Follow-Up: MetroPCS Forces Automatic Update on Samsung Indulge

Following up on Tuesday’s initial report about the first update for the MetroPCS Samsung Indulge, more specific information has surfaced on the changes made as well as the revelation of the potentially dangerous automatic forced update method used by the carrier to apply updates without any user interaction whatsoever, in a repeat of the Samsung Craft 4G update method. First, the update addresses the following issues:

Handset will display 4G icon at all times when connected to the 4G network.

While powered on, handset will reconnect to the 4G network after it loses connectivity

Version of the LTE modem will display correctly (no longer as “Unknown”).

Customers can now turn off  GPS location storing when taking pictures.

Fixed issue where customers could not launch the Camera via the camera key after they removed the handset’s battery while in “preview” mode.

Updated software so that the correct message thread and conversations load according to the customer’s selection.

Fixed issue where the handset sends an SMS to the wrong contact.

Firmware version is updated to CDMA EE07 and LTE ED15 from the launch version

Read more for the internal slides detailing the forced automatic update method and why PhoneNews.com is vehemently against this practice.

As demonstrated in the above slides, the phone prompts the owner that an update will be made to the phone, but does not offer the option of either postponing or canceling the update for a later time. Standard practice with other Android devices on other carriers is to prompt and give the owner the option of applying the update at that time or postponing the update until a later, safer time.

This type of automatic forced update is the first one to be found on an Android device and is dangerous, as a broken download or bad update risks damaging the phone to the point where it will not function and actively runs afoul of the FCC’s Public Safety Access Point regulations on the availability of emergency services via cellphones, as such automatic updates render the phone unable to make emergency calls during the time spent updating, presenting a massive risk for owners when out traveling.

Such actions should not be tolerated by customers, as evidenced by our previous reporting on such forced updates. Since this seems to be a pattern with MetroPCS, filing a complaint with the FCC under the Billing, Service or Service Quality option will alert the regulator to the carrier’s actions regarding automatic forced updates. With enough complaints, it will eventually force the carrier to cease such updates and adopt more conventional (read: safer) update protocols for their 4G LTE phones. Only by bringing light to the issue and making you, the reader aware of what you can do, will carriers ultimately abandon the unsafe and dubiously legal practice.