Re: Why is my flagship WINDOWS PHONE being ignored by Verizon?
Jsphrow
Newbie

Yeah this is absolutely ridiculous. I'm about to take one of those other carriers up on their buy me out of my contract offer. More should do the same.

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Re: Why is my flagship WINDOWS PHONE being ignored by Verizon?
Not applicable

Best of luck at your new provider.

Please remember only AT&T pushed out the updates first. (This time) who knows what the future holds?

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Re: Why is my flagship WINDOWS PHONE being ignored by Verizon?
Clark_A
Newbie

Per suggestion here, I emailed one of the Verizon executives (Mead) the following:

"I would really appreciate some candor from Verizon as to the status of the the Windows phone 8.1/Cyan update for the Nokia Icon.  I purchased the phone in May, understanding that 8.0 wasn't all there (I nearly returned it), but that the problems would be fixed with the update, which was expected during the summer.  Other carriers have long ago updated their phones (the update was released in July), but not only has the update been long delayed from Verizon, but worse yet Verizon has not provided any official word on the testing status.  What I would really like to see is something like a candid blog from the head of the testing group, updated weekly.  Of course, an even better solution would be to release the update.

There are many rumors on the Verizon Community forums, saying that the update is delayed to enhance sales of the latest HTC Windows phone, or that the delay is because the plan is to skip Cyan and go straight to Denim (maybe December) or Windows 9 (next year?), that Verizon has decided not to provide any updates (ever), or simply that Verizon hates its customers.  There are a lot of unhappy Icon owners out there -- a bit of candor could lower a lot of people's blood pressure."

Yesterday I was contacted on Mead's behalf by "Mark B" with "executive relations".  He gave the usual "we understand your concerns" line, adding that his brother has a Windows phone and likewise asks him about the update.  He explained that the delay was due to testing compatibility with their network.  I didn't think it worth the bother of arguing about how much testing was needed, but did mention that other carriers had released the update long ago.  He said that there was not a fixed date for the release, but suggested that it would happen in the next 30 days.  I also reminded him of my suggestion that the testers post regular progress reports so that we can see that something was happening, and he promised to pass the suggestion on to the appropriate group.

Personally, I got fed-up waiting for the update and went ahead and registered as a developer and installed the developer preview shortly after sending the above email.  This took some time, several lengthy updates, but now I have it.  8.1 is running with zero problems, other than an apparent slight slowdown (I have not done a hard reset), which may be due to the lack of the Cyan portion of the update.  All my services and apps work great, the new interface is nicer, and I really appreciate the more nuanced control of the device, things like volume control and quiet time during meetings.  The new file browser is a distinct step up from what was possible before, but it still shows all my music files in one folder, and won't let me browse the folder structure I have in place (irritating).  I'd previously had a lot of problems with skipping audio (via car's bluetooth) with the DI.fm app, and this problem has completely cleared-up.  I have not yet tried using GPS audio navigation, but I'm really hoping that the prior difficulties have gone away (it would only play GPS audio if music was playing -- if I paused music, I lost GPS audio directions though my car's bluetooth).  Overall, the 8.1 developer preview is running smoothly for me, with a distinct improvement in performance.  I'm really glad I upgraded, absolutely no regrets or missing capabilities that I've noticed.

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Re: Why is my flagship WINDOWS PHONE being ignored by Verizon?
MrGecko
Contributor - Level 1

Electra, you are nothing but a bucket of sunshine aren't ya! You're the kind of person who would rip the wings off a fly & tell him "flying is overrated." The remaining two days of his life will be well grounded. We are getting tired of your Eeyore explanations telling us how great your rotary dial cell phone is at modem connections. You're "shut up & eat your cake" attitude is growing old. Get off your <ctrl-v> button for every post on this subject.

In your infinite wisdom tell me why AT&T has released the updates & not VZW. Don't ignore the fact that AT&T has a smaller market than Big Red & is willing to keep their customer's happy with updates & open communication. Then tell me if none of us complained on this forum, that the updates would come any faster. (According to you we don't deserve updates.)

I don't think it to be unreasonable to ask about updates I was promised when I bought the Icon. No communication leads to speculation & buyer's remorse. Nothing but bad press.

Don't say too much, you may reveal your Verizon Employee number. (or are you an agent of AT&T? Hmmm.)

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Re: Why is my flagship WINDOWS PHONE being ignored by Verizon?
primortal
Master - Level 1

Clark_A wrote:

I also reminded him of my suggestion that the testers post regular progress reports so that we can see that something was happening, and he promised to pass the suggestion on to the appropriate group.

Thanks for getting some traction but the line above equates to In other words, nothing will be done.  This type of response from the executive liaison is what I always get from them and nothing is done.  I've been even promised call backs and I get none and to boot calling them and leaving a message results in no call back.

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Re: Why is my flagship WINDOWS PHONE being ignored by Verizon?
rcschnoor
Legend

MrGecko wrote:

In your infinite wisdom tell me why AT&T has released the updates & not VZW.

Different technologies(CDMA vs GSM) mean there CAN be different testing procedures.

MrGecko wrote:

Don't ignore the fact that AT&T has a smaller market than Big Red

I think your information may be a bit out of date. While Verizon may have a larger market share, they are basically equal. Verizon's Top Spot Threatened As AT&T Catches Up - Forbes

Re: Why is my flagship WINDOWS PHONE being ignored by Verizon?
Clark_A
Newbie

Playing Devil's Advocate, I wonder whether the larger size and complexity of Verizon's network genuinely adds a great deal of time required for testing of the update -- meaning that the delay is not unexpected (no sarcasm intended).  This would be complicated by the smaller user base of the Windows phones with comparison to other OSs, meaning that the resources devoted to testing are proportionally smaller.  Of course, if Verizon were to take advantage of customer volunteers to beta-test the updates, this could all go a lot faster. 

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Re: Why is my flagship WINDOWS PHONE being ignored by Verizon?
Tidbits
Legend

Also there are beta programs from Motorola and HTC without Verizon. People expect Verizon to do it yet these two companies have been doing it for years without Verizon or any carrier for that matter.

I just don't think Nokia is putting a lot of resources into updating as they put for AT&T, or they just prioritize them first because they took in most of their devices.

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Re: Why is my flagship WINDOWS PHONE being ignored by Verizon?
donblv
Enthusiast - Level 1

Like everyone else owning a Nokia Icon, I am upset over this matter. I too believe that Verizon is purposely dragging their feet with Windows Phone update. First off, their money (and support) is in iPhone and Android. Second, as someone else said, they want to sell new phones. If we get frustrated enough, a percentage of us will opt to get a new phone with 8.1 installed. If they wait long enough a good percentage of our contracts will expire and we'll be eligible for a new phone at "incredible" savings. Personally, I've been a long time customer of Verizon, am tired of paying their prices and am looking seriously at AT&T. All of Verizon competitors offer far more data time with their contracts and typically at lower prices. AT&T is pushing hard to catch up to AT&T. I'm surprised that it's taken them so long to wake up. They were in the comm business long before Verizon. They just had a much older network to update. Anyway, if enough people start dropping Verizon, for their competitors, they might wakeup. Unfortunately, the Icon is the flagship WP product and only Verizon has it and it appears to be the only phone with lots of memory. So ... what to do? I know I'm not the only one with a bad taste in my mouth for Verizon. A change is in the wind, but probably not until our contract runs out or someone offers something better.

Re: Why is my flagship WINDOWS PHONE being ignored by Verizon?
donblv
Enthusiast - Level 1

I might also add that YES Verizon did tell me that the 8.1 update would be pushed out to the Icon in MID 2014 and I would receive it. I asked about the update before I even committed to the phone and contract extension. So I don't want to hear any Verizon support person telling me that Verizon hasn't committed to any updates or that I shouldn't expect one. Everyone knew about Windows 8.1 and the great improvement that it was over 8.0 on their PCs. The expectation was already there when we committed to the WP8 devices. Don't even go there Verizon. We expect the update.