Google says updates for Nexus devices can be delayed by carriers

It has always been one of the biggest benefits of going with one of Google’s Nexus devices: It means getting Android updates before basically everyone else. But with the return of Google offering its flagship Nexus on all major U.S. cellular carriers, it comes as no surprise that they want to have a bit of a say in that update process. And while that might not be a completely bad thing, it does mean that getting access to the latest versions of Android—while still likely faster than if you had any other phone—could be slower…

Google has today updated its support documents (via Phandroid) to reflect that carriers can now interfere with the update process. And while updates straight from Google have always had the disclaimer of potentially taking “up to two weeks” to actually reach your device, Google has now added some verbiage to explain that carriers could potentially delay that process even further.

Below is the new disclaimer:

Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7, Nexus 9, and Nexus 10 devices receive the latest version of Android directly from Google. Once an update is available, it can take up to two weeks for it to reach your device. Based on your carrier, it may take longer than two weeks after release to get an update.

This isn’t the first time in recent weeks that the public hasn’t been very happy about carriers messing with the pure Nexus lineup. AT&T launched its Nexus 6 with branding on the back, that many said was absurdly ugly and misplaced. Oh, and AT&T decided that it wanted to put a globe and a bit of a jingle on the boot screen as well. The AT&T variation is also SIM-locked, has a tethering check built-in, and has the carriers ringtones built-in as well.

Hopefully, even with the newly amended support document, we won’t see too much of a delay in getting the latest versions of Android.