5G Software Update: From Apple To Samsung, Here’s When These Brands Will Roll Out 5G services.
5G software update: From Apple to Samsung, here’s when these brands will roll out 5G service.
Worried that many of their models are not compatible with the newly developed high-speed services, India’s government is encouraging Apple, Samsung, and other mobile phone manufacturers to prioritize the release of software updates to support 5G in the country.
On October 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced 5G services with much enthusiasm. Reliance Jio, a major telecom company, announced that it would offer the service in four cities, while Bharti Airtel would do so in eight. Everyone made a commitment to enhancing the service in 2019.
However, several of Samsung‘s top handsets and the most recent iPhone model, the iPhone 14, do not have software that is suitable for allowing 5G in India, according to three industry sources and the Airtel website.
These top bureaucrats from India’s telecoms and IT departments will preside over a meeting for early 5G adoption on Wednesday because they are concerned about this. According to a government document that Reuters got its hands on, they have invited people from Apple, Samsung, Vivo, and Xiaomi, as well as local telecom companies Reliance, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea.
Discussions “to prioritise” and the release of software updates to enable the high-speed network were on the agenda, according to the notification for the private meeting. Along with the three largest telecom operators, Apple Inc., Samsung Electronics, Vivo, and Xiaomi Corp. also made requests for comments, but none of them received a prompt response. The govt’s telecommunications and IT divisions both stayed quiet.
According to India, the rollout of 5G in the world’s second-largest mobile market (behind China) will provide people with access to fast internet while also having positive socioeconomic effects on industries like farming and healthcare. Jio, India’s largest mobile network with over 420 million members, paid $11 billion for airwaves in a $19 billion 5G spectrum auction in August. Airtel spent more than $5 billion, whereas Vodafone donated more than $2 billion.
The unique 5G technology used by Indian telecom firms and phone software have been having compatibility issues, according to one person in the industry, despite agreements between telecom providers and smartphone manufacturers. Tuesday’s 5G compatibility section of the Airtel website said that “Apple still needs to change software” for all 12 to 14 models of iPhones. Although more than 30 Xiaomi and Vivo models from China were identified as being compatible with the company’s 5G service, Airtel said that several Samsung handsets were also not ready.
“Apple has been moving very slowly. Due to the prevalence of Apple gadgets among Airtel’s premium clients, Apple and Airtel have been in contact, according to a second industry source with intimate knowledge of the situation. A third person with direct knowledge of the matter said that Apple is now examining a number of 5G solutions from Indian network operators.
Here is where each major 5G phone manufacturer in India stands right now with regard to the release of 5G updates, ahead of the government pressuring manufacturers for rapid updates.
From Apple to Samsung, here’s when these companies will offer support.
Since the official 5G launch in India more than a week ago, telecom giants Airtel and Jio are now leading the country’s next-generation network offerings. While Jio is following up with 5G trials in important places and is anticipated to officially deploy the network around Diwali this month, Airtel is following up with its NSA (Non-standalone) “5G Plus” service, which has already been launched in eight cities.
Many consumers with 5G-capable handsets in these supported Tier-I locations, however, are still unable to use 5G on their phones. The phones’ software-based lock that prevents them from connecting to 5G networks is the cause. Devices frequently have these locks installed when they first launch when the associated features are not yet available. Updates are often released by brands to remove the locks.
Many well-known manufacturers that support 5G have not yet made these updates available to allow for 5G use. These include, among others, Apple, Samsung, and OnePlus. But based on the thorough list provided by Airtel, several devices, including Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo, seem to be prepared for mobile networks.
Apple
Since Apple hasn’t released an update for the full 5G-capable iPhone family, all 5G-capable iPhones in India are still reliant on 4G networks. The full range of the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone 14 series, as well as the iPhone SE 2022, are included (Gen-3).
According to a statement from Apple, the company is developing the update and intends to release it in India by December. This means that iPhone customers won’t likely be able to utilize 5G for over two months after the introduction of the next-generation network.
When network quality, performance testing, and certification are complete, “We are collaborating with our carrier partners in India to provide iPhone users with the best 5G experience. Apple announced that software updates for 5G will begin to be delivered to iPhone customers in December.
Samsung
Older Samsung 5G phones have not yet received an upgrade to enable 5G, despite newer models like the Galaxy S22 series and the Galaxy A33, Galaxy M33, Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 being 5G ready. According to a new announcement from Samsung, supported handsets will start receiving the updates that will make these older phones 5G capable by mid-November 2022.
Samsung has always been a leader in 5G technology research, and as a result, it has greatly influenced the creation of 5G standards worldwide. Samsung has the broadest selection of 5G devices in India. A Samsung India spokesman said, “We are committed to rolling out OTA upgrades across all of our 5G devices by mid-November 2022, enabling Indian people to enjoy 5G effortlessly.”
Nothing
The Nothing Phone is the only phone that Nothing presently sells, and it is 5G ready out of the box and won’t need an upgrade to use 5G networks. You can easily turn 5G “on” on your phone (1) if you are an Airtel customer who is qualified to use the technology and are in a supported area by going to Settings > Network & Internet > SIMs and switching the preferred network type from 4G to 5G.
To enhance your 5G experience in areas with inconsistent connectivity, you can also enable the other options here, including Smart 5G and 5G solo. Before Diwali, Jio will release an update to support Jio 5G on its standalone networks.
OnePlus
Although OnePlus has released a number of 5G phones in the nation for more than a year, its lineup is still made up of a variety of handsets that either directly support 5G or are awaiting an update. Some earlier devices, like the OnePlus Nord, are 5G ready right immediately, while the OnePlus Nord 2, which is the device‘s successor, is still waiting for a 5G software upgrade.
When consumers can anticipate a 5G-ready upgrade for compatible phones has been inquired about by Indianexpress.com to OnePlus. Once we receive a statement, we will update you. The OnePlus 8, OnePlus 8T, OnePlus 8 Pro, OnePlus Nord 2, and OnePlus 9R are the OnePlus devices that require a software upgrade in order to access 5G. Other OnePlus devices already have 5G capability.
The Pixel 6a, which went on sale earlier this year, is the only Google Pixel phone that supports 5G and has been launched in India. Earlier this month released, Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro will also support 5G. Google has acknowledged that these devices will receive a 5G update, although no release date has been provided. The Pixel 7, 7 Pro, and Pixel 6a are the only Pixel devices on the market now that support 5G. We are actively working with Indian carriers to enable functionality as soon as possible, a Google representative said.
Note that circumstances may differ for Pixel 5 and Pixel 6 series devices that were not made in India and that were imported into the nation from another country; it is not known whether these devices will require an update to support 5G. This also applies to gadgets like the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, which weren’t formally introduced in India.
Motorola
Several of Motorola’s 5G phones need software upgrades in order to enable 5G. The Edge 30-series and Edge-20 series, plus the Moto G 5G, G51, G17, G62, and G82. It is also unknown when Motorola will release a 5G-ready software rollout, leaving these smartphones without the necessary upgrade for 5G services.
Other Several Brands
All compatible phones from brands like Xiaomi, Redmi, Poco, Realme, Oppo, Vivo, iQOO, and Infinix come pre-installed with 5G-ready software, so there is no need to wait for an update. While waiting for 5G updates to go out to supported phones, several 5G phones from manufacturers, including Asus, Honor, LG, Nokia, and Tecno, lack an official announcement.
Edited by Prakriti Arora
