Android 2.4 is apparently set to arrive in April 2011, though it’s supposedly set to still bear the Gingerbread name. According to Pocket-lint‘s sources at ViewSonic, Google has pulled forward the v2.4 release date so as to bring support for applications coded for dual-core devices – such as those running Android 3.0 Honeycomb – to single-core handsets, something Android 2.3 is currently unable to do.

The news fits in with our own sources, who told Android Community back in January that Google was requesting manufacturers hold off from releasing Gingerbread 2.3 updates or devices until the start of Q2 2011. At the time it was suggested that Google’s move was to maintain the Nexus S’ exclusivity on the market as the sole Gingerbread smartphone, but it now seems the decision may have been to allow the company’s engineers time to ready Android 2.4. Interestingly, leaked images of the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc showed the phone running v2.4, though the company later described that as an accidental glitch.

The ViewSonic source also reckons – though this isn’t confirmed – that Android 3.1 will be the version to bear the Ice Cream name.

29 COMMENTS

    • Actually, it sounds like this is all being done expressly to avoid unnecessary fragmentation. If everything pans out, Google has seemingly managed to prevent any devices (bar its own “pure” Nexus S) from being released with a version of Android (2.3) that could cause significant app fragmentation thanks to lacking support for apps coded with Honeycomb in mind.

  3. That means if manufacturers don’t update their phones you won’t be able to run any future software, cause it’ll most likely be coded for dual core.

    Ouch! Since most of the manufacturers are pretty slow at updates, if they update at all.

    • @ Vitruviux That means if manufacturers don’t update their phones you won’t be able to run any future software, cause it’ll most likely be coded for dual core.

      that could not be any further from the truth. when you purchased your first dual-core windows or mac system, did you find that any of your apps stopped working? dual cores *can* be taken advantage of at the code level, but 1) any application that does that will gracefully fall back if theres <2 cores and 2) most apps aren't written like this anyway, and instead the dual nature of the CPU is used to handle different processes running concurrently.

      • Thanks for explaining that Jeffrey, however why are they making such a big deal and asking the manufacturers to half the releases if it’s not a big deal?

      • the android OS works a bit differently, apps have to be coded using certain hardware specs, then the OS has to “dumb it down” for single core. This is why they asked them to wait, otherwise people with single core devices that get 2.4 will not be able to use dual core versions of apps. Thats the only reason.

      • the android OS works a bit differently, apps have to be coded using certain hardware specs, then the OS has to “dumb it down” for single core. This is why they asked them to wait, otherwise people with single core devices that get 2.4 will not be able to use dual core versions of apps. Thats the only reason.

      • the android OS works a bit differently, apps have to be coded using certain hardware specs, then the OS has to “dumb it down” for single core. This is why they asked them to wait, otherwise people with single core devices that get 2.4 will not be able to use dual core versions of apps. Thats the only reason.

      • the android OS works a bit differently, apps have to be coded using certain hardware specs, then the OS has to “dumb it down” for single core. This is why they asked them to wait, otherwise people with single core devices that get 2.4 will not be able to use dual core versions of apps. Thats the only reason.

    • I use a moto milestone, you know that phone with the locked bootloader but yet i am running gingerbread rom on it just fine, screw motorola they cant look after the consumers, so yh your comment is irrelevant to me 😀

    • I use a moto milestone, you know that phone with the locked bootloader but yet i am running gingerbread rom on it just fine, screw motorola they cant look after the consumers, so yh your comment is irrelevant to me 😀

  4. when the N1 came out, it was the answer to the problem where carriers / manufacturers were not keeping their phones up to date with new android releases. it was meant to show them “how it’s done”.

    now google is walking right in their footsteps. i guess we should have seen this coming when they closed the official nexus one forums.

  5. Just wonder if anybody here knows if the upcoming Gingerbread 2.4 will work on phones with 800 Mhz processor (such as T-mobile G2)? I’m tempted to buy a G2 but its current operating system doesn’t seem to sync well with MS outlook. Gingerbread 2.4 is supposed to fix this problem. –Thanks!

  6. Just wonder if anybody here knows if the upcoming Gingerbread 2.4 will work on phones with 800 Mhz processor (such as T-mobile G2)? I’m tempted to buy a G2 but its current operating system doesn’t seem to sync well with MS outlook. Gingerbread 2.4 is supposed to fix this problem. –Thanks!

    • Oliwer, 

      I have an S1 as well. I was about to throw it to its rightful garbage bin, with its original Android (I believe it was Froyo that it shipped with). It had HUGE lags, froze often, and it was an all-round piece of shit (except for the screen resolution, which was nice). 

      A colleague helped me install Cyanogenmod (7.1.0) today, and with it Android 2.3.7 and I can say it is a different phone altogether. No lags, beautiful response in all applications, and I look forward to playing with it more, to get a better impression. 

      So, the answer is YES, you can update your Samsung Galaxy S1 to 2.3, and you should, too! You will thank yourself 🙂

      Cheers, Mihai

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