samsung gear vr and note 4

Samsung has reached out to let us know that Note 4 users on Verizon and Sprint can expect an update soon which will enable compatibility with Gear VR.

To the excitement of many, Samsung’s Gear VR mobile headset went on sale on Monday and some of those orders have already made it into customer’s hands. For a few unlucky folks, on US carriers Verizon and Sprint, that early arrival was met with a frustrating error message upon inserting their Galaxy Note 4 into the headset: ‘An update is required for your device to work with Gear VR’. And yet the phone would report that there was no update available.

See Also: Samsung Gear VR Now Officially Available in the US, Launches Internationally ‘Early 2015′

It isn’t clear who’s to blame for the delay—Samsung/Oculus, or the carriers themselves—but one way or another, the update hadn’t yet deployed to users with the Note 4 on Verizon or Sprint. Let’s all remember, they’re calling this the “Innovator Edition” for a reason.

Samsung tonight tells us that Verizon is pushing out the update in “phases” starting today, while Sprint’s update should be going out as we speak. Verizon’s Note 4 update notice notes the Gear VR compatibility update for version KTU84P.N910VVRU1ANJ5.

Got your update? Let us known in the comments!

See Also: Samsung Gear VR Detailed Review: Part One – Design Comparison to Oculus Rift DK2

Newsletter graphic

This article may contain affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product we may receive a small commission which helps support the publication. More information.


Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • Sean_McQ

    I’m based in the UK, but ordered via Samsung US (as I’m over there for Christmas and New Year – and am not patient enough to wait for the UK release!). As my carrier is O2 am I going to see this problem with the update? If so, is there any way around it?

    • Sean_McQ

      My current Build is KTU84P.N910VVRU1ANJ4 (as opposed to the version mentioned in the article – J5).