Do Google android updates come directly to your phone or not?

[crnnz]

Hi,
I have a Nexus 5 and haven't received the OTA 4.4.3 update yet.

This led me to try and find out how the update process works. I've found that it's next to impossible to find anything on the Internet that describes the process in detail.

There are lots of guys with theories. Some are adamant that all Nexus updates come directly from Google in some way. Some are adamant that they come from the carriers' servers.

I'm with carrier 2Degrees in New Zealand. They say they are holding the update up for testing and when it's ready it will be sent out by LG. They indicated that will be in other couple of weeks. That will be 7 weeks after it was first released.

Until now I believed that the whole point of buying a Nexus was to avoid carrier interference.

I'd like to hear what views the experts have.

 

[chanchan05]

Nexus avoids carrier interference in terms of bloatware. In terms of compatibility, it's up to carriers and manufacturers to ensure that. And the added fact that you are not in the US, since the rest of the world uses a different frequency. This makes the original firmware developed by Google to be incompatible since AFAIK the Nexus models aren't global phones. Same way with manufacturer phones, like Samsung. Even when you get an unbranded Samsung in the US, the international models get the update first.

 

[crnnz]

Thanks - that makes sense.

 

[mikedt]

Isn't the Nexus 5 available in New Zealand? I know it's available in the EU, Hong Kong, and in the US. But North America might have a different version, because of their cellular bands and modes, e.g. CDMA.

 

[Hadron]

Who did you buy the phone from? If it came from the carrier then they probably control the update release. If it was unbranded and unconnected (e.g. from the Play Store) then it's nothing to do with the carrier.

In the latter case roll-outs are still regional, so some countries will get it before others.