Readers from our most recent editorial had commented about Sprint’s pulling of the Android 2.3 Gingerbread update for the LG Optimus S.
The update for the LG Optimus S was announced back in January. It took another nine months for Sprint and LG to approve the Android 2.3 upgrade. It took about 48 hours after that for LG and Sprint to pull the update due to issues, and promise a re-release.
Since then, the only news on the subject was that LG offered up a downgrade tool to bring those that did get the broken Android 2.3 update back to Android 2.2 Froyo. Many were concerned due to the delay and offering of such a tool, combined with Virgin Mobile confirming that the Optimus V would never get Gingerbread… that those on Sprint proper would be stuck at Froyo forever.
Sprint representatives today confirmed to PhoneNews.com that LG and Sprint are indeed working on the update still, and hope to have more information shortly on an expected release date. While not confirming the news, it does show LG and Sprint have not aborted the update. Despite Virgin Mobile’s absurd and shocking refusal to offer Gingerbread for the Optimus V, it appears Sprint will at least make good on their commitment to postpay customers, and follow through with the update.
This has not been a good month for LG, let alone a good year for LG, on making good on firmware updates. The company is still encountering issues with the LG Revolution and its Gingerbread update. That phone too is several months old, and has suffered from a staggering delay in getting its Gingerbread update. These updates come on the heels of Android 4.0’s release with the Galaxy Nexus.
None of these affected LG phones are expected to ever officially be upgraded to Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich.
I have the LG Optimus S, and am looking for the update. However, I am seeing that there is an update, but it has been recalled. I would really like an update, and have been thinking about porting CyanogenMod’s version of Android (possibly 4.0) to my phone. I need to know if this is a good idea or not. If there is a normal update, I need to know where I can find that first.
I have the update. Believe me, you don’t want it. My husband and I both downloaded the update to our LG Optimus S phones and since then our phones have not acted right. My phone’s earpiece partially blasts through the speaker, Pandora and Amazon MP3 crash constantly, I have had several times where I cannot make a phone call, SD cars randomly unmounts, pictures no longer fit right on the wallpaper, etc. Those are the problems I can think of right now. I spend more time taking out the battery and restarting the phone than I do actually having full use of the phone and all my services.
Amanda,
You should follow this guide from LG as soon as possible:
http://www.lgforum.com/forum/boards/software-slash-downloads/sprint-optimus-s-update-information/topics/instructions-on-how-to-switch-your-optimus-s-to-android-2-dot-2-froyo
It will walk you through downgrading your firmware. Anyone with an Optimus S that has received the Gingerbread update should follow this guide.
You will still be able to upgrade again to Gingerbread when Sprint re-releases the (fixed) upgrade.
[…] update will be made available in waves starting this Wednesday. This follows Sprint’s own assurances made to PhoneNews.com in November of 2011 regarding the status of the update and that it would be […]