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Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat Update: What We Know So Far

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The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update continues to roll out at an almost neck-breaking pace. With updates and details flying around, we want to take a detailed look at everything we know thus far about Samsung’s Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update that began rolling out in January.

In January, Samsung quietly started rolling out the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update. By mid-February, the update landed for users inside the United States when Sprint unsurprisingly became the first American carrier to offer the brand new update for Samsung’s 5.7-inch phablet.

galaxy-note-3

Since then, we’ve seen Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat updates emerge rapid fire as Samsung and its carrier partners work to deliver Android 4.4 KitKat and its incremental features to users around the globe. Over the last two weeks, the Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat situation has evolved and we now have a clearer picture about not only its current status but about its future as well.

With Android 4.4 KitKat update details flying and updates still missing, we want to take a look at everything we know so far about the Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat roll out not only in the United States but in other parts of the world as well.

Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat Roll Out Moving Fast

We know that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update roll out has really picked up the pace in the past two weeks. Recently, the update landed for the T-Mobile Galaxy Note 3 and we also have seen it push out for users in the United Kingdom and in France on SFR. It’s a far cry from January and Samsung and its partners have done a fantastic job of getting this update out quickly and efficiently.

While the update is moving out fast, we know that the roll out is going to last until at least April. There are some carriers that have promised updates by mid-April and there is always a chance that at least one of those carriers could hit a snag in testing. There are also some carriers that have yet to announce any release details and that’s a sign that we could be several weeks away, at least, from the end of this roll out.

galaxy-note-3

Samsung Android updates typically take a few months to complete, Android 4.3 is a good example of this, so users need to stay patient. At the rate this roll out is going though, we wouldn’t be surprised if it was done in April, or, at the latest, in May.

New Release Dates Have Emerged

Over the past few days, we’ve seen new Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update release dates emerge. Some of them are for smaller carriers, some are for much larger carriers. All of them fall within the March-April range. Here are the latest dates that we have for the Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 roll out:

  • Rogers (Canada) – Late March
  • Optus (Australia) – Early/Mid April

Rogers is the first Canadian carrier to offer up a specific window for its Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 update and Optus is the first Australian carrier to issue a specific window for the Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 update. In the past, we’ve seen fellow Canadian and Australian carriers push out updates around the same time as they counterparts so we could see other updates land in March and in April as well.

Two Missing Updates in U.S. (AT&T, Verizon)

While we’re starting to see Galaxy Note 3 updates and release dates arrive at a rapid pace, two major Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat updates remain missing in action.

The AT&T Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 update is still MIA and it’s not clear when AT&T will be upgrading its phablet with Android 4.4. Here are a few things that we know.

Galaxy Note 3 vs iPad mini 2-2

We know that the AT&T Galaxy Note 3 is listed with Android 4.4 KitKat on Samsung’s website. It has been listed as having Android 4.4 for a couple of weeks now. We also have heard that Verizon’s Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat update is in internal testing. This likely means that the Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update is in testing as well.

We also know that American carriers like to release updates within a few weeks of their rivals. In other words, it would be strange to see these updates roll out any later than April. Something else to keep in mind. Carriers like Optus, which plans its update for April, are typically way behind the United States in terms of timing.

Zero Surprises

We know that every single Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update, thus far, has delivered similar features. In other words, we know that there probably won’t be any surprises on board these Galaxy Note 3 updates. Instead, users that are still waiting for Android 4.4 can expect these features to arrive on board:

  • An integrated location menu enables users to easily activate GPS, Wi-Fi and mobile networks, while simultaneously checking the battery usage of apps running location service capabilities.
  • Enables users to choose between Messages or Hangouts as their preferred default messaging application, and select from a larger assortment of updated Emoji icons.
  • Upgraded Google Mobile Service (GMS) apps: Users can automatically back up photos and video and can open, view, rename and share Google Docs and files.

Carriers have also been putting their unique spin on updates so there is a good chance that a carrier like Rogers or Optus could put some of their own enhancements and fixes on board.

Android 4.4 KitKat Update Problems & Fixes

We’ve been keeping an eye on current Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat updates, monitoring them for any remarkable issues. Thus far, we haven’t seen any major problems emerge save for one.

A few weeks ago, we detailed an issue with the microSD card that is affecting users after the Android 4.4 KitKat update. After installing Android 4.4, some applications will no longer be able create, modify, or remove files and folders on the external SD card. Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3 owners have been complaining about the issue for weeks. There are workarounds but they are extremely tedious. Some also require rooting the device.

It’s a major problem and it’s certainly a reason to consider skipping the Android 4.4 KitKat update.

Galaxy Note 3 vs iPad mini 2-5

We also expect the Android 4.4 KitKat update to heal at least one major issue in the United States. We continue to receive complaints about an issue with GPS. The issue has been lingering since last year and it’s one that need to be fixed.

We know that AT&T has promised a fix for the problem on a future update and given that it hasn’t yet rolled out Android 4.4 KitKat, there is a good chance that the fix will show up there. That’s not guarantee but it’s likely.

10 Comments

10 Comments

  1. willyydolo

    03/13/2014 at 7:42 pm

    Can’t stand the delay of the update from At&t as most of the contract costumers as me with several lines, pay big bucks for the service and also for the improvements they can get to the network and our own devices… but those are always promises and our devices get unpatched and forgotten. Please get in orbit!

  2. Boskesh

    03/13/2014 at 8:13 pm

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  3. Wow

    03/13/2014 at 8:40 pm

    No offense Adam but your “articles” are horrible. There is absolutely no news in them and they’re full of so much fluff and B.S. Please find yourself something better to do than create click bait articles that always show up on the front page of Google.

  4. agree with wow

    03/13/2014 at 9:03 pm

    Agree. I feel like this site is harassing me. Google needs to look into this because they always pop up first and multiple times, which is almost disturbing especially seeing as how most of the articles are Ole edited click bait bulls hit.

  5. joe

    03/13/2014 at 9:45 pm

    What’s horrible is I’ve read Adams article 3 days in a row and it’s the same thing with just barely a little difference in wording here and there. If they bring the gps fix with kitkat but then they screw us with the sd card issue. Why can’t they keep their customers happy and fix both problems so we can all update to kitkat and be happy. The problem is att don’t care and know well still be pluggin em with our money. Wanna be a bad ass company then keep us users happy. They already are bending us over with no Vaseline and courtesy reach around. Fix the gps issue and the sd card issue so we all can get the update. They don’t fix sd card problem I’m not updating.

  6. Ralph Thomas

    03/15/2014 at 6:04 am

    what’s new for samsung galaxy tablet 2 in updates, do we get a new KitKat also

  7. Ralph Thomas

    03/15/2014 at 6:07 am

    I forgot to add samsung galaxy tablet 7.7 anything new in updates

  8. ero

    03/19/2014 at 11:15 pm

    Adroid kitkat is not good at all not some but you’ll no longer be able to write/modify/copy/paste even delete anything in your external SD because of this KITKAT 4.4 update,,, so lame!!!!

  9. Flip Jumpman

    03/24/2014 at 9:33 pm

    Still waiting for at&t to update. The whole sd card issue is a major bummer. So if my sd-card memory is full, I can’t delete files?
    What sense does that make?

    Someone please correct me if I’m wrong?

  10. Steven Hatfield

    03/26/2014 at 10:18 am

    Huge problems with the GPS on my Note 3 on T-Mobile running the KitKat update. Avoid the update if you need GPS to work!

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