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Hey everyone,
We frequently see threads and comments from customers on the Community asking questions such as ‘where’s firmware z’, ‘why does network B have update x and you don’t’, etc. It’s not always an easy or straight forward answer, but in most instances any issues or delays don’t sit with O2. So, let us help fill you in and put you in the know :).
Q. How do software updates work at O2?
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A. In most instances, this involves the vendor (eg, Huawei, Sony, Samsung etc) sending us their generic UK version of the firmware, which we then test and either a) approve, or b) decline – in some cases the vendor will put the update on hold to create a new one for us to test, or create one specific to us if it doesn’t impact the other UK networks.
Q. Why would you decline an update?
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A. This does not happen often, but this will typically be down to 1 of 2 reasons…
1) We found a general bug that we believe impacts the customer experience to a point we’re not comfortable approving it. For example, a battery drain bug, device crashing, slow performance.
2) We found a bug that impacts our network. For example, it sends more network requests than usual which could impact our network performance, or we found a bug that impacts the customer experience of sending a text or making a call etc.
If it means the software is delayed to resolve customer experience issues, this is something we are 100% behind – we want our customers to have a reliable and positive experience and hope our customers understand and agree with this ethos.
1) We found a general bug that we believe impacts the customer experience to a point we’re not comfortable approving it. For example, a battery drain bug, device crashing, slow performance.
2) We found a bug that impacts our network. For example, it sends more network requests than usual which could impact our network performance, or we found a bug that impacts the customer experience of sending a text or making a call etc.
If it means the software is delayed to resolve customer experience issues, this is something we are 100% behind – we want our customers to have a reliable and positive experience and hope our customers understand and agree with this ethos.
Q. Do you add bloatware?
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A. We don’t. When we approve a software update, we generally apply what’s called a customisation script. In most instances this will change some settings (such as the correct APN, voicemail, MMS settings, automatic connecting to Wifi Extra, Wifi calling). In addition we also include a package of apps for you to download as part of your device setup. This, in most cases, puts an 'O2 Recommends' folder on your device. If you bought your phone from O2, this folder will contain a range of apps from O2 and selected 3rd parties. If you bought your phone from someone else, then you may only see My O2, plus O2 Priority on some devices.
During device setup you can select which apps to download, with the exception of My O2 and O2 Priority. We include these automatically due to the nature of the services they provide. My O2 is your account management app, and O2 Priority provides exclusive offers for you as an O2 customer.
Q. Does your customisation script add or change software features, such as camera settings?
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A. No. Our customisation script only changes settings that’d relate to how the device works or operates on our network. We will never change settings or other features, such as advanced or special settings for your camera app for instance.
Q. How quickly do you approve updates?
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A. If it’s just a security update, then this is often turned around within a matter of days. If it’s a software update with fixes, new features or other changes, then it could take us up to 2 weeks from receiving it to test and approve it.
Q. Why did ‘Network Z’ get this update on *insert date* and I’m still waiting?
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A. We work closely with our vendors and we always aim to at the very least have our update become available at the same time as our competitor networks, but unfortunately this may not always be the case and may be impacted by various issues such as:
A) We find a bug/issue that impacts us and not others (or it doesn’t bother others as much as us)
B) Network Z may have had a different agreement with the vendor to get the update sooner
C) Unforeseeable issue on the vendor side, where they release the update for Network Z, but not others – in these circumstances we’ll notify the vendor as soon as we become aware, and work with them to try and ensure this doesn’t happen again.
A) We find a bug/issue that impacts us and not others (or it doesn’t bother others as much as us)
B) Network Z may have had a different agreement with the vendor to get the update sooner
C) Unforeseeable issue on the vendor side, where they release the update for Network Z, but not others – in these circumstances we’ll notify the vendor as soon as we become aware, and work with them to try and ensure this doesn’t happen again.
Q. Why is Android so fragmented, and only a small percentage of devices are on Android Pie?
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A. This is something you’d need to ask Google, but it’s worth bearing in mind that this is likely down to a combination of the hardware and the vendor. New versions of Android may have features and/or API’s that won’t be compatible with older hardware, or older hardware may not have the performance required to provide a positive experience.
It may also be down to the vendor and if they see the value or need to create a version of it for their devices, especially older generation ones. Unless a vendor provides us with the update, it’s not something we can release… To be clear – just because Android Pie is ‘out’, we as a network cannot provide this update for your device unless the vendor specifically makes a version of it available to us for that device.
It may also be down to the vendor and if they see the value or need to create a version of it for their devices, especially older generation ones. Unless a vendor provides us with the update, it’s not something we can release… To be clear – just because Android Pie is ‘out’, we as a network cannot provide this update for your device unless the vendor specifically makes a version of it available to us for that device.
Q. Why is ‘Update or build number XYZ’ available in other countries, but not the UK?
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A. This is typically down to some updates being specific to certain markets, or the update being rolled out in a certain market first to do a ‘soak test’. In the case of the latter, it’s not uncommon for a vendor to release an update in a certain market several weeks or even months before it rolls out to Europe / UK or other markets.
Q. Why is ‘Update or build number XYZ’ available on Network Z, but not on O2?
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A. It’s not uncommon for this to happen in the UK market, and it’s down to how other networks work. Our Wifi calling technology for instance may have a different implementation to other networks, so Network Z for instance may need an update to address Wifi calling issues that our customers have no issues with – thus, that build/update wouldn’t apply to us.
Q. I’ve heard there’s a new update out. I want it for the new features – but what’s in it?
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A. There are two types of software update:
1) An Android security patch that only looks to address security concerns with the Android operating system.
2) A software update that more often than not will only fix bugs or issues (and more often than not, very minor ones that most customers won’t notice or need) – but does sometime add various features, settings or options.
1) An Android security patch that only looks to address security concerns with the Android operating system.
2) A software update that more often than not will only fix bugs or issues (and more often than not, very minor ones that most customers won’t notice or need) – but does sometime add various features, settings or options.
Q. Google releases monthly security patches, but I don’t get one every month. Why?
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A. These updates come to us through the vendor directly – not from Google unless it's their Pixel devices. We have a tighter turnaround for these security updates than normal software updates, with us typically approving the SW in a matter of days after we receive them. After the O2 approval, it’s entirely in the hands of the vendor to release this to customers – sometimes they’ll do this immediately, and other times they may wait to get approvals from all UK networks (or even markets) first.
Q. Update X is available on Network X that I want and you don’t have yet. Can I get this manually?
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A. Under no circumstance would we recommend to update your device manually with firmware you’ve downloaded online. Even by following online guides correctly, you could end up bricking your device – and as you’d be installing software not approved by O2, this could void your warranty.
See this question for why the update may not be available on O2 – there’s a good chance this is a minor update intended for a specific network, that you’d see no benefit from installing.
See this question for why the update may not be available on O2 – there’s a good chance this is a minor update intended for a specific network, that you’d see no benefit from installing.
We know there’s a lot of questions here, but we wanted to create a comprehensive thread around Android updates that we hope helps answer most of the common questions we receive. If there’s something you feel we’ve missed, please let us know in the comments below and we’ll see if it’s something we should add.
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@Anonymous wrote:
@Chris_K So if security updates are purely android based & not network related, I can slip in another network SIM card and receive the update. Then bung my O2 SIM back in with little risk?
With Security Updates, these are not “only about Android”. Google may release these updates monthly, but it’s up to the vendor to implement this into their own software. This is why you’ll sometimes see that Google has released a security update, but you’ve not seen it on your *device name* - it’ll be because that vendor hasn’t yet implemented it. Security Updates sometimes also come bundled with other fixes and updates – though that’s not always the case. Either way, if your device was purchased directly from O2 then inserting another network sim card shouldn’t pull down a security update if it’s available on that network before ours – though I’d refer you back to our Q&A question for this as our timescales for security updates are very tight, so any ‘delay’ should be minimal.
In the case of Open Market devices (such as those purchased from CPW, for instance), these should all be released at the same time regardless of the network. If you have such a device, then the security update should arrive at the same time, regardless of what network you’re on. It’s possible however that the process of inserting a different SIM triggers or forces a software update check, which could give the impression of it downloading on that network first – even though they’d have been available simultaneously.
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@Chris_K Can I just say this is a great article and one I know in the forum will now answer many questions
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@darrengf wrote:
@Chris_K Can I just say this is a great article and one I know in the forum will now answer many questions
Cheers Darren. It's something I've noticed becoming more prevalent in recent months so thought it'd be great to create an in-depth resource that'll hopefully serve as a single place to get any/all info related to software updates 
If anyone has any other Q's you think aren't covered, but should be, just let us know and we'll look into it.
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