update over mobile network

[mrojek]

Hi Sony! It's time to give us option to update our phones over mobile network. I don't even have WiFi at home, have to download updates on my laptop, still using the mobile data, just with extra, unnecessary steps. By this point everyone understands the difference between WiFi and mobile data, you don't have to strongarm us into the way you think is better. Don't be Apple.

[Piscie]

@mrojek, it needs to be updated via WiFi due to the software size 😞

[mrojek]

There is no file size limit on downloads over mobile network mate, so no it doesn't have to be like that, Sony choose to make it this way.

[Strampke]

There is a simple workaround.

Use another device to set up a hotspot.

Connect your Xperia to that hotspot and it will update.

[mrojek]

I know there are workarounds. I just think that it's annoying and unnecessary. Wouldn't take too much effort to add a button download over mobile network. The decisions to only use wi-fi was made in times when data rates were expensive and speeds slow. Nowadays if u have £1000 smartphone, chances are u have unlimited 5G. Like my download speed sometimes exceedes 30 megaBYTES per second.

[Strampke]

It's a policy that is adopted by all brands in the Android hemisphere.

Maybe it's a requisite from Google.

My wild guesses:

I think it's to protect mainstream users from downloading lots of data at high costs.

I even can imagine that it done to prevent a software update from failing and leave the users with a broken device caused by a bad connection. 

[mrojek]

I would agree with high data cost argument 10 years ago. People were new to the whole smartphone thing, Sony Ericsson had at a time wide range of phones, aimed at different segments of the market, and mobile data was slow and expensive. I think it's time for a change, because only people who nowadays even know that Sony makes phones are enthusiasts, with some degree of technical knowledge, and phones they make are exclusively premium devices. Not to mention that the population as a whole understands billing and limits for mobile data, since it has been an everyday concern for the last decade or so. As for the file integrity argument - sorry but that's nonsense, your device will run a checksum of all the files before an update is commenced, no matter which network interface was used.

[EMS_MO72]

Not everyone is aware of that actually even if they have high end devices, so i think their logic is to set it to the safest option so no one will be affected by that, plus I think Wi-Fi connection is more widespread among people.