Android 4.4 KitKat Update Ultimate Breakdown (2014)

Now that 2014 is here, Android 4.4 KitKat update rumors and Android 4.4 KitKat updates themselves are starting to emerge from the shadows. Owners of HTC, LG, Motorola, Samsung, and Sony smartphones are looking for updates about their KitKat updates and here, we detail everything that we know.

In November of last year, Google finally debuted Android 4.4 KitKat, the update that the company originally announced back in September. As expected, the update was incremental delivering some new features, user interface tweaks and improvements under the hood. In other words, the update built upon the foundation left behind by Google’s previous software, Android Jelly Bean.

Google almost immediately pushed out Android 4.4 KitKat updates for its Nexus 7, Nexus 4, and Nexus 10. However, those devices are among a chosen few that have seen the Android 4.4 KitKat update emerge.

Companies were extremely quick to confirm Android 4.4 updates for their smartphones but only a few of the updates that were announced have rolled out. Many others, including popular updates for devices like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 2, remain missing in action. This has left owners scrambling for information.

We know how important software updates are to Android owners. Not only do they bring brand new features along with them, they also supply owners with key bug fixes that shore up the overall experience. Samsung Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 owners in particular are hopeful for Android 4.4 KitKat given the amount of issues Android 4.3 Jelly Bean brought with it.

Gotta Be Mobile has been tracking these missing Android 4.4 KitKat updates, providing owners with as much information as we can find. Here, we detail everything that we currently know about the Android 4.4 KitKat updates for the biggest smartphones on the biggest manufacturers. Devices that aren’t listed here are unlikely to get Android 4.4 or haven’t seen any information emerge.

HTC

HTC One

HTC has already rolled out Android 4.4 KitKat updates to its Google and Developer Editions but the update for the regular old HTC One remains missing. French carrier SFR claimed that it had started rolling out the update earlier this week, only to rescind the claim once it started making the rounds. Instead, the update remains missing in action.

HTC USA and HTC UK promised the update by the end of January. HTC France says that it’s still planning to roll out the update by the end of January and HTC USA’s Jason Mackenzie claims that the “target” is still an HTC One Android 4.4 KitKat update, across all U.S. carriers, by the end of the month.

We’re only a few days away from the end of the month and the only detail we have is that the update is in the testing process. At this point, HTC One owners should expect HTC to deliver but don’t be surprised if an update or two miss the January window. Mackenzie himself left the door wide open with a comment earlier this week.

HTC One max

Last year, HTC confirmed that an HTC One max Android 4.4 KitKat update would arrive after the company’s HTC One Android 4.4 KitKat update rolled out. The HTC One update still hasn’t rolled out and unsurprisingly, the HTC One max update remains missing.

The only information that we have about the update is that it will be heading to the Sprint and Verizon versions of the device in the future, it’s just not clear when it will happen.

HTC One mini

Same goes for the HTC One mini. HTC confirmed the update and said that it too would arrive after the HTC One’s Android 4.4 update deployment. HTC has confirmed the update for the AT&T HTC One mini model though it declined to offer specifics about its release date.

Canadian carrier Rogers suggests that its HTC One mini Android 4.4 KitKat update will land in late February, no specific date given, which could mean that an international roll out will begin in late January or early February. This typically happens before North American carriers get a hold of new software.

AT&T and Rogers have, in the past, rolled out updates within close proximity of each other so it’s possible that the AT&T update will land in late February as well.

Droid DNA

Verizon’s version of the HTC Butterfly is confirmed to be getting Android 4.4 KitKat. Problem is, the Droid DNA Android 4.4 KitKat update likely isn’t coming any time soon.

HTC’s Mo Versi says that the update will be arriving in “late Q1” which likely means March. Q1 spans across January, February and March. This is likely a target and it also likely assumes that testing for the Droid DNA goes well. Verizon is notorious for laggy updates so it’s possible that the Droid DNA update will land outside of the Q1 window.

HTC Butterfly S

The HTC Butterfly S is newer than the Droid DNA and HTC Butterfly so it should get Android 4.4 KitKat. HTC hasn’t confirmed an update yet but details point at an incoming update.

Several weeks ago, we shared an exchange between HTC and an HTC Butterfly S user wherein HTC confirmed an update for the device. This matches up with what noted HTC developer LlabTooFeR has said. He claims that the Butterfly S Android 4.4 KitKat update is coming and that testing is underway.

He’s not sure, but thinks that there is a possibility that it could land in March or April, assuming testing goes according plan.

HTC Butterfly

If the Droid DNA is getting Android 4.4 KitKat, the regular HTC Butterfly should get the update as well. LlabTooFeR says that the update is likely on its way though there are no details about a release window.

Other Devices

The only other device that we can definitively say will be getting Android 4.4 KitKat is the HTC Desire 601. HTC has confirmed the update for several variants though it has declined to offer any release date details.

LG

LG G2

Over the past few weeks, there has been a ton of chatter regarding the missing LG G2 Android 4.4 KitKat update, an update that supposedly was coming to Korean variants of the device in December. Regional arms of LG have been spreading around information though only some of it has been accurate.

At the moment, the only thing that we know for sure is that the LG G2 Android 4.4 KitKat update is probably going to arrive by the end of the first quarter. That means that it will be here by the end of March. This is something that several regional arms have confirmed and it’s the most credible release window that LG G2 owners have at the moment.

LG Optimus G

A regional wing of LG confirmed an LG Optimus G Android 4.4 KitKat update roll out, only to apologize for the error hours later. At the moment, we still have no idea if an Optimus G Android 4.4 KitKat update is inbound.

Motorola

Motorola Atrix HD

An update for AT&T’s Motorola Atrix HD has been confirmed by Motorola but we haven’t seen any movement since the initial confirmation. This device is likely not a priority for Motorola and AT&T which means that it will likely at the back of the line in terms of timing.

Motorola Droid RAZR HD, RAZR MAXX HD, Droid M

The Droid Ultra, Droid MAXX and Droid Mini recently received their Android 4.4 KitKat updates and next in line should be the company’s aging Droid HD lineup along with the Droid M.

Rumors have not pinpointed any release dates and Motorola itself has remained quiet. Droid RAZR HD, Droid RAZR MAXX HD and Droid M owners should only get excited once we hear about soak tests. Until then, users will need to remain patient.

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S4

Samsung recently rolled out the Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update but the rest of the big name Android 4.4 updates remain missing. Samsung still hasn’t confirmed any other KitKat updates for arrival, meaning, users have to depend on rumors and leaks for information. Fortunately, those have been plentiful for the Galaxy S4.

A leak from iTechAddict suggested that the Galaxy S4 KitKat update would land in January, alongside the Galaxy Note 3 update. While that could still happen, French carrier SFR says that the Galaxy S4 update might land in late January, recent information suggests that it won’t.

SamMobile, which has leaked two versions of the Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 update, says that the update is currently slated for arrival in February or March. The site claims that the company just started testing one version of the update and that it’s not ready for public consumption.

At the moment, a release in February or March seems likely though specific dates remain unknown. Samsung tends to roll out its updates slowly and often, roll outs span out across several months. This means that not everyone will see the update in February or March, should it arrive.

Samsung Galaxy S3

The Samsung Galaxy S3 is sitting in a gray area thanks to Google’s insistence upon stopping Android updates after 18 months. Companies like HTC and Samsung adhere to the rule. With its second birthday in sight, the Galaxy S3 could certainly miss Android 4.4 KitKat, but that’s not what rumors suggest.

That same document from iTechAddict points to a release in the month of April. A more recent report from Android Geeks asserts that the update could potentially roll out in March, shortly after the Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat update.

Samsung itself still hasn’t confirmed anything and likely won’t. The company is notorious for staying silent, even as it faces the pitchforks of annoyed Galaxy owners.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2 is in the same boat. An update is rumored for March or April but Samsung hasn’t confirmed anything. Galaxy Note 2 owners can take solace in the fact that the Galaxy Note 2 is a little newer than the Galaxy S3 and sports beefier hardware.

Other Devices

A leak from SamMobile allegedly shows the devices that are under consideration for Android 4.4 KitKat updates. The list includes the Galaxy Ace 3, Galaxy S Advance, Galaxy Ace 2, Galaxy Core, Galaxy FAME and the Galaxy Fresh. It also shows the Galaxy S4 mini and Galaxy S3 mini near the top.

Sony

Back in early November, Sony confirmed Android 4.4 KitKat for a number of Xperia-branded devices. The list included the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia Z Ultra and Xperia Z1. It’s now late January and we haven’t seen any movement in regard to these releases. No rumored dates, nothing.

XperiaBlog released the official boot animation that will come with Xperia Android 4.4 KitKat updates but for now, that’s as close as Xperia users have gotten to an official Android 4.4 KitKat update.