Last year, LG launched a Software Upgrade division and said it would be “investing significant resources toward extending smartphone lifespan” with consistent, stable updates. Many were hopeful that this concentrated focus on software would mean customers would receive major new versions of Android in a more timely manner; LG has never been particularly quick at delivering the latest features to its devices — even with the company’s flagship Android phones.
Unfortunately, the company’s roadmap for Android 9 Pie — posted to its Korean website — suggests more of the same and shows that buyers of several phones will be waiting months longer for the upgrade. The G7 is scheduled to receive it first; LG says Android 9 will start rolling out globally sometime in the first quarter; a beta release is already available for the G7 in some regions.
But when it comes to the G6 and the more recent V40, LG simply lists “performance updates” and bug fixes as slated for the same timeframe — without any mention of Android Pie. The V40 and its five cameras came to market several months after the G7, so this must be disappointing for owners of that device.
Android 9 Pie was released back in August.
According to Android Authority’s Android Oreo update tracker, it took LG until the end of April to start rolling out Android 8 to the G6. So the creation of a Software Upgrade division hasn’t done much to fix LG’s sluggish ways. You can buy an LG phone for many reasons — best-in-class headphone audio, camera capabilities, haptics, and one-handed comfort among them — but Android updates are still a point against the company.
This article is from The Verge
