Ban on Galaxy Nexus U.S. Sales Upheld, Software Patch to Circumvent Forthcoming

galaxy nexus google appsLast week, Apple won a preliminary injunction banning U.S. sales of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, a high-profile Android phone that was the lead device for Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" and given away to attendees at last week's Google I/O conference to show off the forthcoming Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean". The ban followed a similar injunction barring sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 that was issued a few days earlier.

Samsung immediately appealed both of the injunctions in hopes of continuing sales of the devices as the cases over Android software features proceed through full trials. But the judge overseeing both cases rejected Samsung's appeal in the Galaxy Tab 10.1 case over the weekend and today similarly declined the company's appeal in the Galaxy Nexus case. AllThingsD has more on the developments:

U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh ruled that there was not sufficient evidence to put the ban on hold while Samsung pursues an appeal.

“Although some consumers may be disappointed that they cannot purchase the Galaxy Nexus, the Galaxy Nexus, as Samsung itself has repeatedly insisted, is not Samsung’s only smartphone product on the market,” Koh wrote in the ruling.

Just minutes after the decision, AllThingsD also reported that Google and Samsung have developed a software workaround they believe will satisfactorily address the infringement issue being claimed by Apple, which involves a unified search function related to Siri's abilities.

First and foremost, Samsung and Google have a software patch that they believe avoids infringing the Apple patent that led to the injunction. That patch is expected to be pushed out imminently, Google said.

Google and Samsung are also continuing to pursue the matter on other fronts, persisting in their battle against Apple in the case while also seeking to have Apple's patent ruled invalid through reexamination by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected [Updated]

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
maxresdefault

iOS 26 Code Leak Reveals Apple Smart Home Hub Details

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:02 pm PST by
Apple is working on a smart home hub that will rely heavily on the more capable version of Siri that's coming next year. We've heard quite a bit about the hub over the last two years, but a recent iOS 26 code leak provides additional insight into what we can expect and confirms rumored features. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Macworld claims to have access to an ...
studio display purple

Apple Studio Display 2 Code Hints at 120Hz ProMotion, HDR, A19 Chip

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:19 am PST by
Apple's next-generation Studio Display is expected to arrive early next year, and a new report allegedly provides a couple more details on the external monitor's capabilities. According to internal Apple code seen by Macworld, the new external display will feature a variable refresh rate capable of up to 120Hz – aka ProMotion – as well as support for HDR content. The current Studio...

Top Rated Comments

east85 Avatar
175 months ago
Apple spent millions to make this happen. Google answers with a patch. :D

I'm sorry but I find this comical. :apple:
Score: 57 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WindWaker Avatar
175 months ago
whether you're an android fan or an apple fan, you can't help but be a little sad about how patents are being handled nowadays...
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ChazUK Avatar
175 months ago
Android has had unified search in android long before it was in iOS.

And Apple have applied for patents long before Android and iOS existed.

They aren't newbies when it comes to operating systems.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pyrrhic Victory Avatar
175 months ago
These legal battles are becoming so epic that some game developer should make an MMORPG featuring the Android Alliance vs the Apple Empire...or something.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
unlinked Avatar
175 months ago
Glad Apple won. Glad Google can write their own code work-around to satisfy the courts. Sounds like a win-win. Apple's competitors need to see that they can't rip the boys from Cupertino off, but it also shows that with a little elbow grease, they can get the results they need to be competitive.

I think it is still a preliminary injunction. Google just want to put out a patch so they can continue to sell while the court case works itself out.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tylersdad Avatar
175 months ago
Am I reading this correctly? That this is all because of the search functionality? Does apple really think they'll lose sales because of that one feature?

I can't figure out how they were able to patent that. It's been part of most desktop operating systems for ages.

I hope the patent is nullified.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)