Sprint's Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S 4G Get Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) Upgrade

Two of Sprint's smartphones from the Nexus series have received their coveted upgrades to the latest version of Google's mobile operating system. Both the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Samsung Nexus S 4G can now make the move the Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean).

People get Nexus models because these are always among the first to get upgrades to new versions of this OS.  There is often a hitch however -- extra carrier testing slows this process down. The unlocked version of the Galaxy Nexus received its upgrade back in July, the Sprint version can be upgraded now, while Verizon customers who have this model are still waiting.

Upgrade Now

Sprint and Google are sending the Android 4.1 upgrade over-the-air to both these devices, and users will be notified when it has arrived and ready to be installed.

Galaxy Nexus users also have the option to manually download it now. This simple process requires going to Settings> About phone > System Updates, hitting Check Now, and the following the screen prompts.

What's New

Brighthand provided an overview of Android 4.1 when it was this summer, and some of the highlights include Google Now, which tries to be a pro-active digital assistant, informing users of the information they want before they know they need it. This includes traffic and weather information, and much more.

The Notification system has been redesigned to be more interactive, and Google's developers made the user interface faster.

Those who are going to install this should be aware that it will discontinue support for Adobe Flash Player. Adobe stopped development of this app with Android 4.0.