FWIW, Verizon does extensive internal testing of OS updates. When I was there, as an engineer, we would be given phones, and anytime there was a new update, we would receive the updates first, use it daily for a couple of weeks, and report what we found. There were multiple tiers of internal user trials before the updates were greenlit, and there were many potential OS updates that never made it to public because of the problems we found.<p>Verizon may slow down updates to consumer devices, but I always felt like it was for good reason.
Gratuitous screwing of customers aside, I'm trying to figure out what the benefit for Verizon is.<p>Do they get a lot of customer support calls from people who don't know how to use the phone, and need time to train the call center staff?<p>Or is it simply their reflexive control-freakery? Clearly they survive a lack of control from iOS.
What is update path/policy for iPhones? Do Verizon sell iPhones too? Do they control it's update too? Or iPhones gets their update directly from Apple? (I am only aware of noncontract iphones, which do get update regularly from Apple itself.)<p>P.S. I do not live in USA. I am asking because this is huge mistake for Google. With their new branding I hoped they will deliver updates to pixel line as smooth as Chromebooks. But it seems nothing changed in regard to Android update problem.
Interesting that this is an AMP link, loads faster than the regular page (<a href="http://www.theverge.com//2016/10/6/13191614/verizon-google-pixel-android-updates" rel="nofollow">http://www.theverge.com//2016/10/6/13191614/verizon-google-p...</a>)
Back when I had a Windows Mobile smartphone the carrier I had controlled the updates. Upgrading from winmo 6 to 6.1 took months. I think allowing carriers to control updates will negatively impact user experience.
Will the phones sold by Verizon be a different SKU?<p>There are some phones, the LG G4 being one I believe, which are available in unlocked SKUs that technically work on Verizon's network, but don't have access to as many cellular bands and therefore don't get as good of signal/speeds.