing is at; then your time will be used more efficient instead of answering our queries.
Reply
Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 8:37 pm
- Geoff says:
  
  Prav,
  
  He has explained many time that there is a confidentiality agreement with Samsung that prevents him telling us this. Samsung obviously required these agreement to avoid negative publicity from whatever bugs are uncovered being made public.
  
  Vodafone instead has to wear the flack… and a little unfairly really. But it is the price they are willing to pay to be able to stock Samsung phones. Everyone here is at Vodafone for being “slow and inneficient” for not relaeasing the software…. but rememebr people, Samsung took around 5 or 6 months to deliver it to Vodafone, Vodafone have had it for only a short while. And the only reason Vodafone dont release it is if there are bugs in it after testing… and Samsung are responsible for those bugs being there, and for fixing any uncovered bugs.
  
  So you need to be far more upset with Samsung than with Vodafone. If Samsung had delivered (after 5 months delopment) some bug free software, we would have been able to install it by now. The fact that Vodafone has uncovered bugs is hardly their fault… but shows they are doing their job properly.
  Reply
  Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 8:54 pm
  - EL says:
    
    I guess you work for Vodafone. If Vodadfone put a bit more pressure on Samsung ICS will be released the same time as other carrier. Over promise and under delivery is a bad image for Vodafone. Especially with their current promo on service gurantee promise.
    Reply
    Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 9:47 pm
    - Kieran McIlwain says:
      
      Hi EL, software development is a tricky process and we work very closely with all of our manufacturing partners (including Samsung) to get these updates delivered as soon as possible. As I’ve mentioned in replies to previous posters, the software build for each carrier is unique to that carrier. Different requirements in different countries, and different hardware variants all mean that not everybody will get it at the same time.
      
      At this stage we’ve not made any promises regarding delivery dates for the Android 4.0 update, so it’s hard to under-deliver on something we’ve never promised! Our commitment is to get the update into your hands as soon as it’s ready.
      
      I’m glad to hear you’ve seen our promotion regarding the Vodafone Network Guarantee, and it’s a great tool for customers who want to test our new network but I’m afraid it does not apply to software updates. You can read more about the Guarantee here: http://vodafone.com.au/guarantee
      Reply
      Friday, April 20, 2012 at 9:31 am
    - Geoff says:
      
      No I don’t work for Vodafone…
      
      And let’s see…. Get Vodafone to put pressure on Samsung? The third biggest carrier… in a very small (by global standards) mobile phone market… oh yes… can see them bowing to that massive pressure! Must be shaking in their boots!
      
      And at the same time as other carriers?? Other carriers in Australia havent released (apart for the small error with a few Optus customers getting the wromg version) ICS for the GS2, so not sure what you mean there.
      
      Vodafone DONT do software updates for phone… no carriers do… they come from the MANUFACTURER of the phone. Vodafone test it to make sure it works, but if software does not get released, it is the phone maker you should be hounding, not the carriers.
      Reply
      Friday, April 20, 2012 at 9:38 am
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Prav, thanks for your feedback. We’re consistently looking at ways we can improve the communication of software update testing and appreciate you taking the time to comment.
  Reply
  Friday, April 20, 2012 at 9:36 am
vodagg says:

This comment has been removed by a moderator for not following Vodafone’s Social Media User Terms. Please feel free to read over these guidelines and re-submit your comment with these in mind.
Reply
Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 11:44 pm
vodagg says:

this is last time i’m staying as vodafone..
such bad reception and software is extremely slower than other providers.
bye voda
Reply
Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 11:45 pm
MrGeckoZ says:

Hi,
is there an exact date for the update for lumia800?

cheers
Reply
Friday, April 20, 2012 at 2:05 am
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi MrGeckoZ, no date at this stage but as soon as it’s available I’ll update the original blog post found here: http://blog.vodafone.com.au/blog/nokia-lumia-800-update-02042012/
  Reply
  Friday, April 20, 2012 at 9:25 am
Raz says:

GALAXY S II (Vodafone Variant) still no ICS!
Vodafone in the UK yes, but not in the AU.
Other providers have already rolled out their ICS for the Samsung Galaxy S II.. so what is the real hold up?

The answer is – BS!

They know that if they hold out for long enough more people will go to the other less popular models that already support ICS that are on higher plans that are at the same time Hardware inferior. They manage to punt off lesser goods at higher prices simply because they (Vodafone Australia) intentionally release the ICS on cheaper (hardware-wise) phones.

If they released the ICS update for the Samsung Galaxy S II their sales in the other more expensive phoneplans with their inferior hardware would plummet.

The delay is just them squeezing their customers into either higher-cost plans or cheaper hardware phones.. all with the illusion that ICS makes them better. The day they release ICS for the Samsung Galaxy S II they will be left with high cost plans and cheap phones they cant coerce people into buying.

An Example: Anyone can see that the SGS2 is superior to the GALAXY Nexus. However the Nexus has ICS, which is why its contract is 40% more expensive. is the SGS2 had ICS, who would really be that stupid to got for the other more expensive and technological inferior phoneplan?

So we SGS2 owners have 3 choices.
1. Pay more for less under the illusion ‘the ICS makes it worth it’
2. Hack their phone and void their warranty just to get more out of their phones. (the battery draining issue) or,
3. wait till Vodafone has gorged themselves enough on new customers and punting off their crappier plans and HOPE they release the ICS as they promised they already would.

It’s not about their customers, it’s about their profit margins.

Sad but true :/
Reply
Friday, April 20, 2012 at 5:11 am
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Raz, thanks for taking the time to leave such a detailed comment. I’m sorry to hear that you believe we’re holding back an update for reasons other than that it doesn’t meet our expectations of a great experience for our customers.
  
  The GALAXY S II is one of our most popular Android handsets (in fact, if go past any of our stores you’ll see it front and centre in the shop window) and we would love nothing more than to have Android 4.0 available for it. Fortunately all customers who purchase a GALAXY S II today can enjoy the benefits of Ice Cream Sandwich when it’s rolled out to all customers in the near future.
  
  I look forward to sharing the news that the update has been approved, but right now it’s still undergoing the vitally important testing and certification process. Once the update’s ready I’ll let you know (or alternatively you can register for SMS alerts here: http://bit.ly/VFics ).
  Reply
  Friday, April 20, 2012 at 9:47 am
- Tony says:
  
  Raz,
  Most people with SGS2 will only be, at most, half way through their contracts. I’m only 6 months in and there is no way I would switch to another phone just for ICS.
  Having heard that Samsung has pretty much covered over most of the ICS features with their own skins you will in effect not see much of the upgrade.
  I’ll wait, see what it’s like and then decide if I Hack it.
  Reply
  Friday, April 20, 2012 at 12:16 pm
  - Sam says:
    
    @Tony yeah its not good to see GS2 ICS with TW ,,,, so after updating you phone just try Apex Launcher or Nova Launcher You cant try that now because those only avalible in Android 4 ICS,, it will be good
    Reply
    Friday, April 20, 2012 at 1:27 pm
Daniel says:

Good to see Vodafone is up to date with HTC One X. Hopefully this update is referring to a firmware update of 1.27.xx, 1.28.xx or maybe a massive update to 1.30.xx that will move that file in the system, increase battery life and perfomance and reduce problems like screen unresponsivness and flickering. (which I have all experienced). I did not choose insurance however, but as some of these can be asociated with hardware failures and a faulty battery, if I dont see an improvment in the OTA update, will i be able to switch my phone over at my local store?
Reply
Friday, April 20, 2012 at 9:42 am
Ben says:

Hi Kieran,

thanks for the update regarding the Value Pack for the Galaxy S. I wasn’t sure if they were going to release it in Australia so looking forward to it.
Reply
Friday, April 20, 2012 at 11:52 am
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Thanks Ben, I was hoping you’d catch the news! Will keep you and everyone else updated through the Weekly Wraps.
  Reply
  Friday, April 20, 2012 at 12:43 pm
  - shaad says:
    
    hei keiran…….are we getting BELLE UPDATE tonight?…….any idea
    Reply
    Friday, April 20, 2012 at 4:37 pm
    - Kieran McIlwain says:
      
      Hi shaad, we’re awaiting indication from Nokia as to when the update will be released. Keep an eye on the blog as I will make a dedicated post once it’s ready.
      Reply
      Monday, April 23, 2012 at 10:33 am
      - shaad says:
        
        cheers
        
        Monday, April 23, 2012 at 4:10 pm
  - Ben says:
    
    Thanks. Just a couple of other things, The page now says the current version is 2.3.6 and the update is 2.3.6 value pack. Is this a mistake or is there a 2.3.6 update and a 2.3.6 value pack update?
    
    Also, can you tell me if Three phones will get the update? My phone has the three firmware.
    Reply
    Sunday, April 22, 2012 at 9:25 am
    - Kieran McIlwain says:
      
      Hi Ben, at the moment the information I have only pertains to the Vodafone-branded variant. I’ll check with Samsung and will get back to you.
      Reply
      Monday, April 23, 2012 at 10:50 am
    - Kieran McIlwain says:
      
      Hi Ben, I’ve confirmed with Samsung that the 2.3.6 Value Pack update will be available for both 3 and Vodafone customers. The mention of 2.3.6 in the “Current” column was a mistake which has been corrected. Hope this helps!
      Reply
      Monday, April 23, 2012 at 4:55 pm
      - Ben says:
        
        That’s great news! Thanks for confirming that, looking forward to the update.
        
        Thursday, April 26, 2012 at 9:14 am
Garuda says:

You’ve been testing the Galaxy S2 ICS for over a month now. What’s going on?
Reply
Friday, April 20, 2012 at 8:38 pm
Vaseline says:

Hi Kieran,

Thanks for keeping us updated and dealing with these squabbling comments from such impatient people.

What’s your favourite foods?
Your favourite colour?
Your favourite movie?
Your favourite book?

Hope to hear from you

Kind Regards,
Vaseline
Reply
Friday, April 20, 2012 at 9:34 pm
- neutrgena says:
  
  hi vaseline <3
  Reply
  Saturday, April 21, 2012 at 2:10 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Vaseline, glad you’re enjoying the updates! As for my favourites – Fresh Seafood, Blue, Office Space and Night Watch by Terry Pratchett. Let me know if there’s anything else I can help with
  Reply
  Monday, April 23, 2012 at 10:37 am
  - Geoff says:
    
    Terry Pratchett rocks…. shame he has gotten so ill….
    Reply
    Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 11:40 pm
goonzz says:

LOL So much anger and impatience. #1stworldproblems
Reply
Friday, April 20, 2012 at 9:47 pm
Sara Cameron says:

I’m with three but can’t find their blog anymore for updates,
Is android 2.3.6 available for the galaxy s on 3 as well?
Reply
Saturday, April 21, 2012 at 10:24 am
Geoff D says:

I was just looking at the Vodafone forums in the UK Vodafone site…. Seems a lot of people have been having a lot of bugs with the ICS Galaxy S2 update over there. Mostly just niggling issues, but bugs non the less.

And then this post appears……

-from Vodafone UK Galaxy S2 forums-

Hi Everyone,

Here’s a little update:

Samsung have temporarily stopped the update to ICS today, Friday 20th April, to perform analysis of the updates done so far to ensure the best quality experience for customers.
We know you are eager to get this update if you have not done so already and the plan from Samsung is to make this available again tomorrow Saturday 21st April.
The update may be temporarily stopped again if Samsung need to monitor the performance of the update system, or customers’ experiences of it.

We’ll keep you posted on further developments as always, so if you haven’t already, please subscribe to this thread to receive automatic email alerts when there’s news.

-end-

So it appears the the UK roll put has been halted…. And maybe started again today. Maybe not.

I like the bit… to perform analysis….. In other words, check the bugs that have slipped through. Which hopefully we won’t get here if Vodafone test properly.
Reply
Saturday, April 21, 2012 at 1:09 pm
Steve says:

Hi Kieran,

Sadly, this blog illustrates the inefficiency of VFA public relations mechanisms at present.
Undoubtedly it is a frustration for VFA staff and customers alike. So why persist with it?

If an ETA for an update was given, it would surely quell the vitriol. Then if at any time before the ETA arrives a problem appears the ETA can be revised.

A brief explanation that more honing of the update was needed would suffice for any adult.

No confidentiality would be breached by this; VFA staff would be less stressed by reduced blog traffic and diatribe whilst paying customers would know a little more about the ETA of an update. I personally find the current the reporting paradigm obfuscating at best!

The Android software journey is interesting and informative, but clearly lacking what I would like, and thats an ETA.
An ETA is clearer than the rather nebulous “In Testing”.

Does anyone concur?
Reply
Saturday, April 21, 2012 at 3:00 pm
- Phil says:
  
  Hi Kieran and Steve (and everyone else),
  
  As a Vodafone customer and Galaxy S2 user I don’t agree with an ETA as it doesn’t really do anything apart from getting people off Vodafone’s back (or in this case Kieran’s). The problem is that when they miss a date because the software is being made stable etc, the same people that demanded an ETA will then complain how much Vodafone and/or Samsung have let them down.
  
  If the problem was to do with the phone not working in some way I would understand, but this doesn’t seem to be the case. Our lives will not be massively improved by Ice Cream Sandwich, no matter how catchy its name is.
  
  Part of the problem here is that many (but not all) people are no longer willing to wait for something useful AND reliable. Many expect to receive something as soon as they hear it exists. They are also not willing to tolerate the bugs that effective testing removes and hey, this can take time AND, as suggested earlier, each build has to be treated as a new version in terms of testing. In short some people expect perfection to be delivered yesterday, if not sooner (preferably for free – which hey, this IS everyone! Just think how much Apple and Microsoft charge for an OS version upgrade – even minor ones).
  
  Before anyone asks I don’t work for Vodafone, a reseller or other related business. Neither do I have any shares in the company (unless my super fund does, but if they do I don’t know about it). I work in higher education in an unrelated field.
  
  So my message to everyone is chill out and maybe even enjoy a real ice cream sandwich while you wait.
  
  Phil
  Reply
  Monday, April 23, 2012 at 12:01 am
  - Geoff says:
    
    Hear hear!
    Reply
    Monday, April 23, 2012 at 9:49 am
  - Road Runner says:
    
    the idea of enjoying a real ICS while we wait for Android ICS sounds a sensible thing to do.
    
    If you want ICS so badly you could try a custom ROM, which may/may not work perfectly.
    
    I guess Voda taking their time to make sure we get a stable piece of software on our phone is acceptable. If not this same blog will be full of bug reports!
    Reply
    Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 11:27 am
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Steve, unfortunately in my experience the worst thing I can do is to provide an ETA that is missed. The issues which we’ve faced with the Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1v are testament to this fact. I see that there are two options when it comes to ETAs:
  Provide an ETA that is constantly shifting and subject to change;
  or,
  Provide an ETA that is vague (ie “mid 2012″ or “Q2″)
  In each of these cases, the ETA doesn’t actually mean anything and is just an arbitrary date. While it provides the illusion of an ETA really it serves little real purpose.
  
  This isn’t to say that the status quo is the best way to communicate this information, and we are constantly looking at ways to improve it – I don’t feel that an ETA is an effective way to get the message across. Happy to hear your thoughts on this though
  Reply
  Monday, April 23, 2012 at 10:48 am
  - Steve says:
    
    Hi Kieran,
    Thanks for your reply to my missive! An estimate is exactly that, an estimate not a guarantee. Anyone that takes an estimate as an exactly specified thing doesn’t know the meaning of the word estimate. My suggestion was attempting to offer a solution to the barrage of daily questions repeatedly asking the same thing. Your quote “I don’t feel that an ETA is an effective way to get the message across.”, shows something markedly different to what VFA customers are asking for. For me at least, an ETA would suffice. As you’re unable to furnish such a thing such a commonly used thing to your customers, I look forward to my SMS notification, that I’ve registered for.
    Cheers,
    Steve
    
    PS An estimate cannot be arbitrary
    Reply
    Monday, April 23, 2012 at 10:59 pm
    - jcrawfor74 says:
      
      Hi Steve / Kieran
      
      Lets try a different tact.
      
      Perhaps Kieran you could provide us with a fact. (This requires no estimation or guestimate on your behalf)
      
      In the last round of testing of ICS for the Galaxy S2 how many defects were reported?
      
      As a software developer I understand that fixing 1 bug may create 10 more, but its up to me how I interperate your answer.
      If you say 5 I would think we are close to seeing ICS, if you say 200 I would think we are further away.
      
      Perhaps to provide some relative comparison you could answer, how may defects were reported in the first round of testing?
      
      Then again, this might be embarasing for Andriod?
      Reply
      Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 12:17 am
      - Kieran McIlwain says:
        
        Hi jcrawfor74, unfortunately providing details of what (if any) bugs are uncovered during the testing process for an individual build would violate the commercial agreements we have with our partners. For a more general look at the kinds of issues that have stopped releases in the past, I’d recommend checking out the appendix to our Android Software Update Journey articles: http://blog.vodafone.com.au/blog/the-android-software-journey-appendix/
        
        Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 7:19 am
    - Kieran McIlwain says:
      
      Hi Steve, happy to engage with our user-base on what’s quite a contentious topic – thank you for taking the time to write! Unfortunately the overwhelming feedback I’ve seen both here on the blog and through other social channels is that the common perception of an ETA is that of a scheduled roll-out date (rather than an estimate). While I accept that an ETA is the most common request I receive, I still maintain that due to the nature of the testing process I cannot deliver one with any worthwhile accuracy.
      
      With input from the Social Media team I am constantly looking at new ways to communicate this information and have regular reviews of the process. Ultimately our aim is to strike a balance between accuracy and timeliness of information, which can be a difficult balance to find. I’ve noted your feedback and it will be brought up at our next review, thanks again for taking the time to provide it.
      
      Separately, I’m glad to hear you’ve made use of the SMS notification tool!
      Reply
      Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 7:17 am
Leslie says:

I swear this is so slow in their progress for everything roll out will begin soon testing everything is just giving us false hopes been waiting so long
Reply
Sunday, April 22, 2012 at 12:39 pm
EpicRawr says:

ETA on testing?
Reply
Sunday, April 22, 2012 at 8:12 pm
mr dave w says:

If i was kieran: i would ask for a large salary increase or close down these blogs which make people too eager and just announce the update by sms to the users phone when all testing has been completed. Btw its not like ics is a market game changer anyhow.
Reply
Sunday, April 22, 2012 at 9:51 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Dave, while a raise would certainly be nice I don’t think shutting down these blogs is the answer. I’m committed to providing accurate and up to date information on these software updates in which our customers place great value and importance. If anything, the eagerness to get their hands on the latest update validates the need to provide this information on a regular basis.
  
  Regarding an SMS update, good news! We already provide an SMS alert service for customers who wish to be notified when the update is available. You can register your details here to be notified: http://bit.ly/VFics
  Reply
  Monday, April 23, 2012 at 10:53 am
Cam says:

http://www.cnet.com.au/vodafone-video-responds-to-tab-10-1v-customer-complaint-339336449.htm
Reply
Monday, April 23, 2012 at 1:58 pm
EL says:

Hi Kieran,

For the Galaxy S, last week it said the current is 2.3.3 then this week it said is 2.3.6.
Is that a typo or Vodafone released 2.3.6 during the week and if 2.3.6 was released, please let me know the version of it(JW1, JW2 or JW3 etc.

many thanks
Reply
Monday, April 23, 2012 at 4:39 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi EL, that is a typo which has been corrected. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
  Reply
  Monday, April 23, 2012 at 4:53 pm
aedan says:

I just one thing to ask you Kieran “what do you say you do here?”
Reply
Monday, April 23, 2012 at 4:57 pm
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi aedan, let me just say that the TPS Reports keep me busy. Oh, and don’t get me started on the printer
  Reply
  Monday, April 23, 2012 at 5:31 pm
  - aedan says:
    
    Good work, can you let me know what “pc load letter” means
    Reply
    Monday, April 23, 2012 at 5:48 pm
    - Kieran McIlwain says:
      
      Hi aedan, although I’m baffled and surprised that the printer would return such an error…I’m afraid the meaning of that particular code is unknown to me
      Reply
      Monday, April 23, 2012 at 5:53 pm
Jerry says:

wonder if somebody actually really testing the ICS ……
Reply
Monday, April 23, 2012 at 9:30 pm
- amit says:
  
  This comment has been removed by a moderator for not following Vodafone’s Social Media User Terms. Please feel free to read over these guidelines and re-submit your comment with them in mind.
  Reply
  Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 12:23 am
sab says:

Finally got my Vodafone Nokia N8 update, thanks!
Reply
Monday, April 23, 2012 at 11:40 pm
- shaad says:
  
  HOW u got it???????????/
  Reply
  Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 5:42 pm
- James says:
  
  yeah ow did you get it
  Reply
  Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 5:56 pm
LL says:

Hi Kieran

Thanks for updating and everything. You do not deserve all that hate, I understand you are just doing your job.

I’m S2 user and after waiting and reading all this week after week, I’m positive I won’t get ics in the near future from Vodafone, and I start not to care about it coz the more I expect it the more I am disappointed. I understand different s2 model requires customized update, but when 2/3 of world get update, maybe I would assume none of them is using Vodafone model, or they were lucky enough not having technical issues whatsoever.

One thing I learn from this is, I will pick up the right supplier and right model on my next phone.

Cheers Mate
Reply
Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 2:32 pm
- aedan says:
  
  I know exactly how you feel, I sold my unbranded sensation to my brother, to get the xe from vodafone he got the ice update over a month ago and I stalk these blogs week after week for the smallest glimps of hope that I to will get the update and all I have gained is there testing it.
  Reply
  Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 4:35 pm
James says:

N8 Belle update i have it showing update avalible on my phone but wont update when i plug it into pc anything im i have missed
Reply
Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 3:51 pm
EpicRawr says:

Well i hope we get the update for the S2 soon its okay to wait but not to long,hope they fixx all bugs so we can run a smooth ics update.
Reply
Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 5:35 pm
Tony says:

I seem to have received the ICS update for my Galaxy S2. Interesting that there is nothing here about it.
I have the Crazy Johns version of the phone and now that it is complete, I can confirm that I have version 4.0.3 on my phone.
Time to test it out.
Reply
Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 11:43 pm
- Tahaa says:
  
  Theirs still no update for Galaxy S2 on the normal Vodafone devices, but hopefully now that Crazy Jones have released their update, that would mean we are nearing the eagerly awaited update. After some research I do agree that this is not Vodafones fault that the update is not ready, it’s not their fault Samsung ICS has so many bugs and issues that need to be tested.
  Reply
  Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 1:12 am
  - Raz says:
    
    I’m not attacking any one person on the subject of the ICS release for the samsung Galaxy S II, only its flawed process.
    
    Eg;
    If you bought a new spanky TV from ‘Average Joe’s appliances’ and there was a firmware update that everyone else besides ‘Average Joe’s appliances’ is releasing you have to wonder what Joe’s is actually doing to be behind.
    
    You ask Joe’s for some answers but you keep getting the same vague responses in return.
    
    Since the manufacturer of the TV you bought released the update for the manufactured product to improve the performance of your goods you have to also wonder what Joe’s has to do with it at all.
    
    How is it that ‘Average Joe’s appliances’ is able to hold back something that the manufacturers released unless it was to give ‘Average Joe’s Appliances’ to infest an otherwise manufacturer approved update?
    
    The problem is ‘Average Joe’s Appliances’ wants to infest your hardware update with their own bloatware, something that should be optional and definitely not something that should hold back the updates release.
    
    I don’t see what ‘Average Joe’s Appliances’ has to do with any of it.
    It certainly wouldn’t be doing them any favors.
    
    Why this supposed improvement is being filtered through ‘Average Joe’s Appliances’ in the first place is beyond me. It would seem getting the product through ‘Average Joe’s’ was a mistake. While other appliance stores may have been a little more expensive at least the buyer would have not gotten such a slow response in service.
    
    He gets what he pays for I guess. <_<
    
    Personally going by this sort of thing I wouldnt think the guy would want to purchase anything else from 'Average Joe's Appliances' in the future and would warn people of a possible similar fate. This sort of thing only causes frustration, which is why I'm here giving to an outside perspective.
    
    Maybe in this case Vodafone has a more active role than just infesting an otherwise working updated OS with bloatware…
    
    If anyone can explain it I'd like to see it.
    
    PS – I'm not being harsh, I'm being direct as possible.
    
    Thanks o/
    Reply
    Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 11:33 am
    - Kieran McIlwain says:
      
      Hi Raz, I think “infest” is a bit of a harsh word to use for the applications we pre-install. In the Android 4.0 update there are only three Vodafone-supplied apps:
      - Vodafone Central (really just a bookmark)
      - Vodafone Updates (a way to get all our other apps like Who2Call)
      - My Vodafone (our self-care and account management app)
      
      All up these applications use less than 5MB of space on your device, and although testing compatibility of those apps is part of our testing process it’s only one of the around a thousand tests that take place. If you haven’t already, I implore you to read the Android Software Journey article which explains in detail the process of getting an update to your handset from when Google announces it through to when it lands on your handset.
      
      From what you’ve mentioned here, you’d be most interested in Part 2 and Part 3 which cover the Carrier Customisation process and Testing process:
      http://blog.vodafone.com.au/blog/the-android-software-journey-part-2/
      http://blog.vodafone.com.au/blog/the-android-software-journey-part-3/
      
      Happy to answer any further questions you have about the process either here or in the comments of one of those articles.
      Reply
      Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 1:15 pm
Fotis says:

I am with Crazy Johns and am now downloading Ice Cream Sandwich on my Galaxy SII. I was expecting Vodafone to release the update to their customers, as well as 3 customers first. You would think Vodafone will release the firmware upgrade before May 3rd, when the new Galaxy smartphone will be announced.
Reply
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 10:31 am
- Kieran McIlwain says:
  
  Hi Fotis, some Crazy Johns handsets are non-branded and do not follow the carrier update process put in place by Vodafone. I’m aware that Samsung has started to roll-out Ice Cream Sandwich for non-branded devices in Australia.
  Reply
  Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 1:09 pm

Vodafone blog