By 
Verizon’s Samsung Galaxy S4 launches this Thursday, May 23rd, and some lucky folks have started seeing the first movements of said devices in their MyVerizon accounts. We’ve gotten several confirmations from users who have stated their devices have started shipping as early as this past Saturday. Verizon typically employs 2-day shipping so there’s a chance some of you early bird shoppers will have this thing in your hands a day or two ahead of schedule. I wouldn’t count on it, of course, but the possibility is there.
Verizon is one of the last to the Samsung Galaxy S4 party, with the carrier trailing the likes of T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint by a few weeks. The original launch date of May 30th was even tougher for Big Red customers to swallow, but we were fortunately surprised with the date being pushed up a week.
Those with the Galaxy S4 on other carriers are looking forward to the device’s Verizon launch just as much as Verizon customers themselves, as the only known bootloader unlock method to date is being held until the device becomes fully available on the 23rd. The embargo was put in place by Dan Rosenberg for the sake of making sure Verizon couldn’t find and patch the exploit before releasing it.
So rejoice, Galaxy S4 pre-orderers — the week has finally arrived. And if you were waiting on this device to be available before you decide to throw your dollars down then know you’ll be able to walk into any Verizon store and throw down $200 (after signing a new two-year contract) to leave with one of your own.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
No thanks, you horrible, horrible carrier. I’m just waiting for the day for our contract to end.
I bailed several months ago. Didn’t even wait for my contract to end. Never been happier.
Same here, I made the switch to Tmo and picked up the Nexus 4
I assume i can use the new payment plan also…which allows me to keep unlimited!!
Elaborate please
here you go!
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/04/22/everything-there-is-to-know-about-verizons-device-payment-plan/
Sick. Thanks!
It involves a credit check. So people with Bad Credit most likely won’t get approved. Just an FYI.
You can also do this at Best Buy. Purchase the phone outright and put it on BB credit card you spread the payment over 18 months with no finance charge and no “installment fee”.
Nah!
Yes you can do their new financing plan. it’s a $30 fee and the only thing due when you pick up the phone is the first payment. :-) We looked into it for my husband but for now he just wants to use my S3 until he decides if he wants the S4. He has to remove the camera’s so it loses some of it’s functionality.
remove the camera?
Yes. The company he works for is a Government contractor and as such they cannot have any type of camera on them at any time they are on the premises. Including on smartphones. So he has to disassemble the phone and physically remove the camera from the phone in order to bring it to work. He has all his music on his phone and he uses it to search the internet on breaks which are the reasons he doesn’t just want to use a dumb phone for work. Removing the cameras from the phone allows him to put them back in if we go on vacation and he wants to take pictures with his phone as they are fairly easy to put in and take out. Its a bit of a hassle but for him it works. At least until they come up with a software camera lockout like they have for the iPhone.
Mine shows shipped and has tracking information, but has “Future delivery requested”. I assume this means that FedEx won’t deliver it before Verizon allows it?
Mine shows the same verbiage, with a delivery date of this Wednesday (I paid full price)
I called FedEx and Verizon about this. Verizon said they accidentally sent out 1,800 phones early and caught it and put a hold on it till Wednesday delivery. They said they would not release the hold. And FedEx said they couldn’t release the hold without Verizon’s permission. Looks like we have to wait till Wednesday…
doh! thanks for the update.
I was hoping to hold out for a 32gb Verizon version….not sure if I’ll make it. This phone is too good to wait.
Has Wirefly also stated to ship? Any info? Mine is still at “order received” stage.
I’ll be getting mine from the Google Play store.
On it’s way!…looking forward to getting this device and seeing Dan rosenberg’s unlock!
Hate that verizon quietly changed the upgrade eligibility from 20 months to 24 months. On top of their slowness to get new phones, I may bail to ATT.
Not so fast — ATT will probably follow suit soon.
Anyone who ordered this weekend have shipping info yet?
Also is there a way to remove “LIFE COMPANION” from the home screen?
1. pull down navigation shade
2. click on settings cogs
3. click ‘my device’
4. click ‘lock screen’
5. click ‘lock screen widgets’
6. click ‘edit personal information’
you can now delete the text ‘LIFE COMPANION’ and replace with any message you would like or put no message at all.
Thanks.
Mine is scheduled to arrive tomorrow – cant wait!
I am SO ready to get rid of my Thunderbolt.
My phone was shipped on Saturday and the tracking info shows a Wed. night delivery. I am kind of hoping it will show up tomorrow but judging for this article and the comments, not sure that will happen. In either case, having the phone anytime before launch day is good enough for me.
From what I have read, it seems that most shipments were shipped Saturday with a Future delivery requested. Delivery date of Wed. at 7pm. I am not expecting it to come any earlier.
My galaxy s4 shipped saturday and is expected to arrive Wensday.
It’s free 2 day shipping. Why would it take that long? you should technically have it tomorrow. Unless it really didn’t ship out until today. Meaning Fedex didn’t pick it up until today.
Oh nevermind I see they put a hold on them.
I think Verizon plans devices out SO far on purpose. After some agony, they make it available “sooner than planned”. Then, they ship phones “earlier than expected”, so they can look like Good Guy Verizon.
Yeah its all a plot. You figured it out.
Go ahead and be sarcastic. It’s called “Marketing”. It could very well be a plot.
LOL. you have never worked for a manufacturing company before have you? It is ALWAYS better to UNDER Promise and OVER deliver. Less angry people that way. You probably would have been really mad if they said May 20th and ended up having to push it back to May 30th. They are learning from everyone elses mistakes.
I ordered Mine this morning and it shipped this afternoon. i’ll have it on Wednesday!!! so Excited!
Mine arrives tomorrow, and along with it, the end of my unlimited data plan I’d been riding along on with my old phone; thanks for the screwing VZ.
why are you not using the new payment plan?! keep your unlimited data and pay around $50 a month for a year…
Hmm, so I just read about that. If I understand it correctly, what I’d get is a $600 or $700 S4 but spread that fee across the 2 years while sticking with the plan I had? Unfortunately too late but wish I had known about that earlier.
You can always cancel it before 14 days, have them change your plan back to normal. Then buy on the payment plan. But it’s 12 months not 2 years to pay back. Your bill would go up $56 for a year that’s including the $2 per month finance charge. Not a bad deal if you ask me. Hope this helps.
So today I was watching the shipping tracking locations for my SGS IV and it went from being about 3 hours away to 3 states in the wrong direction… wtf Fedex
Verizon confirmed they have generated shipping labels but the phone does not go out till the 23rd. Sorry guys.
My pre order just arrived via FedEx. I’m charging it right now. Don’t know if it will activate yet though. I want a full charge before I turn it on.
I pre-ordered Mine monday morning. It shipped Monday afternoon, and I have it in my hands and have been playing with it since like 1:30pm.
Anyone else seeing any movement on their shipment? The last status on mine is:
–
5/20/2013 – Monday4:51 amShipment information sent to FedEx –
My Galaxy S4 was just delivered from Verizon, but I can’t transfer my contacts or activate phone because Verizon does not yet have the Samsung S4 added to their current phone list.
Nice, what was you expected delivery date?
5/21
Yeah miy Verizon Galaxy S4 was delivered today and I’ve been messing with it since noon. My order tracking did say “Future order” and was shipped on Saturday, but it still delivered. I’ll take it.
oh and it activated just fine, transferred contacts smoothly, and all that stuff. Basically fully and completely operational
How did you transfer contacts? I went on the Verizon wireless website to do the transfer between phones, but the S4 is not yet showing on their device list to choose.
Mine did it all in the phone itself when setting it up. I made sure to back them up from my old phone via the Backup Manager then when setting up the SGS4, I opted to update my contacts via Verizon and it did it right then and there, no problems. Took like 15 seconds.
I always sync mine to my gmail account. I will never lose them that way.
I just received mine, and the Optical Reader app is simply missing! I have been speaking to Verizon and Samsung back and forth and no one knows what’s going on! Can any of you VZW customers please confirm if you have the Optical reader app on your phone? Is anyone else facing this issue?
Is the app called Optical Reader? I didn’t know it was coming with an optical reader.
Congrats. http://www.geekchoice.com/new-york
I got it!!!! I am so excited!!
My galaxy s4 is at the store but I can’t get it till tomorrow, how do Yall already have yours? They told me they can’t release any till the release date???
Mine was shipped directly from verizon. I pre-ordered online. It shipped the same day I pre-ordered (Monday the 20th) and arrived today. I know some shipped earlier but verizon put holds on them through fedex so they wouldn’t arrive until today or tomorrow. The stores aren’t able to release them until Wednesday. It’s the benefit of ordering online through corporate. you will sometimes get them sooner.
tinyurl.com/cnaff79