Right after Google announced its new Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones, it was also revealed that Verizon Wireless will be the exclusive wireless carrier in the United States to directly sell the devices. We cleared this up with a previous post, but still, some confusion lingers as to how the exclusivity will impact the roll outs of Android updates.
It is quite understandable how many users would think that the Big Red edition of the Pixel handsets would not get Android updates at the same time as the unlocked versions, which meant that subscribers of Verizon Wireless might have to wait for the wireless carrier to approve the updates, which as history has shown, always ends up delaying the whole updating process for Android mobile users.
However, the biggest wireless carrier in the US has since stated that Android updates for the Pixel smartphones will immediately be deployed. As told through an official statement sent to Ars Technica, this might mark the first time that the Big Red has offered an Android powered mobile device that will receive updates simultaneously as unlocked versions that are sold directly by Google itself.
Moreover, Verizon Wireless also took the opportunity to point out that its edition of the Pixel devices are actually carrier unlocked, and they also come preinstalled with a trio of mobile apps, all of which can be removed according to the user’s preferences. This should be positive news for Android users, especially when one considers that the Big Red has always had a track record of including lots of unremovable apps on its Android devices, not to mention delaying Android updates for weeks or even months. So the fact that Verizon is promising to deploy Android updates immediately should be music to its subscribers’ ears.
For its part, Google has confirmed Verizon’s statement, further saying that operating system updates and security patches rolled out monthly will be updated on all Pixel smartphones simultaneously, whether or not they are sold by the Big Red or directly by Google. In the first few days since the Pixel devices were unveiled, industry watchers had remarked that it might be a good idea to buy directly from Google so as to avoid delays in Android upgrades if buying from
Verizon Wireless. But it turns out the wireless carrier is being a good sport about it.
To explore more deals from the Big Red, you can start comparing phones and plans from Verizon Wireless at Wirefly now.
