MAB, man that is terrible! I use a Droid by Samsung with Verizon. I had a similar issue. It wanted me to do an update to the latest software version, so I did. But there was a continuious message every time I turned on my phone to do some kind of security protection thing. When I called Verizon they said the only way to get rid of it was to reboot my phone with the older software version. Not only did I not get the older version, I also lost EVERYTHING I had. Luckily, the tech did have me back up my Verizon data to the cloud. BUT that did NOT include any of my app data. Like my voice recorder app, grocery list app. AND I actually lost all the apps I had downloaded to my phone. I'll NEVER update my phone again! My wife still gets the "Please update your software" message when she turns her phone on. She learned from my mistake. I'm starting to believe your conspiracy theory! LOL!
phil g.