Vodafone Smart Ultra 6 - Software Update?

[macker15]

Hi, can you please tell us when this phone will be updated to android 5.1 or 5.1.1?

[drey_p]

Hi there

I'm afraid that Vodafone will not comment on if or when firmware updates will be rolling out.  The only thing you can do is keep checking for updates on the handset.

[macker15]

Just want 5.1 so I can remove the carrier name from the notification bar. The option to remove it is present in 5.1. Hopefully Vodafone don't remove the option.

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi

Time will tell.

I hope you get what features your wanting.

This is some official info on Firmware release from Vodafone https://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/Vodafone-products-services/Firmware/m-p/831995

[Montala]

Am I not right is saying that in at least one place on Vodafones website, it lists the spec for this phone as having Android 5.1 as the OS, which is currently clearly NOT the case.

Hopefully therefore we can expect them to offer this update to all users sooner, rather than later?

[drey_p]

According to the specs in the store, it is android 5.0

http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/mobilePhones/phones/details/phoneDetail.jsp?bundleSkuItemId=sku12134...

[gopher1369]

Drey, you've linked to the wrong phone, your link points to the Vodafone Prime, not the Vodafone Ultra.

I'm in the same boat as the others, i know very well that Android 5.0 is a buggy, laggy mess (I work in an IT and Telecoms department, it's my job to test these things). To me one of the big selling points of the Vodafone Smart Ultra 6 was that is skipped 5.0 entirely and launched with 5.1. It's still listed on the store as 5.1, so it's currently being mis-sold. 

Here's the correct link to the correct phone: 

http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/pay-as-you-go/vodafone-smart-6-ultra-payg/sku86605-grey

Click on the specs tab and it clearly says "

Operating system

Android 5.1 (Lollipop)

So if the answer to the question "when will this phone receive the 5.1 update?" is that vodafone don't comment on updates, the next question is "why is Vodafone giving out deliberately misleading information on their store and what are they going to do about it?"

I've waited a month before replying, I was hoping that the update would be out swiftly and I'd be a happy bunny, but nothing so far. Currently not very happy.

[drey_p]

You're quite right, my bad.

[gopher1369]

You're not the only one, when i called up to order the phone last month the sales team kept referring to the Prime, they are confusingly similar names! I had to keep correcting them.

I'm happy to keep the phone if there's definitely a 5.1 unpdate in the works (or even an Android M update), but currently it's performing worse than my 3 years old Nexus 4. And I know it's a software issue, not hardware, because my Nexus 4 was also a laggy, buggy mess on 5.0 and then was a revelation on 5.1. This is consistent across multiple Android models, eg the Moto X got 5.1 this week and you should see the results, like a brand new phone! My Wife's LG G3 is still on 5.0 and is just awful (again, considerably slower and laggier than my Nexus 4).

If there's no 5.1 update coming in the near future, then I'd have to seriously consider returning the phone.

[macker15]

My thoughts exactly. Surely 5.1 isn't too much to ask for.