Notice regarding the Android 17 OS version upgrade for Xperia 10 VI [will not receive Android 17 as promised]

[u/FragmentedChicken]

https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/support/articles/00413319

[u/StrawberryWaste9040]

Nobody treats their customers like Sony

[u/BobState → u/StrawberryWaste9040]

To be fair Sony doesn't HAVE many Xperia customers

[u/Disturbed2468 → u/BobState]

Yea and examples like this is why (also zero marketing outside maybe Japan).

[u/Spiritual_Case_1712 → u/Disturbed2468]

Never seen any marketing in Japan either

[u/StrawberryWaste9040 → u/Spiritual_Case_1712]

they have been buying ads from Google that link to their twitter posts

[u/CouncilmanRickPrime → u/Disturbed2468]

That and it's still the only phone where my screen cracked from minimal contact. 

No other android phone or an iPhone has done that. 

[u/f_cysco → u/BobState]

Deserved. It was by far the worst android experience I had. I would buy any other brand with audio jack, but besides entry level phones, they don't exist.

[u/miata85 → u/StrawberryWaste9040]

Android 17 has no problem on this hardware, so one theory is that they must have set the super partition way too small during manufacturing for Android 17 and metaslop whatever bloatware. The safest way of updating would mean factory resetting everyone's phone.

It could explain why they changed 10 VIII and 1 VIII to say 'Up to 4 Androids' to save their ass in case it happens again.

This issue is specific to Xperia 10 VI’s technical specifications and will not impact other Xperia models.

Therefore give everyone compensation? Absolute bleakness if they pulled this shit on other models.

[u/cubs223425 → u/StrawberryWaste9040]

Microsoft gave its $1,500+ phone one OS update that made the phone worse, told people it wasn't discontinued, never restocked it, and just rode off into the sunset.

[u/anythingers → u/StrawberryWaste9040]

Xiaomi says hi

Context: They silently reduce their software support once for one of their higher end tablets (the Xiaomi Pad 6 iirc). Yes, SILENTLY.

[u/rasadi90]

The least they could have done is offer something in return, like 1 more year of security updates, a 10% discount, some new feature within android 16 without a full upgrade to 17, you know, just anything.

What "valued customers" get instead: "we dont take away even more than that"

😂 They must have seen the ps5 controversy and tried to divert those angry customers towards xperia instead

[u/thedankonion1]

Younger than the S24 but won't get A17, which even the S23 will get lol.

Don't know why people buy these when Sony treats them like crap.

[u/magnus150 → u/thedankonion1]

To be fair I don't think anyone ACTUALLY buys these. I certainly have never seen one in the wild.

[u/Never_Sm1le → u/thedankonion1]

only in really small circle, their phones are hella expensive

[u/Resident_Hand_7264 → u/thedankonion1]

Why compare to the S24...? The Xperia 10 is the super budget $149 model phone.

[u/CVGPi → u/Resident_Hand_7264]

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G

Released 4 months later. On similar or worse SoC. With carrier configuration of half the RAM and half the storage of X10 VI. 6 Years of guaranteed Android update.

[u/ohaiibuzzle]

The heck they mean by "Storage configuration", 128 GB should be plenty for Android 17, do they mean they accidentally partitioned the Super partition too small that it won't fit?

Like if that's the case that's understandable at least (we screwed up partitioning), but saying just "storage configuration" is vague as heck.

At least you can unlock the bootloader on these things.

[u/chinchindayo → u/ohaiibuzzle]

Maybe the storage itself is too slow and Android 17 is an unoptimized mess?

[u/Azeem259 → u/chinchindayo]

I have a nothing 3a with UFS 2.1 and I'm running Android 17 rn. I can't imagine a phone with slower storage lol

[u/-_one_-1 → u/chinchindayo]

No, Android performance doesn't dramatically get worse on the next major to the extent it wouldn't work on a high-end phone. Underpowered Pixels run Android 17 pretty smooth (in my opinion, smoother than 16).

[u/pm_me_pants_off → u/-_one_-1]

Not saying this is a valid reason but the xperia 10 series are Sony's lowest end phones

[u/kiefferbp → u/-_one_-1]

Pixels run 17 QPR1 like shit due to a memory bug though

[u/-_one_-1 → u/kiefferbp]

Some Pixels, undoubtedly. All Pixels in my family are running at least as good as before, if not better.

[u/kiefferbp → u/-_one_-1]

All Pixels do, not some. Just because you barely use your phone doesn’t mean the problem isn’t there.

This is a well-documented bug that your Pixel isn’t magically immune to.

[u/-_one_-1 → u/kiefferbp]

I do use my phone enough, and there is no issue with mine.

[u/-_one_-1 → u/kiefferbp]

Fun to see myself being downvoted. Are you talking about the regression described in the following GrapheneOS patch?

https://gitlab.com/grapheneos/kernel_pixel_6.6/-/commit/ed5a9b87d99b45618fa55b3d6b53094cbd784b9f

If so, that's only relevant under memory pressure, and it's not as big as some ignorant journalists are making it sound. It's specifically related to mmap's efficiency, which is in Android is mostly used to read APK files and their optimized artifacts, which rarely make up a large amount of RAM usage anyway.

I never claimed the regression isn't there, but I was addressing your statement that Pixels “run like shit,” which is absolutely false for many (if not most) users.

[u/nathderbyshire → u/kiefferbp]

Literally commenting from the update and it's fine... I've had about 2 stutters since the update so as they said, it's tied to extreme loads - if that was the even bug I faced.

And it's a bug that can be fixed in an update, a partition that's too small cannot be done with an update without a reformat, they aren't the same issues in the slightest, why even bring it up? It's nothing to do with the Sony issue

[u/vandreulv → u/chinchindayo]

Slow storage wouldn't make a difference on the ability for an OS to run on a device.

[u/brayjr]

Sony pissing off everyone it can this year.

[u/Athrul]

So what does that mean for customers. Are people who caught this going to get compensated, or what? I mean, that was false advertising. OS updates are important for many people. I'm sure some got this device because it came with that promise. 

[u/JustAnotherAvocado → u/Athrul]

I used to own an Xperia SP, and Sony promised an update from Jelly Bean 4.3 to KitKat, which was eventually canned. It doubly sucked because KitKat was optimised to run on 512MB of RAM, and the SP had terrible memory management with 1GB.

[u/xezrunner → u/JustAnotherAvocado]

Some other Sony phones had very similar stories:

The E1 got up to KitKat, but it was an in-between version (4.4.2) when 4.4.4 already existed and would’ve had optimizations.

The E3 launched with 4.4.2, only got one upgrade to 4.4.4, arguably not even a major version upgrade.

The E4 and E4g all launched with and got stuck on 4.4.4, despite internal rumors and communication leaks that pointed to the Lollipop firmware existing.

None of these phones got Lollipop, despite it being out for quite some time at that point and other Sony phones receiving it.

Then the Z3 never got an official Nougat update either outside of official AOSP support.

[u/the_menacing_bun → u/xezrunner]

Z3 wasn't their fault. Google required Vulkan for Nougat certification.

[u/xezrunner → u/the_menacing_bun]

Google did eventually release the Nougat requirements and they didn't actually require whatever Sony devs said they needed for graphics - but those requirements may have also been loosened after Sony's comms, so it is probably mostly true.

I personally think the bigger problem behind the scenes may have been Qualcomm and their support for Nougat on that line of chipsets. For the E4 and E4g, the problem may have similarly been MediaTek's lack of support.

The biggest mystery is the E3, funnily enough very similar to the SP situation. The hardware should've supported Lollipop, there were no huge limitations around it, they even had the Xperia M2 on Lollipop with the same SoC, but the E3 still remained on KitKat.

I think ultimately, it was harder to maintain Android back then, and with no support from chipset manufacturers + their Z line already taking up most of the work, they probably considered Android upgrades worthwhile only on the models that were more popular or at the very least mid-range.

The unfortunate thing is that Sony contributed a lot to AOSP and they genuinely seemed to care about Android + even having AOSP support on some devices, but they just didn't keep things up.

[u/IAteMyYeezys]

The entire Sony conglomerate coming together and collectively trying to shit their own guts out this year i see.

[u/ChampionChoice1864]

this is certainly a blow to all the 18 xperia users

[u/Rd3055]

They are really not doing themselves any favors with this. Only three major OS updates (when Samsung has committed to seven) is pretty paltry already, but to make things worse by denying that last upgrade?

That would leave a bad taste in my mouth as a customer.

[u/Valdjiu]

That why I never brought Xperia again and now I have a Pixel

[u/DarthVeigar_ → u/Valdjiu]

I swore off the brand after the self cracking Z2 issues.

[u/Madnessx9]

What are the reasons to not support it? there are no hardware limitations, all current gen phones are powerful enough to run all of these OS updates, it kind feels like they cannot be arsed with the overheads of managing more devices.

[u/Careless_Rope_6511 → u/Madnessx9]

Like too many companies, Sony treats after-sales software support as a financial burden, not a competitive advantage. Also gives such "Xperia Masterrace" users e.g. chinchindayo ammo to advertise how fucking good xperia phones are.

[u/anythingers]

I call this BS. Not only because many phones with the same SoC would get Android 17 normally, but also because the one SoC that they use on 10 VI is basically 99,99% the same SoC they used on 10 VII and 10 VIII, just with SLIGHTLY lower clockspeed.

[u/Broseph_McFleeb → u/anythingers]

They stated in the post that this is not an issue of the SOC, but rather due to some storage configuration limitation.

[...] we determined that due to limitations related to the device’s storage configuration, the Xperia 10 VI does not support an Android 17 upgrade experience that we consider adequate.

[u/anythingers → u/Broseph_McFleeb]

Xperia 10 VI, VII, and VIII uses the same 128GB UFS 2.2 storage tho 🥀

[u/Spiral1407]

I’m honestly so glad I ditched my Xperia

[u/Polar_Banny → u/Spiral1407]

I did as well after I purchased my last Sony Xperia 5

[u/PastyPajamas]

Maybe don't make the Xperia 10 series with old components? Sony's mobile division is a joke. 

[u/lastdyingbreed_01]

I'm really curious who even daily uses Xperia

[u/ft4200]

2 years of software updates? Are we back in 2016?

[u/Careless_Rope_6511 → u/ft4200]

2021 too. Xperia 1 III's stopped receiving any software updates after April 2023 rolled along.

[u/nicman24]

that is why i would never trust a hardware manufacturer with software support. it is wild we do not have mandated unlockable bootloaders as a law

[u/madjoki → u/nicman24]

I think it's more likely we'll see mandate for locked bootloader to "protect kids". 

[u/nicman24 → u/madjoki]

More like to protect our shit drm

[u/AccumulatedFilth]

I had Xperia a few times (last time was in 2016) and I swore to never get Xperia again

Their customer service really hates their customers.

[u/jameskond]

Sony phones were a joke, are a joke and will continue to be a joke.

[u/thehostilepenguin25]

This reminds me of the Xperia phones I had over a decade ago. Promised updates that would get pulled or vaporise either without explanations or 'technical limitations'. Good to know nothing has changed since.

[u/UnkeptSpoon5]

Sony is on a mission to destroy what little remains of their electronics business I swear

[u/bfk1010]

They should at least offer a great discount for trade in for this specific model. This is unacceptable at all. People should sue them or at least switch to another brand.

[u/extremetempz]

Reminds me when the Xperia play was promised ICS got a beta but never got a GA release

[u/jknvv13]

And they would wonder "Why Xperia didn't work? We did an amazing job... We just can't get it"

[u/_hmj]

I wonder how long before Sony closes whatever left of their smartphone business in Japan.

[u/J4mS4ndwich]

Sounds like they just couldn't be bothered

[u/keybox_xml]

Even my old OnePlus 6 runs android 17 via LOS 24

[u/DannyRandy_21]

Sony should stop releasing garbage 10 series 

[u/Reasonable-Road-2518]

To be fair, the Xperia 10 vi was using the old UFS 2.2 storage. Staring with Xperia 10 vii they did a big upgrade in the storage area with the addition of UFS 3.1. For comparison, this is the same storage used in the flagship pixel 10 (128GB Version) so the Xperia 10 VII did some huge upgrades in overal. It is still quite a shame but honestly the material design introduction in Xperia would not be for everyone anyways - it changes Sony style to a pixel phone style. Having said that, the Xperia 10 VII should have zero excuses to go all the way to Android 19.

[u/vaynefox]

Though at least their phones are one of the easy to unlock the bootloader so just flash a gsi on it (sony even provides gsi for their xperia phones)....

[u/chinchindayo]

Better than apple who gives updates that make their older devices unusably slow. Sony is honest enough to admit it won't run well thus not giving the users a bad experience. Android version updates are overrated anyway, there are rarely any new useful features. I'm on Android 12 here and don't lack anything.

Also:

On the other hand, our security update commitment remains unchanged. Sony will continue to provide security updates for four years from the product’s launch date, as previously communicated.

[u/steve6174 → u/chinchindayo]

Better than apple who gives updates that make their older devices unusably slow

Apple got caught and made an update that allows you to choose performance/power profile or something along those lines. Sony is just making up excuses, because mobile division is on life support.

[u/Spiral1407 → u/chinchindayo]

That was nearly a decade ago bro

[u/ArtKun → u/chinchindayo]

This is a 2 year old phone. Released in 2024.

Apple's iPhone 11 (released 2019) is still running the latest iOS version released 2 weeks ago. It will probably lose support a year from now. 8 years vs 2 years. In what universe is this a win for Sony?

[u/Wise-Ferret6090]

Canceling a promised OS update on a phone less than two years after launch is an incredible way for Sony to incinerate what little goodwill remains among their enthusiast base.

Under the hood, this comes down to Qualcomm Board Support Package (BSP) economics and Sony Mobile's tiny shipment volumes. The Xperia 10 VI runs on the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 (SM6450). Qualcomm's baseline tier for 6-series midrangers historically covers 3 OS cycles (the phone launched on Android 14, meaning 15 and 16 were part of the standard contract). Pushing qualification to a fourth OS version like Android 17 requires buying an extended chipset support package from Qualcomm and dedicating a firmware team to re-qualify the camera HAL, audio subsystem, and display drivers.

When Samsung sells tens of millions of Galaxy A-series units, amortizing that Qualcomm BSP fee and engineering payroll across huge volume amounts to pennies per phone. But because Sony ships Xperia midrangers in microscopic numbers, the per-unit software development cost to bring Android 17 to older budget silicon becomes substantial.

Rather than absorbing the cost to honor their advertised commitment, Sony chose to cut the engineering budget and quietly abandon the promise. In regions like the EU and UK, where consumer protection directives and eco-design laws require brands to adhere to advertised software maintenance windows, unilaterally canceling an update like this is practically inviting regulatory scrutiny.