Motorola Droid Bionic ICS update rolls out & Jelly Bean news
There’s big news for Motorola Droid Bionic users today as Verizon and Motorola have finally started to push out the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update that many users have been waiting for. Verizon has officially stated that the ICS rollout would be pushed out in stages from yesterday, October 19. As well as that we have even better news as Motorola has now confirmed that the Droid Bionic will receive the later update to 4.1 Jelly Bean at some stage, though considering how long it took to get the upgrade to ICS we wouldn’t hold your breath.
The Droid Bionic ICS update saga has been a long, long time in the making and recently we detailed the huge amount of frustration this was causing owners of the device, to which we had an enormous response from readers who sent us their comments. We finally heard of soak tests taking place and then a few days ago told how Verizon had at last approved the ICS update. We told how the official support documents had now been uploaded and this suggested the ICS update release could be only days away.
We’re pleased to say that this has now happened and that some Droid Bionic users have started to receive the upgrade according to The Droid Guy. It’s a mammoth 368MB upgrade and ICS will offer Droid Bionic users plenty of benefits such as enhanced multitasking, face unlock, swipe-able notifications, improved battery performance and more. This is an OTA update but because of the size those wishing to download should make sure they have a good Wi-Fi connection before beginning the process. The size of the download also means it could take some time, between 10 and 15 minutes and then a further 5 to 10 minutes for the installation.
Remember the over-the-air ICS update is being pushed out in stages so you may receive notification. If you do so simply press ‘Download’ to proceed and following the download then hit ‘Install Now.’ At this point the phone will power off and then come back on and you should see a progress bar and installation icon. When the process is complete the phone will power off again before coming back on to finish the installation. Then it’s simply a question of tapping ‘OK’ when you see a confirmation that the install was successful on your home screen.
If you don’t receive notification and want to check manually for the update you can search for it from the home screen by hitting the Menu Key > then Settings > About Phone > System Updates > and finally Download. Once the download has taken place hit ‘Install now.’ When this has taken place the phone will power off before coming back on again to complete the installation. At this point all you need to do is press ‘OK’ when you see confirmation that the install was successful on your home screen. You can check out more about this Verizon software update page for the Droid Bionic here where you’ll see PDF links for update instructions and also the benefits of the update.
Now we finally know that the ICS update is arriving though, maybe it’s time to turn our attention to 4.1 Jelly Bean. Back in September we gave news on various manufacturers devices and which would be receiving the Jelly Bean update. At that time Motorola had only confirmed Jelly Bean for the Droid RAZR HD, the Droid RAZR MAXX HD and the Droid RAZR M but there was no official news for the Motorola Droid Bionic. However Phone Dog reports that Motorola has now issued further details on more devices that will receive Jelly Bean and the Droid Bionic has been added to the list.
This will no doubt please many users although we wonder if Motorola has added the Droid Bionic to the list in an attempt to appease the disappointment that many owners felt about the time it took to receive ICS. For instance, we had plenty of comments from readers who said they were so fed up about the situation that they’d never purchase another Motorola device again and when we advised that the rollout was only days away some felt it was all too late. Motorola has given no news on when the Jelly Bean update will come to the Droid Bionic so we shouldn’t be jumping up and down just yet. Nevertheless at least we now know that the phone will receive the upgrade at some point.
We’re really interested to hear from readers about the ICS update coming to the Droid Bionic at last. Are you just pleased that your device will finally receive this upgrade? Maybe you’re still annoyed about the length of time it took? Perhaps you’re one of the lucky ones that have already received the update? Finally we’d like to know how you feel about the news that Jelly Bean will also come to the Droid Bionic at some point? Let us know with your comments.
Comments
77 thoughts on “Motorola Droid Bionic ICS update rolls out & Jelly Bean news”
I just hope this finally fixes my connectivity issues or its still not any help its pointless to have 4g phone when cant use 4g!!!
I was on a leaked version of ICS, and it 100% resolved all my 4g data drops. I have no doubt the official upgrade will do the same. Huge relief.
Can you update if your running the leaked version of ICS?
I tested the leaked version also and it worked perfectly. Just like a brand new phone.
You cant update from the leaked version. You have to go back to the old 2.3 version to get back on motorolas update path.
Well, just waiting for an update wave for my phone. But none the less im excited.
I haven’t even received an update. And when I check for an update it says “no update is needed ” To tell you the the truth. I have such a bitter taste from waiting so long. I’m really focused on Apple’s Iphone 5. I know they have their own problems, but atleast is not motorola. -Disappointed Droid bionic user
Going Nexus next phone whether its the LG or the next one. This whole thing with the Bionic has opened my eyes to what I didnt see and didnt know. Nexus is the way to go!
Still waiting for it in West Hollywood 8( ..
I didn’t purchase my Bionic until May 29th of this year (I wanted to upgrade to a 4G phone whilst keeping my ‘Ulimited Data Plan’- I did, thank goodness; when they cut that option I may have to leave verizon all together.)
Anywho, like I said, I got my Bionic at the end of May (this year) so I haven’t experienced any frustration over the ‘wait’. I have however, been very disappointed in the frequency at which I lose 4G (in cities like Beverly Hilld and Hollywood.
I’m looking forward to playing with phone after update
Just want to let you know, I still have the Unlimited, and I was in Verizon a few days ago. They said that when you have to renew your contract for another 2 years, you will be forced off of it.
I dont think youre forced to upgrade to the new plan if you have an existing plan and you dont use your upgrade to get a new phone. So if you just buy a phone from somebody you know or one without a contract, you should be able to keep the old plan. google nexus is sold without a contract and its only like $350.
I just transferred” my update To my upgrade to my wifes phone online and kept my unlimited plan. Razr hd is in the mail
There cant be that many bionic ownets left after this. Why is it taking so long to push thi out to everyone at the same time. I sick if waiting already.
Update hit my phone in Cincinnati yesterday around 2:00pm Eastern. The download took longer than expected but I can already see a great difference in connectivity. They have also smoothed everything over and the phone seems to be more responsive. Still upgrading my phone this month and placing the Bionic on my second line.
well i now have the ICS on my droid bionic.. and i hate it.. since i updated it.. my phone is super slow… cant call or text anyone…. it takes me a million tryies to do either of them… most of my apps wont work.. every thing just opens very very slow… it sux!
i do love how every thing looks all the new features.. but when i cant even use my phone whats the point!!!!!! im hoping for some minor update to fix this…ASAP!!!!!! anyone else having the same problems???
reboot your phone
Yes!!!
Even asI type right now it has a hard time catching up. It is ridiculous how bad it is, everything freezes… everything!!!
I just want a working phne again.
Manually went to setting n updated my phone…its working great nothing upsetting yet
The Droid Bionic was a Father’s Day present from my wife. While I have had some conectivity problems, This is the first smartphone that I have ever owned so I was not bothered by those problems. I have, however, been looking forward to the ice cream update and now it looks like I will get that update just in time for my birthday. Yea! This phone has become 2 presents for me in 1 year!
So exited that I find myself checking for manual updates every 4 hours. Wish I could just get it. Had anyone confirmed if you can disable the bloatware? I see they ate removing the im software since Verizon discontinued the app.
yes you can disable the bloatware i got the upgrade yesterday……but i’m involved in the testing.just hang on you will get it!
Stiill haven’t got mind im sad): I wish it would hurry
I’ve had my Bionic for about a year and still love it. My only issue has been with the wireless. I’m not happy that Moto took so long to deliver ics, but I’m glad they waited to get it right before they released it. Jellybean, I hope we see it, but after the delays on ics, I’m not holding my breath waiting…
I called motorola and they said they were upping my problem with the phone to level 2, (4g issues and no ics update still) whatever that means. I have to call motorola and give them my phone number and talk to a level 2 technician? I’m waiting until after I get this update to see if the 4g is still an issue.
That means nothing. I called motorola and they upped my issue to a level higher and promised I would speak to a supervisor who never called.. They will say whatever to get you off their back. By the way, still no update here in Atlanta.
Don’t really care any more. Gave up waiting and purchased RAZR HD Max. I figure I’ll give Motorola one more chance because their hardware and build quality is so much better than other manufacturers. So far I love it!
For all of you that are wondering, the bionic ICS leaks had great 4G reception. So the official should be just fine.
I have had ICS fo a few months now so this isn’t that big of news. I can say that with the early releases of the beta ICS the phone acted much faster and much more stable. I am now just waiting for the official ICS release to hit so I can see if it is much better.
Whilst is an unecessary word.
You should have put “whilst” in quotation marks. Touché!
To little to late for me also. I already moved two of my four phones to Samsung, and in a few months will move the other two to Samsung. Motorola did no better then before keeping us updated. If they had done a better job of it then maybe I would stay with them, but alas they were as bad as the original Motorola owners with information updates. Just little quips every so often that sais basically nothing. I to have been exclusivley Motorola since before it was Verson (Air-Touch) and the current owners haven’t done any better then the previous owners, “to little to late” with keeping us up to date. So time to move on to another manufacturer other then Motorola.
David Jessamine
david.jessamine@intel.com
I couldn’t agree more with you Jessamine. We have the exact thoughts. I was a loyal Motorola cuntomer too until this. Samsung for me too!
Hahaha cuntomer… lol oops I mean CUSTOMER
I like this funny new word you invented. I’m going to use it at work. ‘Cuntomer’ lol. C:
waitinggggggg………………………
Day late and a dollar short. Motorola/Verizon should have scrapped ICS plans months and and gone straight to Jelly Bean. My guess at the rate they have rolled out ICS my phone will be in the scrap bin before I would see Jelly Bean. Just plane pathetic the way we have been treated. And a 100 dollar trade in offer? What a joke. I have more than that in accessories. Give me a new phone with all the accessories for free and let me keep my current unlimited plan would be a fair deal
My exact words! You said it perfectly!
I’m in Monroe, Michigan, and a friend of mine here got the ICS update on his Bionic yesterday. I’m still waiting for mine. I’m not frustrated. My phone still makes and receiveds calls, can surf the web, takes great pictures, texts just fine, and performs many other functions quite well. My life doesn’t revolve around Android updates. Actually, the update that I was really anticipating took place 3 days ago. Verizon finally moved us up to 4G here in Monroe. That has actually made a HUGE difference.
Be smart walk away now from motorola. I have dealt with this company for over 25 years, first with two way radios and then with multiple cell phones ,starting way back with the old analog flip phone. moto doesn’t care and never have they think they have some type of monopoly. Please don’t fall into a trap as many police and fire dept’s have. They lie,lie and relie, forever. Their are to many other good hungry companies that will treat you with respect for your business. This entire company deserves to go bankrupt to show them the customer is the most important asset and they have to service and support what they sell. Its to late let them perish and technology will be better served.
Amen to that!
Nothing in Upstate NY yet
nothing in delaware yet.
Nothing in East Texas yet either.
Nothing in Southern Wasington State (Vancouver-Portland Metro) yet either.
Nothing in Minnesota either.
Nothing in Eastern Wasington State / North Idaho (Spokane/CdA)
Nothing in Southern California yet either….
nothing in Georgia yet
Nothing in Virginia so far…
I’m in OC southern CA, I received it it Friday. Phone is working great! I have been frustrated, but I’m happy now. Worth the wait relative, fire me it had been.
Nothing in Southern Arizona yet.
I am looking forward to geting this ICS. I did discover a way to fix the 4g connectivity. The facebook app was causeing ALL the problems. once i removed it, i never lost 4g. I just use FB thorugh the browser.
I’ll enjoy it I get it for now but I’m still done with Motorola… can upgrade in May, the GS4 will be out by then… I’ll never own a Motorola phone again
Sitting and still waiting in Albuquerque…..tried doing the manual update – nothing….who *IS* getting it right now?
With the upgrade overclocking my Bionic to 1.2 my phone performs as well or better than many phones slated for JB. No reason not to include it. Plus I can carry extra batteries. 🙂
has anyone actually gotten the update. My phone was bought in January and i am still sitting here like a dumb a^^ waiting for it to magically appear
Got the update last night around 9pm here in southern Maryland. Still checking it out. Seems everything is working.
Still waiting in Dayton!
This wait is ridiculous and unnecessary.. Still NOTHING IN GEORIGA
Loyal Motor customer (even bought stock )no more. I’ve had my Bionic for over a year and still no Ice cream sand. Next phone Phone or Google.
Nothing yet in NYC
Still very disappointed and fed up. Too little too late for me, and I’m still waiting for the update myself here in Phx AZ. I’m done with Motorola altogether, last I checked, Samsung and Apple have done far better jobs at rolling out updates, connectivity and customer support. I think I’m switching to Samsung here very soon. I may get the update from Motorola before, but I’m just over and done with them.
At this point I don’t even care about the update. Somehow we will all be held hostage to cellular companies and it’s a never ending cycle of crap and frustration, I sometimes wonder if I would be better off just getting a phone that makes and receives calls and use a pay as I go plan! One thing I know is that I will never buy another Motorola product again!!!
Nothing in southwest ga
Still nothing in Upstate NY.
I downloaded the early release a few months back. Been running ok after rooting and stuff. Some of the newer apps look good nothing to write home about.For sure this is the last Moto phone I’ll ever purchase. Moto really seems to not care so I dont care to own another Moto product.
Wow i feel like i just got a new phone
Oh wait i do get a new phone every two years. Lool awesome update to this device but motorola u dragged ass and im done with motorola period even after this updatr! I mean we are jelly bean in droid world so why the hell is my update still behind
Lol
Go my update on the 25th took over an hour to download I was not expecting it nor was I aware of one this size was coming. Very surprized with dramatic change to look and feel. Not happy with reverse display on lots of things (white on black). Also my 4g connection has not improved and it seemss to now be a bigger battery hog. Also lost use of my Social Media application not sure why, it was a nice quick filter for facebook posts. Notification icons are much smaller and have changed
Not sure what to think except when I go looking for new phone next year I willknow alot more about what to asking about, except by then the industrywill propably have changed again and Smart phone will be just a memory
How ironic that Motorola finally rolls out this update for the Bionic that I bought two weeks after it came out last year…just in time when they release the new Razr HD’s so customers like me that have an unlimited data plan don’t use the Bionic as leverage to keep our data plans while upgrading to the latest device.
It is a disaster!!!!!!! They should give people an option to un-upgrade. It made my phone a paper weight!!!
Got it in San Diego…hate it! It deleted my flash player and i cant watch football on my phone anymore…PISSED!!!
I received the Update and it sucks. Hate the background and really displeased with the phone contacts. It’s so slow even typing this comment
Well, I don’t know which is better or not, I was used to it the way it was. But, a few days after my Bionic updated, (and I began enjoying the new layout) it started to power off- randomly and repeatedly…
The awfully wonderfully great person at Verizon gladly sent a replacement. And this was at 3 am…I’m fairly certain the update caused the glitch as the phone ran great for almost a year.
This update is making my phone so slow and l it does is freeze!!!! ): Getting a new phone!
I received the update a few days ago and hate it so much that if I cant figure out how to get rid of it I am buying a new phone
Still waiting, have a rooted Bionic thru Cricket and cant get it yet! Check for updates just keeps chugging and nothing happens!!
Still waiting for the phone to search for updates. I just got curious today and came across this article. So far, nothing in Clearwater FL
I have to admit I now enjoy my Bionic much more with the ICS update. I simply could not use 4g before and now I have no problems. This was my main reason for getting this phone last spring. Also connectivity problems were non stop before, but now I don’t have as many (maybe it’s a Verizon problem). One thing about the update time. Mine took more like 40 minutes to complete, but it was worth it. Maybe the JB update will make things even better. Fingers crossed.