Ask LH: My Phone OS Never Gets Updated. Can I Get Out Of My Contract?


Dear Lifehacker, Having purchased the Samsung Galaxy S3 from Optus in May/June last year, I was excited when Samsung released Android Jelly Bean for it in September. Cue five months later and Optus still hasn’t released the update for my phone.

Other networks, including Telstra, Virgin, and Vodafone have already released them. I’ve been advised that I can’t root the phone or put a custom ROM on as that voids my warranty, but can I use this lacklustre service to cancel my contract? I have 16 months remaining on my contract, but really, what’s the point of sticking with a provider when my phone doesn’t get updated? Thanks, Jellybean Fan.

Dear JF,

It seems you’re in luck in regards to the OS update: a quick perusal of Optus’ Android device OS availability page confirms the Samsung Galaxy S3 is currently packing Android version 4.1.2. To update the phone, just enter ‘Settings’ and scroll down to the ‘About Device’ button. Then press ‘Software Update’ and follow the prompts.

As to whether you can break your contract due to the non-appearance of an OS update, the answer is probably not. It’s highly doubtful that the contract you signed made any guarantees about handset updates, so the telco technically hasn’t done anything wrong. On the plus side, at least you have Jelly Bean on your phone now.

Cheers
Lifehacker

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