The long-running saga of the Android Jelly Bean update for the Samsung Galaxy S3 is now over for many owners in the U.S. However there is still one major carrier that hasn’t yet pushed out the update to its Galaxy S3 users and that is Verizon. Now that the update has finally reached the Galaxy S3 on the other major US carriers, Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T we wonder if Verizon and Samsung should be explaining what’s happened to the missing update for Big Red users.
We know from comments to previous posts on this that many Galaxy S3 owners on Verizon are pretty frustrated about this situation and especially the lack of information as to when the update will become available. Sprint and T-Mobile managed to push out the Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean update first and recently AT&T caught up, leaving Verizon Galaxy S3 owners still using Ice Cream Sandwich.
Seeing as the Verizon Jelly Bean update for the Galaxy S3 was first leaked back in September you can forgive owners for thinking their devices should have received the upgraded operating system by now, especially as Verizon is the largest US carrier. Verizon owners of the Galaxy S3 are not just behind other US carriers either as the Galaxy S3 Jelly Bean update has been rolled out in many other regions, with Poland first. More recently we told how Galaxy S3 owners in Canada are now receiving the update.
In fact the rollout of Jelly Bean update 4.1.2 is now starting to arrive with the Galaxy S3 international version before Verizon even received 4.1.1. for the GS3. On November 20 we told of what was thought to be the final build of Jelly Bean for the Verizon Galaxy S3, VRBLK1, but there has been nothing since and just a few weeks ago we told readers that a test build of 4.1.2 Jelly Bean looked to be close for the Galaxy S2 from a leaked ROM. Just imagine the outcry if 4.1.2 starts rolling out for the Galaxy S2 or the original Galaxy Note if the Verizon Galaxy S3 hasn’t even received 4.1.1!
We think that this is a pretty sorry story to be frank. For the largest carrier in the US to be so slow pushing out the Jelly Bean update to one of its latest devices is a poor show. It may be the amount of bloatware that Verizon likes to pack onto OS updates that is the cause of the delay but as far as many Galaxy S3 owners on Big Red are concerned, that’s just not a viable excuse, especially as the bloatware is largely unwanted in the first place. We think it’s time for an explanation before Verizon customers begin to feel that the carrier has no regard for them at all.
We’re really interested to know what you think of this. Are you a Verizon Galaxy S3 owner eager to receive Jelly Bean to your device? Maybe you think as long as it comes soon you’ll be satisfied? On the other hand you may be one of the many readers who are frustrated about the update and would appreciate at least a statement from Verizon and Samsung pinning down a time for the update and explaining why it has taken so long? Send your comments to let us know your views on this.