Yesterday, Verizon approved Jelly Bean for the DROID 4 as build 98.72.18, but as is typical, Motorola sent the first wave of updates out to members of their feedback network (soak testers) this morning. And since that happened, the file has been pulled and made available to everyone with the device.

We have instructions for you below, so if you do not feel like waiting for the update to be pushed to your device, feel free to jump below.

The official changelog can be found here. 

Instructions:

*These are the instructions from the RAZR HD update, but they should work for the DROID 4 as well. I have not tested them as I do not own the device.

*You have to be running the official Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0.4) update of build 6.16.217. You also have to be completely stock.

1.  Download the update file here:  Download Link [mirror]
2.  Drop that file on your SD card, not internal storage.
3.  Turn phone off, and reboot into recovery.

*Hold both Volume Up and Down along with Power until you see the boot menu. Use Volume Down to hover over “Recovery.” Press Volume Up to select it.

*Once you see the Android and Exclamation point, press both Volume Up and Down at the same time.

4.  Select “apply update from external storage.”

*Use Volume keys to highlight, Power button to select.

5.  Then select the file you downloaded from above. It should already be on your SD card.
6.  Watch as the update applies.
7.  Once finished, choose the “reboot” option and enjoy!

Via:  DroidForums

Cheers Fuzzball!

Download: DROID 4 Jelly Bean Update 98.72.18 is a post from: Droid Life

Moments ago, Verizon approved the Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) update for the Motorola DROID 4. The update introduces Blur build 98.72.18 and will carry almost all of the Jelly Bean goodies that one can handle. It won’t have lock screen widgets or some of the other features added to Android 4.2, but you will finally have access to Google Now, a better keyboard, advanced notifications, and amazing Voice Search.

Motorola and Verizon also updated graphics and smoothed out transitions, made personalizing the home screen easier, and improved voice, data and hotspot connectivity.

We knew the update was on the way as Motorola invited owners of the phone into a soak test of the software last week – we just weren’t sure when the update would happen. While we haven’t heard of the soak test rolling out, this is likely a sign that it’ll start at any moment. Once that goes down successfully, the rest of the DROID 4 owners could see the update within a week or so.

Update:  Verizon has announced that the update will start rolling out in phases on March 19.

The update is 356MB in size. 

More info.

DROID 4 Jelly Bean Update Approved by Verizon as Build 98.72.18 (Updated) is a post from: Droid Life

The DROID 4 may be the next in line to receive Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) from Motorola, if invites to a soak test for members of the Moto Feedback Network are any indication. A number of readers of ours received invites last night to test out a “early preview of a new software release,” though the words “Jelly Bean” were not necessarily mentioned in the emails. 

With that said, a newish thread at Motorola’s support forums is reminding DROID 4 owners that they should be sure their accounts have correct IMEI numbers attached because Jelly Bean is indeed on the way. More members there are also chiming in with soak test invites.

Motorola has yet to define a time frame for the DROID 4 update, but we know for sure that it is expected to receive Jelly Bean. That much they have confirmed. Should it push out some time this month (Q1), they may actually be somewhat ahead of anyone’s schedule.

The DROID RAZR changelog for Jelly Bean can be found here – I’d expect the D4 list to look similar.

More:  Motorola Support

Cheers Top, J, B, M, and F!

DROID 4 Soak Test Invites Go Out, Jelly Bean Update Likely is a post from: Droid Life

When Motorola first unveiled the new RAZR family at the beginning of September, they told us that they wouldn’t be able to update all of their previously released devices to Jelly Bean (Android 4.1). Since they had too large of a portfolio and would need to leave some out of the fun, they mentioned that owners of these devices would be able to buy a new Motorola phone and then trade in their old phone for $100. They posted the list of devices, this afternoon, which we have below. 

So if the list of phones on the left is of those not receiving Jelly Bean, that means that the DROID Bionic and DROID 4 somehow made the list of phones in line to get it. That’s got to feel good, right? We should also point out that sources of ours said that Motorola is targeting Q1 for Android 4.1 updates for the original RAZR and RAZR MAXX, Bionic, and D4. The RAZR HD and RAZR MAXX HD should see 4.1 before the end of the year.

Update:  Motorola has also made changes to their update schedule:

There you have it, folks, All of the new RAZRs will see Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) before the end of 2013. The Atrix HD, Photon Q, Electrify 2, DROID RAZR, RAZR MAXX, DROID 4, and Bionic will all receive it at some point in the future.

Via:  Motorola

Cheers Matt and Mark!

Motorola Posts List of Phones Not Receiving Jelly Bean, Confirms Which Phones Will Get the Update is a post from: Droid Life

See that little “qe 1/1″ listed on the screenshot above of my DROID RAZR booted into recovery? According to @P3Droid and a variety of testers, this is a root checker of sorts that Motorola has built into the boot and recovery .img files of their current crop of devices, including the RAZR, RAZR MAXX and DROID 4. If you see “qe 0/0″ you are running a device that has never been rooted. If you see “qe 0/1″ you are running a device that was at one time rooted, but currently is not. If you see “qe 1/1″ like in the picture above, you are running a device that is currently rooted. 

At this point, it’s tough to tell if this is a big deal or not. In theory, it could mean that if you return your phone because of a warranty concern, that Motorola or Verizon could simply boot into recovery and check this to see if you are or have been rooted, and then potentially deny you of a replacement phone. We don’t know that they will actually do that, but you have to wonder what else their motives for including a root checker would be.

P3 is also under the impression that when the Bionic is updated to Ice Cream Sandwich, it will also receive this new root checker. At this time, there is no way to trick or reset it.

I’m sure you have some colorful comments in response to this news and we would love to have it down in the comments.

Cheers Brandon and @P3Droid!

Motorola Included a Root Check in the RAZR, RAZR MAXX, and DROID4 With Ice Cream Sandwich is a post from: Droid Life

Motorola continues to impress their fans going into the weekend with this latest news. The DROID 4 had its build of Ice Cream Sandwich approved earlier this week and we have been waiting to see when it would officially roll out for all owners. The build is the same as the previous leak, .217, and brings the device up to Android 4.0.4.

If you have been waiting for the update head over to System > About Phone > System Updates to see if the update has rolled out to your area yet.

Cheers T!

DROID 4 Owners – Your Ice Cream Sandwich Update Is Ready to be Pulled is a post from: Droid Life

Yesterday, Verizon officially approved the Ice Cream Sandwich update for the DROID 4. Hours after posting the support docs for the update, the soak test for the device went live, a sign that normally means a public push is a few days away. Well, Motorola wasn’t interested in waiting any longer and decided to start pushing the update to non-soak testers yesterday evening.

It doesn’t sound like the update is available to be pulled by all at this time, however, there are tricks you can do to see if you can trick it. In the past, users have had success by clearing Google Services Framework in their Apps manager.

Via:  Twitter

Cheers jbartcaps!

Motorola: Ice Cream Sandwich Rolling Out Now to the DROID 4 “in Phases” is a post from: Droid Life

Verizon has approved the Ice Cream Sandwich update for the DROID 4 this morning. A soak test for the update was announced last week, but we have yet to hear if it actually rolled out to any participants. What we do know, is that when Big Red approves something like this, it usually starts to appear on devices within a week.

Aside from the benefits that come with Android 4.0, you will notice better quality pictures, improved gallery performance, global roaming capabilities, less force closes and restarts, and Verizon’s Remote Diagnostics tool.

Update:  The soak test for the device is arriving today. Assuming that goes well, it should be only a matter of days before the public gets it.

The build number is 6.16.217. The Android version is 4.0.4. The update is 364MB in size. A full change list is below.

More info.

DROID 4 Ice Cream Sandwich Update Approved by Verizon, Here is the Full Change List is a post from: Droid Life

We are hearing reports from readers, suggesting that Motorola is inviting DROID 4 owners to participate in a new software update soak test. No indication has been given that this will be Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), but at this point, we would be pretty surprised if it wasn’t. Motorola previously told us to expect it in Q3, and since we are sitting in the middle of the quarter, now would be the time to start testing it in preparation for rollout.

This morning, we also spent a minute cruising around Motorola D4 forums and found an “ICS Waiting Room” thread. In that thread within the last week, Moto Forums’ manager Matt, stopped by to remind everyone with a DROID 4 to be sure they have opted-in to the Motorola Feedback Network, the group that sends out invites and allows you to test new software. Could there be a bigger hint?

Cheers J!

DROID 4 Soak Test Set to Begin, More Than Likely Ice Cream Sandwich is a post from: Droid Life

Sprint and Motorola announced the Photon Q this morning, a device with a 5-row slideout keyboard, 1.5GHz dual-core processor (probably the Snapdragon S4), on-screen navigation keys, Ice Cream Sandwich, NFC, 1785 mAh battery, 4.3″ qHD display, an 8MP camera, and 4G LTE. Sounds decent, right? Then why wasn’t this the DROID 4?

The DROID brand, which once stood for top-of-the-line and best-of-the-best is now nothing more than a marketing gimmick on its last leg. Sure, the DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX are decent phones, but the two DROID releases since those have been embarrassments. Yes, I’m talking about the DROID 4 and the DROID Incredible 4G LTE. Neither are even close to being leaders with their sub-par specs, poor screens, and cheap build qualities. There is a chance that Motorola will attempt to do us all right later this summer, and set this brand straight again. Does anyone care, though? 

It’s sort of sad to see this happen to the brand that started the Android craze, but most of us realized long ago that it wasn’t going to carry us to the promised land forever. Phone manufacturers seem to want to stand on their own these days rather than be roped into Verizon’s marketing program. In fact, I’d much prefer it if phones were good enough to stand on their own like the HTC One X and Galaxy S3. It’s time for OEMs to give us their best at all times, rather than relying on the term “DROID” to do the work.

Sprint Announces the Photon Q, This Should Have Been the DROID 4 is a post from: Droid Life

One of the top selling points for Motorola’s current lineup of phones has been their Smart Actions app. For those not familiar, think of Smart Actions as an app that tries to help streamline your life, make tasks happen automatically, and potentially extend your battery life. In a lot of ways, it’s like Taskr or Setting Profiles in that it allows you to set up profiles or activities that trigger actions on your phone. Leave home for work every day at 8AM? Smart Actions may recommend that you have it automatically turn off WiFi and launch Google Maps. When you arrive at work, Smart Actions could recognize the location and toggle WiFi back on help save battery while you are away from a charger. Make sense?

We want to know if the Motorola users in the building are taking advantage of these though. Have you found any of the Smart Action recommendations to be helpful? Is your battery lasting longer? Is the app annoying? Answer the poll briefly, and then tell us which actions you have found to be most beneficial in the comments.

Thursday Poll: Motorola Owners – Are You Using Smart Actions? Which Ones? is a post from: Droid Life

Verizon is hosting a Dads and Grads sale for the next couple of weeks to celebrate the lives of recent graduates and the amazing fathers in our lives. Through this sale, you will find $100 off any 4G LTE Motorola phone, which includes both RAZRs ($99), the DROID 4 ($99) and the Bionic (free). You will also find other phones on the cheap or for free, but the Moto devices are the clear draw here.

On a related note, one of our readers spotted the Galaxy Tab 10.1 with 32GB of storage for the same price as the 16GB model. If you are in the market for a tablet on contract, be sure to grab the 32GB for $429 and not the version with less storage. 

Via:  Verizon

Cheers Charles!

Verizon Hosting Dads and Grad Sale: $100 Off All 4G LTE Motorola Phones is a post from: Droid Life

While supplies last, Amazon Wireless is hosting a deal on a few of Verizon’s more popular smart devices. When signing up on a new two-year agreement, you can score the DROID 4 for just one cent, the Rezound for a not-so-bad $50, and the DROID RAZR MAXX for an even $150. Now that we know these phones are definitely receiving some Ice Cream Sandwich love sometime this year, buying these phones on contract shouldn’t seem all that scary.

Motorola DROID 4 | HTC Rezound | DROID RAZR MAXX

Amazon Wireless Offers the DROID 4 for a Penny, Rezound for $50, and DROID RAZR MAXX at $150 is a post from: Droid Life

Stemming from yesterday’s report that Verizon does indeed have plans this summer to update the RAZR and RAZR MAXX, Rezound, and the DROID 4 to feature global capabilities, a reader running newly leaked Ice Cream Sandwich firmware on the RAZR has basically proved just that. From what we gather, when the device receives the official ICS OTA, it will bring along the global features. When exactly can we expect it? Well, according to Motorola’s update timeline, we’re looking at a very vague “Q2 of 2012.”

Cheers TC!

Motorola Adds “Global” Option in Latest DROID RAZR Ice Cream Sandwich Leak is a post from: Droid Life

We first reported this news on Friday, but Verizon has confirmed today that the DROID RAZR, RAZR MAXX, HTC Rezound, and DROID 4 will all receive updates this summer to bring them global roaming capabilities. After the update is released, all 4 of these devices will have voice service in more than 220 countries and data in more than 205:

This summer, Verizon Wireless will be updating the following 4G LTE smartphones for global use.

HTC Rezound
DROID RAZR by Motorola
DROID RAZR MAXX by Motorola
DROID 4 by Motorola

Customers will see a notification on their device when the software update is available for their device. After the software update, customers will be able to take their smartphone overseas and use voice service in more than 220 countries and receive data in more than 205 countries.

No time frame other than “summer” was given, but with Ice Cream Sandwich updates on the way to all of the devices listed, we wouldn’t be surprised if it was included with them. Plus, now that stores have been asked to print new display lists that reference these new global features, it can’t be long.

Verizon: Updates to Add Global Capabilities to the RAZR, RAZR MAXX, Rezound and DROID 4 Coming This Summer is a post from: Droid Life