Sony Xperia Bad Software Handling & Updates

[kzagham]

A lot of articles online and user's own experiences show Sony are very bad at software management & updates. Samsung & other android devices have come a long way since early android days, but Sony hasn't quite caught up in the software department. Fingerprint scanners no longer working, to completely bugged out phones- Sony updates are not the most stable either. Which is not a good thing, as most users who are buying onto the new Xperia lineup will get fed up of poor software and most likely move to a more stable alternative like Samsung & Apple. It's so bad, Sony has a support doc on what to do for bugs after updates.

Here are a few articles & comments show how this is a big issue:

https://www.gsmarena.com/newscomm-53468.php

https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Sony-so-bad-with-Android-updates

https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/support/articles/SX517801

https://www.androidheadlines.com/2020/02/sony-xperia-xz3-xz2-bugs-android-10-update.html

https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/android-11-bug-problems-original-firmware-xperia-5-ii.4225029/

https://community.sony.co.uk/t5/1-series/xperia-1-phone-calls-problems-after-android-11/m-p/3775741

I just made this as a place to rant about all the issues with Xperia devices after bad updates, even the latest ones.  Hopefully Sony listens and improves their software experience. From front liners in the software space to now the worst known company for updates, they have fallen a long way, but there is still the chance to make a recovery.

Known software issues include:

• Camera App Crashes
• Camera App Delayed Launch (Half a Minute - Minute)
• Random Reboots
• Videos recorded not saving
• Photos taken not being saved (which can ruin big moments & frustrate people to not buy Sony in the future, as you can imagine).
• Widgets not loading
• Fingerprint scanners not working
• Wifi Calling not working
• Bluetooth not working or randomly disconnecting
• Phone no longer taking or recieving calls
• Microphone issues
• Drastic decreases in battery life
• UI Lag/ Unresponsiveness
• Always on Display shows wrong time
• Double Tap to Wake not working
• Game performance (Lower FPS Observed)
• Overheating Devices more often

However, to play devil's advocate. It's not all bad. Sony has gotten somewhat better at updates & longevity. The Xperia 1 I own, still is very fast in normal use cases which is great! There have been upgrades to the camera functionality which have improved photography & videography. A lot of new cool features have been added in. It's just about taking that to the next level by investing a bit more onto the software side, as Sony are already pretty amazing on the hardware end. 

[Lord_viridis]

Google search any manufacturer followed by "update bugs" and you'll find hundreds of pages of results.

Software updates are never bug free, by anyone.

Cherry picking a few links from as far back as 2015 doesn't prove poor development one way or the other, it's like saying "why are Samsung so bad at making batteries" and then going for links of note 7s blowing up.

Android development is not as clear cut as it seems, and each manufacturer has issues adapting a generic software to their individual hardware profiles and then each profile to the many, many network configurations each one needs 

Every one of them will have issues, every single one.

All that any manufacturer can do is aim to fix issues as soon as they become apparent.

I personally have had issues with 2 software updates on my phones, it was on xperia Z5 and Xperia XZ.

Z5 had camera issues, was fixed with a factory reset and software repair using Xperia companion.

Xz had massive battery drain, that I could not fix, and just found myself living with reduced screen on time.

2 issues, out of the following devices.

Xperia SP.

Xperia Z.

Xperia Z1.

Z2, Z3, Z5 premium, X, XZ, XA Ultra, XZ2 premium, xz3, 1, 1ii, 1iii, Pro-I.

All the Tablets too..

2 issues with updates.

There are a few issues when just released, but again, that's expected in all devices, no device, nor manufacturer is exempt from the laws of software engineering.

Luckily, your Xperia 1 is the norm, still going strong, and even with added features.

If any issues do occur, Sony provides help pages on what steps to take that will fix nearly all bugs (literally 99% of software issues are fixed with Xperia companion software repair)

[kzagham]

Hiya! Completely agree with the fact that bugs are unavoidable. It's just that Sony dones't exactly have the best interaction to show they are working to fix those and for prior gen devices, update bugs don't always get fixed. Such as the fingerprint scanner not working, delayed launch of the camera application on the Xperia 1 etc. Which I can't really blame them for, considering how much staff they had to cut down on and the move to become profitable, means they are focused more on newer devices and have much lower budgets to work with. 

The point of this thread isn't to say Sony intentionally add more bugs into software, it's to serve as a reminder, if anyone from management reads this, that they need to pay more attention to the software front. Even Google themselves are failing with software at the moment in the pixel, it's more so that sony need to invest more into this area and innovate more in the software space too. A few years back, Sony used to be a leader in adding/ experimenting with new software features, but now are more close to stock android which isn't a good long term strategy. 

Also, unfortunately, consumers don't always stay around to see those bugs fixed, nowadays customers see bugs, don't hear anything about a fix within a week, they move to another company. Samsung & Apple, as I mentioned before are examples of companies that nail the software experience and bugs are still there, but they have better measures in place to let consumers know they are working on fixing them. Samsung's One UI skin is now pretty popular and moving from that to stock android is pretty much a downright downgrade. Similarly, Apple's iOS skin is pretty well managed and offers more than stock android.

It's not Sony deliberately making poor software, it's just that they have been more focused on the hardware front and the software side is the one that needs a bit more focus now. The fact that there is no update log, on what changed after an update and users just have to guess what the changes are, when Samsung will make a dedicated video to show exactly what it was they changed and how you can make the most of it is a good example of this. 

But Sony is actually doing pretty amazing stuff, they are a crazy, fun and innovative company. Don't get me wrong, I'm actually looking to upgrade to the Xperia 1 IV, and hopefully they add more VR integrations like they did with the Xperia View but a more mature version of that tech and wearables like a new wena or smartwatch. It's always great to see what wacky and new tech Sony are bringing out, hopefully they land some grounding in the portable/ smart tech sector, the same way they have established their audio, ps5, camera & tv ranges. 

[kzagham]

Maybe the way it's worded is not the best, but there are a lot of reviews on the new android 12 Sony skin that point to some areas for improvement, e.g. in the "Google’s Android 12, not Sony’s" section on:

https://www.androidauthority.com/sony-xperia-1-iii-review-revisited-3098466/?utm_source=newsletter&u...

But it's not just android headline, as Samsung UI, Oxygen OS and the new Nothing mobile OS (it's going to be good as Carl Pei is behind it, just check the software when it launches, especially with experience from OnePlus, which picked up due to the OS), etc. are maturing, Sony is being left behind by only using stock android and that is something that even google is struggling to adopt, so Sony can't afford to just pick it and apply to new phone's without paying serious attention to detail and investing time & effort in improving on it. It would be fine even if they launched the actual features after launch, as long as they mentioned a rough timeline as to when we could see them during new phone launches. We'll see how they incorporate this in the Xperia 1 IV, as they have been paying attention to this, of course you can't make a phone without OS. But, hopefully they turn this into an area of growth and start applying their endless creativity back into this space! 

There are quite a few good software features already. including Side Sense, Dynamic Vibration System (it just needs more precise haptice- but an amazing idea & haptics are the future), battery health features, xperia assist etc. Just need more modern ideas to match & even exceed competitors. 

[Lord_viridis]

I myself am not a great fan of android 12 UI I must admit, when it arrives on pro-I I'll be able to give it a more thorough look at, I'm not excited much by it as a user.

What I can say though, is that I know from some limited experience that Sony does indeed treat software with the same urgency as hardware, different variations of firmwares have massive updates on device reliability as well as bug fixes. As you know, they even add more functionality where they can, and proudly add features from new devices to older generation products where available.

Yes the developer team has been put through the mill, but on the flip side of the various restructurings we now see dedicated camera apps developed by alpha Devs, display tech tuned by bravia Devs and audio Devs using Walkman experienced teams.

What's left I guess is a core team that meld all those components together and get it all working together, yeah some kinks occur, but I genuinely believe the bugs that do show, are either fixed as a matter of priority, or make sure self help guides are updated with self fixes.

The most recent case I can think of is android 12 Xperia home crashing, the fix for this was deployed within a week of being escalated i believe as well as being added to upcoming device deployments of android 12.