Home
News
You are here

HTC explains in detail why the HTC Desire HD is not getting Android 4.0 update

By Alan Friedman

Published: Jul 28, 2012, 12:06 AM

Add us as a preferred source on Google Search

HTC explains in detail why the HTC Desire HD is not getting Android 4.0 update

HTC has reversed its position and will not update the HTC Desire HD

In the middle of this month, Canadian carrier TELUS showed off a schedule showing which of its devices would soon be getting the Android 4.0 update. One handset that was not getting it was the HTC Desire HD. TELUS noted that HTC was telling the mobile operator that Android 4.0 was not working smoothly on the device and decided not to offer Ice Cream Sandwich to owners of the phone. But that was reversed a few days afterward when HTC confirmed that the HTC Desire HD would in fact, be receiving the Android 4.0 update.

That turned out to be a short lived victory for HTC Desire HD owners and the Taiwan based manufacturer flip-flopped once again, commenting that performance issues were once again rearing their ugly head and forcing HTC to make the final decision not to update the phone. The manufacturer released a statement on Friday that explained its decision not to update the HTC Desire HD. Apparently, the size of the Android 4.0 update is so large for the HTC Desire HD that HTC would have to re-partition the device storage and overwrite user data in order to install this update.

The handset manufacturer reiterated that updates should always improve customer experience and that was not the case with Android 4.0 on the HTC Desire HD. Additionally, HTC says it is aware of how disappointing this news is to HTC Desire HD users and knows it has made a huge reversal from its previous confirmation about the update, "and for that we’re truly sorry".

Well, HTC Desire HD owners, the manufacturer says it had only you in mind when it 86'd Android 4.0 on the device. And the company did say it was sorry. Can you find it in your heart to forgive them?

"We’ve heard your feedback on our decision not to update the HTC Desire HD to Android 4.0. We completely understand that this is a controversial decision.

For more background, due to how storage on the HTC Desire HD is partitioned - and the larger size of Android 4.0 - it would require re-partitioning device storage and overwriting user data in order to install this update. While technically advanced users might find this solution acceptable, the majority of customers would not. We also considered ways to reduce the overall size of the software package, but this would impact features and functionality that customers are currently using. Even after installing the update, there were other technical limitations which we felt negatively impacted the user experience.

We believe an update should always improve the user experience and carefully evaluate each update based on this criteria. While we are very aware of the disappointment from this decision, we believe the impact to user experience was too great. We recognize this is a change from our previous statement and for that we’re truly sorry."-HTC

source: HTC via Phandroid

$10 /mo

$35

$25 off (71%)

Mint Mobile is celebrating its 10-year anniversary with a special offer on its six-month subscription plans. For a limited time, you can get your preferred tier (6GB, 17GB, 23GB or unlimited) for just $10/mo. That saves you between 50% and 71% on the carrier's mobile plans, making it way easier to recommend.

Buy at Mint Mobile

View Full Bio

Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.

Read the latest from Alan Friedman