Handsets

Samsung Galaxy S II Owners (GT-I9100) Getting Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in Two Days

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It’s tough to hear a device confirmed to be getting the latest versions of Android sometimes. While the news itself is usually great, the wait is usually unbearable. Samsung Galaxy S II users, specifically the international GT-I9100 version, will be able to tell their children and their children’s children a different tale, though.

The update for you guys has not only been announced, but it will be here on March 10th – good timing for those of you who want to play around with all the new features to be had over the weekend.

Unfortunately, those of you on carrier-branded and provided versions will have to wait a tad long – us USA folks know what that’s all about. But we at least know that the carriers should soon be able to provide the upgrade to their customers, testing pending.

For those of you with the unlocked international version, be on the lookout for the upgrade over Kies 2.0 this Saturday. Be sure to check out Samsung’s upgrade FAQ for more details. [Samsung via Engadget]

Quentyn Kennemer
The "Google Phone" sounded too awesome to pass up, so I bought a G1. The rest is history. And yes, I know my name isn't Wilson.

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42 Comments

  1. Blame it on carriers needing to add their own software and test it with that software and with their network. Samsung is good about providing the update to carriers in a timely fashion. It’s usually the carriers who cause it to take forever.

    1.  You reply to guy with a screen name like that? I really expected better from a staff member on this site, I guess id let you know. Thumbs Down!

      1. I was thinking the same thing, made me sick to see that word. His comments should be removed instead of replied to.

        1. Thanks, I thought i would get flack for pointing that out. Im not gay by the way but im sure many people dont like it.

          1. Get over it, letting something that someone you don’t even know says affect you so much is your own shortcoming, not theirs.

          2. I wouldn’t say it affected me much, and I didnt say I would take any measures to avoid this site, but to be honest I expected better and felt something should be said.

    2. And shame on you QK. I guess I’m not surprised witnessing this behavior from you.

  2. I have the French version and it’s the carrier-branded one. I guess I’ll have to wait for ages to get the 4.0 version -_-
    However, I’ll be on the lookout this Saturday, to see if I can get it. I hope I do…

  3. it is gt-i9100

  4. So new versions of Android take months of carrier testing, but new versions of Apple’s iOS don’t?

    As soon as a new version of iOS is available, Apple owners can just download the update from iTunes, and boom they are done. Even old iPhone 3GS and 4 users could quickly update to iOS 5.

    I’m no longer buying this fake story about months of required testing the carriers are trying to pass along. How come they don’t test iOS for months and months?

    For all you folks on T-Mobile, I’ll be saying a little prayer for you tonight, hoping you get ICS on your SGS-2 sometime in 2012.

    1. iOS is completely different. There aren’t OEM skins, pre-installed apps or any customizations. Software testing takes a lot longer than network testing. You can’t compare the two ecoystems in that regard because they are fundamentally different.

    2. It’s the same thing, but Apple doesn’t give any information about the release before they are done. Since Android is open source, the information about new versions hits the public and the manufacturers and carriers at the same time – when Google releases a new version.
      The difference is:
      – With Android you know that a new OS version is on its way.
      – With iOS you get it whenever it’s ready.

      1. Big deal….the explanation doesn’t mean it gets here anytime sooner

      2.  There is an old joke about the husband and wife out shopping and they see a pie.  The husband is carrying on about the pie and keeps talking about it.  The wife says “what’s with all the carrying on about the pie, you don’t even carry on that much about sex”,  to which the husband replies, “at least I know I am getting the pie”. 

        With android, you may “know that a new OS version is on it’s way” but whether or not you get it is not always clear, if at all.  With iOS at least you know you are getting the pie.

    3. Uh… Apple tests iOS internally, not the carrier. So there is months and months of waiting.

      1. So you’re telling me Google doesn’t test Android internally? The phone manufacturers don’t test Android and their skin internally?

        Of course they do.

        So why is Android subjected to extra carrier testing and iOS isn’t?

        1. Because iOS only has a few models to be compatible with as opposed to hundreds of devices to confirm compatibility with. Common sense ftw :-p

          1. Actually you don’t seem to have common sense. What you said would be true if Google themselves were releasing updates for hundreds of devices but they aren’t. 

            Each manufacturer, Samsung, HTC, Sony, etc…makes the update available for their devices along with their skin. 

            Neither Google nor each manufacturer is not making the update for HUNDREDS of devices. So whatever your comment was didn’t make sense.

            Samsung’s flagship this past year was the Galaxy S2, and a few variants on different carriers. That’s not hundreds of devices.

          2. Actually Google tests every one of those updates after the OEM/carriers are done with them, before the carriers roll them out to their users. Your logic is still faulty anyway. The original issue is why do android updates take so long? Because the updates have to be customized for hundreds of different android handsets(not all by the same entity mind you) as opposed to just a few.
            This is just one of the reasons though. The openness of Android is both its biggest strength and weakness just as iOS’ greatest strength and weakness is how closed and controlled it is. The closed controlled nature of iOS and limited number of models makes it much easier to create a uniform experience and roll out updates, while android is much more open and has many many more models and enjoys greater customization and flexibility. If you are a non-thinking zombie who just wants their phone to work iOS is great, otherwise you want android.

            And just for the record to clear it up android updates do not take any longer than iOS updates, but it does take longer for the android updates to roll-out to most android devices.

        2. Because Apple controls the carrier. Android OEM’s don’t.

    4. Actually iOS upgrades can be done over the air too.

  5. Seriously? Your username is  “faggot?”

    That is offensive, disturbing and repulsive, can the moderators here please remove his comment and not allow him to post with a screename like that.

    I don’t want to visit Phandroid and see “faggot” as a tolerated word.

    1.  It has a very benign connotation in the UK. It just means cigarette. Not sure how it turned into an offensive word in the US.

      1. It’s actually not a benign word, even in the UK. The word fa**it became associated with ciggarettes because they used to burn gay people, as they did with suspected witches. And as you light ciggarettes, they set gay individuals on fire.

        On an aside, where the eff is 4.0 for the Nexus S?! They halted the international version in December, and then….?! Ugh! I’m soooooooo tempted to jump ship….

        1. I hear youR pain and see your temptation.

          If only a true open Linux OS would become available

  6. i havnt seen anything on twitter and i spoke with samsung today about the update said it will be posted to twitter . so idk if im gonna beleave yhis again since last week it was rumored to come on the 2nd

    1. As far as I know it was announced but only on Samsung’s Phillipines site. I believe you are correct to assume that it will not be released everywhere at this time.

  7. It would be great if the Skyrocket hd became att’s galaxy nexus a la vanilla ICS and snapdragon s4 instead of s3

    1. trying to brainwash yourself i see :)
      as it is, wishing for a cm dev to pick it up is already a farfetch

  8. Sprint’s already testing out ICS for the Epic 4G Touch. They’re releasing roms as they go. I’m running the latest release, thanks to ACSyndicate, and I’m liking what I see, and it’s pretty stable. The last two ICS roms I ran were a little buggy, those bugs aren’t present in this latest rendition. And, they added battery percentage to the indicator in the status bar. I believe Sprint will release it within the next few weeks.

    http://via.me/-daks9c – screenshot proof

  9. I agree with VS – the posts by the guy using the obscene screen name should be banned.

  10. u both are gay for eachother faggots

  11. Nexus s – where is my Update.?????? What the @#$%

  12. You people on here making too much out of dudes choice of screen name. I bet if it was nigger you people wouldnt even be on here trippin, you would be commenting on the article. Preach on Faggot. Im on T-mobile and I’m looking forward to cm9 before an actual update through kies. I had the og galaxy and I remember how that went waiting for 2.3 to arrive.

  13. It’s too bad the release will be filled with touchwiz and look nothing like ics. Makes me glad to see htc going in the other direction. Galaxy nexus for me and as soon as the one x is released on att I’ll be buying it. No more boring touchwiz for me, I’m sure there are others that don’t mind it at all though.

  14. Calm down people, words mean different things in different places. It IS slang for cigarette, it even means a bundle of twigs… Anyways, doesn’t the official release mean they have to give up the source code? Or is there no legal time frame they have to comply by, just the honor system?

    1. Do your research. It is not a benign word. And just because it is socially acceptable, doesn’t mean it’s okay!

  15. Android is tested longer than ios because of carrier boatware which ios has none of!

    1. No carrier bloat ware but tons of apple bloatware

  16. Will they put the touchwiz crap over the ICS and will it have the face recognition lock?
    Anyhow I am looking forward to tomorrow when my international S2 recieves it

  17. According to the release notes no flash, that’s a deal breaker right there

    FYI a faggot is also a type of meatball. VS being a little over sensitive aren’t you? Jeez it’s not even that offensive when used in a homosexual context. Stop being such a ……. Sensitive guy with lots of female friends ;-)

  18. The update still is not showing in Kies in the US. I have an unlocked GT-I9100 and it has been stuck on 2.3.3 since I purchased the phone. Does anyone know when this will be available in the US for those of us that own the unlocked international version? 

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