Verizon Pixel smartphones get Android Oreo days after official release

A pleasant surprise for Verizon Pixel owners.
By Adam Smith,

Verizon has reportedly started rolling out the Android Oreo update to Pixel smartphones. That would probably surprise Pixel owners who bought the phone from Verizon. The company is rolling out the update only a few days after release, which is somewhat unprecedented as far as the company’s history is concerned. The Android Oreo update started rolling out to unlocked Pixel devices just a few days ago.

Verizon had promised to ensure that Pixels sold through its channels will receive updates at the same time as Pixels bought from Google.

Why is this important? Because carriers have usually been the biggest hurdle in rolling out updates to users. That’s because carriers have to get software updates certified separately, even if the manufacturer of a device has already released the update for said device. In this case, that’s Google and the Pixel smartphone. The company had said last year that Verizon-bought Pixel devices may lag behind in terms of updates, compared to unlocked versions.

On the other hand, Verizon had promised to ensure that Pixels sold through its channels will receive updates at the same time as Pixels bought from Google. It seems the company is keeping that promise, which would pleasantly surprise many Verizon Pixel users.

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