Since Google launched the new operating system with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus late last year we have only seen a handful of devices receiving the upgrade. Now though it is being reported by the Android Police that owners of the HTC Sensation should start checking their device for updates as the over the air rollout of the software has begun.

Currently it is not known if the upgrade is being pushed out officially or if someone has pressed the start button by mistake, as HTC has so far been unusually quiet about the availability of the update. As usual you can keep informed about the new software via the XDA forums, where many users have reported getting the new operating system.

Meanwhile it is being reported by GSM Arena that owners of the HTC Sensation XE in Germany and the Nordic countries are also receiving the new Android operating system. This should mean the rest of Europe will also get the update shortly with the rest of the world following after. The size of the download is reported to be almost 300MB in size, so it is advised you do it via a Wi-Fi connection.

Have you received the ICS update yet on your HTC Sensation?

As the Android Community is reporting the new operating system will be available as an “early access preview” within the next 48 hours, and basically means that this is a limited public beta test ahead of the official over the air update coming out at the end of next month.

Rival company Motorola runs what it calls Soak Tests that provides access to the software to a select number of users. This means actual users get to try out and test the software and can report any bugs before it is released to the general public.

This new move by HTC will begin in Europe for a few hundred lucky users, and could quite possibly shortly follow for the US version of the Sensation.

The company has also revealed the same process will be used for other devices in the future, and that they will to continue to work on the overall performance of the operating system. Users will also get the chance to use Android 4.0 with HTC’s Sense overlay.

There is a chance that some of these updates may get worked on by developers so ICS builds may find themselves on the likes of the T-Mobile Sensation among others. HTC along with Samsung seem to be getting their acts together and keep their customers updated about Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

Earlier today we heard that Motorola had updated their roadmap for the ICS update, with many handsets seemingly left waiting for ages before it will arrive. Do you have the HTC Sensation or Sensation XE?