Verizon xel phones will get Android updates at the same time as those sold by

BY GreenBot Staff

Published 13 Oct 2016

Contrary to what we first thought, it’s looking like you shouldn’t necessarily worry about buying a xel directly from Verizon.

The carrier says its partnership with means that Android updates will function just like on iOS: when pushes them out, they’ll be ready to download. Verizon issued a statement to Ars Technica clarifying the matter after original reporting indicated there’d be a delay in updates in order to verify test updates on Verizon’s network.

First foremost, all operating system security updates to the xel devices will happen in partnership with . In other words, when releases an update, Verizon phones will receive the same update at the same time (much like iOS updates). Verizon will not st in the way of any major updates users will get all updates at the same time as .

chimed in as well, telling Ars there won’t be any delay. “OS updates monthly security patches will be updated on all xel devices (Verizon non-Verizon versions) simultaneously,” said a company spokesperson.

Verizon also reaffirmed you’ll be able to fully uninstall (not just disable) the three pre-loaded apps. It’s a big leap forward for a carrier-bred phone. Such devices are usually loaded down with bloatware lag far behind Nexus phones when it comes to Android updates.

Finally, the Verizon version will also be carrier unlocked. This will enable you to take it to another carrier of choice should you decide to switch networks later on. It technically has a locked bootloader, but that is only really of concern to hackers that like to root their phones (a small but vocal population).

The impact on you: If you’re a Verizon customer, this may remove your doubt about picking one up from a carrier store. ong with the aforementioned benefits, you’ll also get a DayDream View headset (coming next month) with your purchase. The question is going to be how well Verizon holds to its pledge about simultaneous updates. ’ll be sure to watch for this as fresh versions of Android come down the line.