[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] oldblue910:
Wow, I've read so much BS and falsehoods in this thread, politicians are even cringing.

1. Verizon's ONLY role in Galaxy Nexus updates is testing and QA. This is a simple fact of life. If you're not Apple, Verizon tests and approves every update for every phone they sell. End of story. I personally have no problem with this for two reasons. First, if a carrier is going to have their staff doing technical support, their money going toward marketing, etc., they are certainly entitled to test and approve updates to make sure they're not going to cause support nightmares for their support team. Second, Google has been known in the past to put out some absolutely craptastic updates. Some examples:

2.3.6/GRK39C for the 850 MHz (AT&T) Nexus S: Broke tethering for almost everyone who installed it. Took a month for Google to release a new OTA.

3.1/HMJ37 for both the WiFi-only and Verizon Xoom: This is one of those updates where there were too many problems to list. People were enamored with the idea of a big bump like 3.0 to 3.1...until they used it.

4.0.3/IML74K for the 900 MHz (T-Mobile) Nexus S: Update was plagued with more problems than I could list here, but one of the most egregious was that, for many people, battery life was cut almost in half as compared to Gingerbread. Took another 3 months for Google to update it.

4.0.4/IMM76D for the GSM Galaxy Nexus: Had an issue with cellular connection cutting out entirely when the screen was turned off. IMM76I was released within two weeks to fix it.

Honestly, it can't hurt to have an extra set of QA resources on an update since we all know Google will never win awards for their QA work...and that applies to all their products, not just Android. Yeah it sucks for the 1% of us who actually give a rat's ass about software updates, but if you want your phone to be available on America's best cellular network, those are the rules you play by.

2. There are GSM carriers who actually hold up updates for Nexus devices. For example, Telstra Australia requires testing on all Nexus S devices on their network. This was made evident with the Jelly Bean update...worldwide, the GSM Nexus S got 4.1.1/JRO03E, but if you have one with a Telstra Australia SIM in it, your update was held up because Telstra complained about something, which resulted in Google releasing 4.1.1/JRO03L specifically for devices that had a Telstra SIM in them.

3. Google updates the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. Google provides the ROMs, completely built and ready to go, to Verizon who then tests and gives a thumbs up or thumbs down.

4. The Verizon Galaxy Nexus is every bit as much of a Nexus as anything else. It has an unlockable bootloader, it gets updates direct from Google (testing notwithstanding) and it runs a plain, vanilla version of Android. What else is there?

5. Every single update that the GSM Gnex has received, so has received the Verizon Gnex. They both started with ITL41(X) releases. They both got ICL53F/4.0.2, and they both got IMM76(X) releases for 4.0.4. The GSM model has received JRO03C for 4.1.1 and Verizon is presently testing JRO03O for its Gnex, also 4.1.1.

6. Verizon's "bloatware" consists of exactly three things. One is the Verizon Backup Assistant, which is useful for people who were coming over from a dumbphone to get their contacts. Another is My Verizon. I can't possibly imagine why any Verizon customer wouldn't use this app. If seeing either of those two apps really bugs you that much though, you can just disable them. Disabled apps do not run and do not show up in your app tray. The third piece of "bloatware" are the two behind-the-scenes libraries included with the ROM that allow you to log into, and use, VZW-branded apps like NFL Mobile. Ever buy a Motorola DROID branded phone and see all the bloatware that is installed with those between what Verizon requires and what Motorola does? The argument that the VZW Gnex has all this bloatware is patently ridiculous.

7. In the vast majority of the United States, Verizon's network is better than anyone else's in terms of data coverage at usable speeds (3G and 4G) and in terms of voice coverage. This gives them leverage with OEMs to strong-arm them into playing by their rules. Right or wrong, that's how it is.