With Android 11 nearby, LG G7 ThinQ receives Android 9 update on its last big US carrier
Sprint recently became the first US carrier to deliver the latest major software update to both the LG G8 ThinQ and V50 ThinQ 5G, but as unbelievably insane (and embarrassing) as it sounds, that's not what LG G7 ThinQ owners are currently receiving from the "Now Network."
While it's hard to put into words how awful a job Sprint did preparing this rollout, things could have actually been even worse. After all, Android 11 is right around the corner. Also, LG is naturally planning to bring Android 10 goodies to the G7 ThinQ in the near future, and it'd have been really awkward if that update began before Sprint got a chance to deliver Android 9.0 Pie over-the-air to its (remaining) customers.
Instead, the nation's fourth-largest wireless service provider is barely rolling out a Pie-flavored collection of UI tweaks and system enhancements for the 2018-released high-ender. That's right, Sprint is updating its take on the LG G7 ThinQ to Android 9.0 when OS version 10 is reaching so many newer devices, including the aforementioned models from the same manufacturer.
Oh, wait, it appears the Android 10 rollout for the G7 ThinQ has in fact kicked off, and although we're talking about a Korea-only beta release for now, this certainly makes Sprint's turnaround seem even worse. In theory, you should expect the soon-to-be-T-Mobile-owned carrier to deliver an Android 10 update at some point too, but it's probably wise to not get your hopes up.
After all, the LG G7 ThinQ is not a bad phone by any standard, but it's also not good or durable enough to be worth owning however long it might take waiting for another major software update. For their part, the other big US mobile network operators got the Android Pie promotion done many moons ago, and even the unlocked variant joined the party way back in August 2019.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Sprint's Social Care employees have yet to confirm the update on the carrier's Community webpage, which could mean Android Pie is still not rolling out on a very wide scale. Weighing in at close to 1.5GB, the goodie pack should contain everything from Adaptive Battery and Adaptive Brightness functionality to a more intuitive gesture-based navigation, various small but noticeable performance improvements, and of course, new(er) security patches.
Things that are NOT allowed: