Samsung promises faster Android updates for Galaxy range
Galaxy S upgrades sticking around too
Samsung's UK and Ireland MD of the Mobile Division has told TechRadar that the company is working on improving its record of releasing the latest version of Android to its phones.
The Korean firm has come under fire for taking so long to get the latest version of Android to the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S, but Simon Stanford told us that this will be changing:
"We recognise this is a real problem. We looked at all the online feedback, and the only stuff that we were seeing was bad feedback to do with the Froyo (Android 2.2) update.
"People see an update launched globally and think they would be getting it soon too, so there's two things we're going to do:
"Making sure the phones are built so the process is easier already, almost automatic to update, and working with our network partners [to bring the updates out more quickly]."
Shared responsibility
Stanford pointed out that the company was slightly impeded in releasing the updates as soon as it could because it had to check that the new software would work correctly on each network.
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However, he was keen to stress that improvements to the software construction would make it easier to update handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S2:
"A lot of challenges lay [in networks releasing updates], but we're pretty confident now that the learnings from the Galaxy S will not occur in Galaxy S2; we're pretty sure consumers will get a great experience when they come to upgrade the software.
"From what I can understand it is getting easier to update the OS, as I said it should be automatic, and users shouldn't have to go and 'seek it'.
Galaxy S still getting attention
Stanford also promised that Samsung would 'absolutely' continue to keep updating the Samsung Galaxy S to the latest version of Android in the future, and was working on ways to speed up that process:
"As a manufacturer we would previously release a phone and walk away, that was all we ever had to do. Now that's not the case as we keep customers for two years, constantly send them updates or the latest OS, so the challenge is working with operators to make sure we get the correct info out to customers."
Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grew with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.