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Nexus S 4g and ICS-where is it?


Nexus S 4g and ICS-where is it?

My husband and I both got the Nexus S last summer.

The deciding factor for me was the Sprint employee who assured me that as a pure Google phone, it would be the first phone to receive the new version of Android when it came out.

We are both extremely disappointed with how this update has been handled. Sprint and Google have both been silent. I won't be buying another Google phone.

Sprint, this isn't fair. You owe us answers.

123 REPLIES 123

I am not sure.Is Sprint really waiting for the Galaxy Nexus? I would believe that if ATT and TMobile Nexus S starts getting their ICS updates while Sprint is not. At the moment, all 3 variants are not getting the OTA.


Perhaps you should check out the UPDATED report where Samsung backpedals:


"And you fell for it!"

This is no longer embarrassing for Google and Samsung -- and yes, by extension, Sprint.  It is pathetic. 

Pathetic because they just can't seem to get their s**t together.  This is exactly what I am talking about -- the communication sucks and the consumer is just whipped around with rumors and psuedo-experts and sychophants.

Even an "official" announcement is wrong.


I don't get the "Sprint is waiting for Galaxy Nexus" conspiracy.  It is one thing if the Galaxy Nexus was going to be the first phone on the market with ICS, but that time is so far gone I think it would be an embarrassment for Sprint to even bring up.


I had read it on the android developers page. Meaning that the source for 4.0.5 isn't/wasn't released yet.  However upon looking at the page, 4.0.4 isn't even on the page anymore.  They only have 4.0 and 4.0.3 listed.  So i'm thinking that 4.0.4 isn't even ready yet.  However, I do think that jkelly was just trying to set us off again.

PL82, T-mobile mostly has ics on their nexus' as they are a uk based carrier.  I have read a lot of forums that state that their tmobile users have ics, but I can't verify for myself  as I don't know anyone who has a nexus s on t-mobile.

Poder0mega, Sprint is probably waiting to get the galaxy nexus before releasing the ics for the nexus s so that they can increase sales of the galaxy nexus.  The galaxy nexus would the the first phone on sprint with ics.  That coupled as their first lte phone would increase sales.  They'd want to generate sales and extend contracts before they update older phones to ics.  And in my opinion, the galaxy nexus is very similar to the Epic touch 4g, except maybe minor differences, but that is my opinion.


Amen! you also forgot about "Quality" I just started reading this thread so I haven't seen who you are responding to but I don't care who you are, you are not going to be able to put ICS on your phone like Google can.  I'd rather just wait and get it done right.  I'm no engineer and I don't know a ton about phones but I think that's really what everyone wants is ICS done right on their phone not some hack job or work around they want the real thing AND maintaining the warranty.  Nice post by the way.


4.0.4 actually runs quite smooth on the Nexus S 4G. The only issues I've seen occur are from the Amazon App Store (Some applications won't update, they have to be removed and reinstalled to update), and incompatibilities with some software (Crackle, Sprint Total Equipment Protection, some games). Here is what I have to say about 4.0.4.

The camera works better than Gingerbread. You don't have to hold the phone nearly as steady as you do on Gingerbread. The ability to take stills during recording video does not appear to function on the Nexus S 4G.

Wimax is not available in my area, so I have yet to test this. I have heard it functions without problem, but that's just what I've heard.

The phone reception is more reliable than on Gingerbread 2.3.7. Areas where I don't typically have service on Gingerbread, I can actually use my phone on ICS.

Performance is slightly better than Gingerbread 2.3.7.

It doesn't appear to need restarted nearly as much.

Battery consumption does not appear to be better or worse than 2.3.7

Google Chrome appears to be a much faster browser than the Android Browser.

The fast text response when denying a phone call is an awesome feature.

The face unlock is NOT a feature of ICS 4.0.4 for the Nexus S 4G.

The customizable launcher comes in handy, as I prefer to use Chrome as a browser, and I also prefer Google Voice to Messaging.

I actually liked how folders worked in Gingerbread in comparison to ICS. In ICS, you have a limit of 16 items per folder, and creating a folder requires at least 2 items within it to be created. In Gingerbread, if there was a limit it was much higher than 16, and you could put a single item in a folder if you preferred.

NFC is much different than it is on Gingerbread. In Gingerbread, you tag an item to NFC it. Took me a while to figure it out on ICS. You actually open the item to transfer, then you put it near the other phone. It then asks you if you want to transfer the item, hold the item on your screen to transfer it. I actually prefer the old method - but it will transfer from a Nexus S 4g on ICS to a Nexus S 4G on Gingerbread and vice versa. You "Beam" application data no ICS - which adds a variance to how you transfer everything else such as contacts or files.

The contact application is much cleaner on ICS than on Gingerbread. I enjoy the layout of contact information, and how it separates different types of data on the screen. It seems cleaner and more refined.

With the performance and stability of 4.0.4 on the Nexus S 4G, I would speculate that the holdback is probably due to the future release of the Galaxy Nexus on Sprint - which may or may not have been delayed due to the uncertainty of the future of Sprints 4G network (They're switching to LTE instead of Wimax), which has recently been decided. I imagine that once the Galaxy Nexus is released, you will see ICS on the Nexus S 4G shortly after.


Actually i appreciate the time u have invested in trying to set the record straight. Ignorance is bliss.I only have one question, is the March 15th date an actual date or is that date something someone is just throwing around. I've seen that date in several places suggesting that it may be an actual start date for the rollout. I actually bought the ns4g out of box for the new ICS. I like my epic 4g much better. Any way thanks for all of your hard work in sorting this all out. Some of us do appreciate it.


I couldn't say about the March 15th date. I have heard nothing official of a release date or a price on the Galaxy Nexus, so I speculate that March 15th is simply a rumor. If it is actually the release date, they're doing a very good job at keeping it quiet.

I personally like my NS4G. I actually have a few of them lying around for playing with from friends and family members who have upgraded, so I get to tinker around with things. I know a lot of folks don't like Gingerbread, and it did have it's issues, but there are good things coming down the pipeline. The display on the Galaxy Nexus is gorgeous, and I do like the feel of the phone a lot better - the beveled edge and the contoured battery cover make it a lot more comfortable to hold, even though the phone is slightly larger and skinnier. I do miss the menu button on the Galaxy Nexus though - but I don't see myself paying extra to upgrade to the Galaxy Nexus before my contract ends. I am curious to see the Jelly Bean Nexus phone - and if the timeline is correct, it's just a couple of months away, and I am curious to see what Asus does with it. 


Any Palm Pre owners starting to have Deja Vu over this updating delay?  I know I am, and as someone who has avoided getting an iPhone I will get one immediately if the NS4G doesn't get ICS. And for those saying, it's not if, but when, you never went through Pre saga.

And I know how to root my phone, I just prefer not too so there is no need to suggest that I do. It's more than reasonable to expect official software updates as promised. And like many others on this forum, the issue isn't about timing but communication and the lack of communication is what makes me concerned that it's possible NS4G may not get officially updated. It's literally the only Samsung phone that is supposed to get ICS without release timing (Samsung released which phones would be updated in which quarter, NS4G wasn't listed).


Due to performance issues, it was recommended that I factory reset my phone. I decided to see what all the hype was about 4.04 and I have mixed feelings. Here are some things that stand out to me.

Volume/Silencing the phone:

With GB you could turn off the volume/silence the phone from the main screen when you woke up the phone. Simply pull the slider from right to left. With ICS, this feature do not exist. Now you have to completely unlock the phone and use the volume up/down to silence the phone.


Much better than GB from what I can tell. I've been dealing with performance issues with GB so this is hard to gauge just yet.


Apps that I had installed previously all seem to be working okay.


Fail .... Neither the stock browser or Chrome have a dedicated "favorites/bookmarks" button nor a home button. Other browser available in the market have these features. The stock browser in GB had a favorites/bookmarks button. It's now a two step process. In addition, Chrome is buggy at best. Double tap does not always zoom in/out and when trying to scroll, the text jumps back to the top. Very annoying.


Seems to me GB had more features like being able to set the portrait/landscape options, type of focus, etc. The ICS camera seems very limited. Picture quality does not appear to be any better or worst.

Stock Email.

Fail -- still, programs like K-9 are far superior. The only plus, I was able to configure my work email without effort. It worked well in this regard. I only use it when I'm unable to remote into my work system so it is more of a backup.


Score -- two of my bluetooth devices that stopped working with GB, bluetooth speaker being one, work great with ICS. I especially like that my bluebooth speaker is working again. Yeah.


Seems to be much brighter/sharper

Signal Strength:

Hard to guage this. At home where I am at most of the time, I have an Airvana because there is ZERO to barely one bar here. So with the Airvana, I generally have a solid signal both with WIFI and 3G. There is no 4G where I live. One problem I had with GB, when I was on the phone and then drove away from the house, or when on the phone when I pulled into the garage, it was 100% guarentee the signal would drop when it switched from the local tower to the Airvana. I have seen with ICS that I can drive away and the signal switches from my Airvana to the local tower without dropping the call. However not going from tower to Airvana. I have been able to test 4G at the local Costco and it stayed up and performed okay. I did not do any speed testing. The 4G signal was only 1-2 bars.

Voice quality is good and folks appear to not have any problem with hearing and undrerstanding me. Then again, I did not have any problem in this area with GB.


ICS now has a dedicated folder on the desktop for Google applications. However you can't seem to add or remove anything from there. For example, i installed Google DOCS expecting it to show up in that folder. No go. Not a real issue, just seems a bit pointless if you can't modify it.

Battery Life:

Completely Rubbish -- I went from averaging 10-12 hours on a single charge to barely 6 hours with light to moderate use. I have multiple batteries and have tried them both. I've let the phone run all the way down and have done a full charge and no change. Seems this was an issue the GSM update had. Hopefully this will be fixed if/when the official ICS version comes out.

As always, your mileage may vary.


i highly doubt that just go here


that only goes up to 4.0.3...nothing about 4.0.4 or 4.0.5.  but i could be wrong about stuff.  And that just shows that we are gonna get ics, but doesnt say when we will. 

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