When Google announced the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play edition at Google I/O 2013, there was a reason that it was not being offered as a Nexus even though it runs stock Android and can be purchased through the Google Play store alongside Nexus devices. It turns out that the new smartphones have a Nexus-like experience but will have to wait for Samsung and HTC to release Android software updates after Google releases it to Nexus devices.
At Google's I/O conference, the company announced a piece of hardware that Android fans typically root their devices for. The search giant announced it would begin selling Samsung Galaxy S4 with "Nexus User Experience" It means the Galaxy S4 will not have TouchWiz UI and Samsung bloatware and will be offered stock Android out-of-the-box. Google pleased many smartphone fans with the news and soon thereafter, HTC and Google announced that the launch of the HTC One with Nexus User Experience.
One of the main reasons Nexus smartphones and tablets are so popular is due to the fact that Google does not need to go through carrier or OEM testing when it releases a new version of Android. Google pushes out the software update to Nexus-branded devices almost immediately since it controls the hardware and softeware. It was assumed that the Galaxy S4 and HTC One would also receive Android updates directly from Google. However, it now seems that though the updates will still come swiftly, they will have to come from Samsung and HTC.
Google has confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Play editions will not have the key ingredient that makes a Nexus, a Nexus. On the GPL files for Google Play edition devices message board, Google's chief release engineer Jean-Baptiste Queru was asked if Google would be releasing binary images for the smartphones and his response was:
"There are no such plans. If anything happens in that domain, that'll be handled directly by HTC and Samsung."
However, don't get too worried about having to wait long for Samsung and HTC to release the updates - since the smartphones run stock Android, it will be easier for both companies to release Android updates quickly and Google will be working with them very closely to do so. Google has already responded to the issue:
" On background, we will be working very closely with Samsung and HTC on future software updates for these devices and they will receive software updates shortly after a new version is released."
The Google Play editions of Galaxy S4 and HTC One might not get the immediacy of Android software updates like Nexus devices, but at least Google, Samsung and HTC have kept a big reason for update delays out of the equation - the carriers.
