Nexus owners, mark your calendars: it’s been exactly five and a half months since the Samsung Galaxy Nexus was released exclusively on Verizon in the United States. In that time the phone has received one and only one official update, to Android 4.0.2…. which was almost immediately overshadowed by 4.0.3, then 4.0.4 over two months ago. Today reports are spreading that Verizon is finally, finally sending out the 4.0.4 update over the air, making its LTE version of the Galaxy Nexus officially current for the first time in almost half a year.

To say that Nexus owners are upset is an understatement. Like previous entries in the line, the Galaxy Nexus was sold with the understanding that it would be the first to get updated to new versions of Android. And indeed, the GSM flavor of the Galaxy Nexus is the first. But Verizon has become something of a roadblock for Android updates, as many feared that it would. The fact that Google no longer guarantees timely updates for CDMA “developer devices” doesn’t help. Many Verizon Galaxy Nexus users flashed the leaked updates or Google’s own posted version out of frustration.

We don’t usually outright recommend rooting and flashing custom ROMs, but in this case I’m willing to make an exception. If you bought a Verizon Galaxy Nexus specifically to get timely Android updates, running a custom ROM is your best bet, and it’s worth it to learn how to root and modify your phone even for beginners. Verizon has completely dropped the ball and failed to live up to the tacit promise behind the Nexus name. Both CyanogenMod 9 and AOKP have full support for the LTE “toro” Galaxy Nexus, and come highly recommended.

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16 COMMENTS

  1. About frigging time.. and it wasn’t like just for the sake of saying hey I got an update. No I have a lot of on going issues with mine which effects my day to day use. Reboots galore, in call issues, connectivity problems, camera freezing up, the list goes on. So for 6 months Verizon has been saying soon soon, in regards to the update. Finally. Now watch, 4.05 will be sent to us 5 months after Jelly Bean is released to the GSM versions. I’m gonna root it I think.

    • I’ve been running AOKP (Android Open Kang Project) and I have to say I’ll never go back to stock. I had a lot of the issues you’re describing while I was on stock, and no more since I’m on that ROM (with Franco Kernel). I highly recommend taking the root/custom rom route. It’s easy on the Gnex.

  2. I am pissed at VZ. They charge me over $120 every single month as if it is some car lease or something and don’t even deliver the basic service for that kind of price.

  3. With respect to taking the “root” route to remedy the concerns and issues all of us are facing with Verizon dragging their knuckles while we wait for 4.04 or any future update to happen….”rooting” and not hammering Verizon’s customer service is letting them off easy, and a company as large and with as many resources as Verizon has is unacceptable service. While i’m not saying don’t “root”, don’t become satisfied with sub-par service by Verizon, let them know.

  4. i finally got my update 4.0.4 nd this is how i went to setting, then apps, then all, then google services framework, then force stop, then clear data … then go to about phone update and ur system will read last updated 12/31/1969 then request update. it took 2 times for me to make it work. now the phone is sooo smoth and fast simply wow

      • Got mine updated. No change relative to it randomly and completely dropping the 4g connection. If I turn off the LTE and run it on 3g it works all the time. I’m still pissed then I guess unless someone can come up with a fix. I bought a 4g, I want a 4g.

  5. Sitting on the sofa watching TV last night… June,1 – 10:45 pacific time… all of a sudden… “your phone wants to update” and I was like… “HELL YEA!!” 4.0.4 is pretty sweet… and ive finally got four bars at my house! Amazing! *what took you so long, baby*

  6. i cleared the google frameworks and got the update……The little android with the glowing spinning polyhedron with laser-light is worth the price of admission. how cool!!after six months i finally have a phone, seems like most of my issues, fonts, typing lag, battery etc fixed, time will tell about the phantom reboots and other memory management issues as well as the discreet switching between 4g and 3g that was horrid. Traveled last week to a place with only 2 bars of 3g and the phone was almost useless, will have to travel out of my area to see what i have but this os should have been on the device dec 15th and i’d have a different opinion of the google phone universe. how could this update sit on servers without verizon telling customers about frameworks?

    • Emails still do this annoying stacking so that the third quoted email stacks one litter wide vertical justified, do you know what I mean. The email threads get progressively thinner. I thought that would be AB easy one. Still haven’t checked to see if the apostrophe but on HTML mail is solved, makes apos:garble………to recipient ande back to you…..that should be fixed too

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