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Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 Update Breakdown Pt. 7

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New Android 4.4 KitKat update details and roll outs continue to emerge for owners of Samsung’s Galaxy devices. With that in mind, we offer the seventh installment of our Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S3, and Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat update breakdown series and take a look at how the four major KitKat releases are progressing.

Since January, Samsung has been pushing out its Android 4.4 KitKat update. Unfortunately, the company’s roll out is currently limited to only two devices, the Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy Note 3, but thanks to carriers and Samsung itself, we know that the Android 4.4 KitKat update will be landing for more devices in the future.

Samsung USA announced a slew of Android 4.4 KitKat updates for the future including updates for the Galaxy S4 Active, Galaxy Mega, Galaxy S4 mini, Galaxy Tab 3, Galaxy S3 mini, Galaxy S4 zoom, Galaxy Light, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy Note 10.1, and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition. All of those devices will, at some point, get Android 4.4 KitKat.

Android 4.4 KitKat update details for those devices remain virtually non-existent. We’ve heard that Samsung has started testing Android 4.4 KitKat for the Galaxy Note 10.1 but other than that, the details have all focused on four devices in particular.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3, and Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat updates have been put into focus by Samsung and by its carrier partners. With Android 4.4 KitKat updates rolling out at a rapid pace and details for future updates emerging at a similar rate, it can be hard to wrap ones head around what’s important.

We want to help make things easier and here, all in one place, we take a look at everything there is to know about the Samsung Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2, and Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat updates and their releases.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3

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The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update has been rolling out since January and since then, its roll out has made considerable progress. We’ve seen it hit four out of its five carriers in the United States and we’ve also seen the update land for a number of other regions around the world.

Most recently, the Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update landed for carriers in Canada including Rogers and TELUS. It also recently landed for AT&T, a Galaxy Note 3 that desperately needed an Android 4.4 KitKat update.

Since late last year, AT&T owners have been dealing with GPS issues. AT&T’s Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update fixes the issue which makes it an update that many users will want to consider.

We’ve heard about Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat updates hitting the Philippines and SamMobile’s Firmware tracker confirms that the update was recently pushed out to Globe and Open Line in that country.

While the roll out has slowed down considerably over the past two weeks, there are still some major updates that have yet to roll out. Recently, we saw Optus and Vodafone Australia confirm their plans to roll out an Android 4.4 KitKat update for their versions of the Galaxy Note 3. Optus still clings to a roll out in April while Vodafone says that it has scheduled testing. That likely means that it won’t roll out for a number of weeks, at least.

Another Australian carrier, Telstra, says that it has yet to receive the update from Samsung and that means that the update is probably pretty far off in the distance. The carrier has yet to confirm any specific dates.

Verizon Galaxy Note 3

One of the most notable Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat updates that remains missing in action is the Verizon Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 update. We still haven’t seen any signs and we aren’t expecting to. Verizon typically does not announce releases ahead of time so we’re expecting an announcement on the day of the roll out, if at all.

We’ve heard that the Verizon Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat update is in internal testing and that could mean that the Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update is in testing as well. Verizon is typically just a few weeks behind the rest of the pack so we would be surprised if the update didn’t roll out in April.

Samsung Galaxy S4

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The Samsung Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat update has been rolling out at a furious pace since February. Like the Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update, it has been delivering minor upgrades to users including emoji support and white status bar icons. It also brings an easier way to switch between Hangouts and the default messaging application.

Recently, the Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat update landed for users in Europe including Italy where Wind rolled out its version of the Android 4.4 KitKat update. Other than a few scattered updates in Europe, the Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat push seems to have come to a bit of a halt and several carriers still owe their customers updates.

French carrier SFR still hasn’t rolled out its Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat update even though it looked promising for March. ThreeUK continues to tell customers that an update is on the way but it has yet to commit to a specific date. And Vodafone Australia recently confirmed two Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat updates. The carrier says that testing for the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S4 Cat 4 Android 4.4 KitKat updates are both scheduled. A release date isn’t known.

Of course, Vodafone has yet to roll out an Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update for its Galaxy S4 Cat 4 so it could be several weeks at least before we see KitKat emerge. Optus, another Australian carrier, recently delayed its Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat update. Initially, it said that a release would come in April but that has been downgraded. Now, it says that it has no firm ETA on the update’s arrival.

Verizon Galaxy S4 & Others

We still haven’t seen the Verizon Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat update emerge from the shadows though we have heard that the update is currently in testing ahead of its release. That information arrived at our doorstep weeks ago so. We’ve seen a number of leaks emerge since then, but none of them have been credible enough to count on. Again, it would be strange to see Verizon miss the month of April given that its competitors already have the software out.

MetroPCS, Cricket Wireless, and C Spire owe their customers Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat updates as well though none of them have coughed up any official details. Typically, we see them push out their updates around the same time the last major U.S. carriers pushes out its update. So, expect to see a cluster of updates emerge in an around the Verizon Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat update release.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2

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Weeks ago, Samsung USA and Samsung Poland confirmed the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update. Since then, we’ve seen details emerge, pointing to Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat updates in the weeks ahead.

SamMobile’s Faryaab Sheikh recently confirmed that Samsung is cooking up an Android 4.4 KitKat update for the GT-N7100, the international version of the Galaxy Note 2. We’ve also seen carriers start to confirm the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update as well.

Optus still says that it plans to release the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update in April. Vodafone Australia also confirmed that it has testing scheduled. Again, this points to a release that is probably weeks away at best.

The point is this. Things seem to be progressing and we could very well see a Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update emerge in April. Rumors have pointed to a release in April or May and at this point, given that we’ve seen carriers confirm upgrades, an April is looking like it is the most likely scenario.

Samsung Galaxy S3

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The Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update situation isn’t as clear. While the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update looks like it will hit users around the world, the Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update might roll out in limited fashion.

Samsung Poland has said that it only plans to roll out the Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update to the LTE version of the Galaxy S3. That’s the model that utilizes 2GB of RAM and the same device that will get Android 4.4 KitKat in the U.S. Samsung USA confirmed the update several weeks ago. Sprint did as well.

Nothing is set in stone but things aren’t looking good. While carriers have confirmed Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat updates, they haven’t confirmed Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat updates. That means that updates are, at the very least, pretty far out. Sheikh also says that Samsung has yet to start testing the GT-i9300 Android 4.4 KitKat update. That’s not a good sign at all.

The Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update release is also rumored for April or May but at this point, we’re still not exactly sure about the particulars other than the fact that the 2GB LTE model should get Android 4.4.

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. jeremycook

    03/31/2014 at 9:49 pm

    Galaxy S4 update to 4.4.2 came through today for C Spire!

  2. mgx122

    04/01/2014 at 4:52 am

    Android 4.4 for GT-I9300 & GT-N7100 is already confirmed to be in final testing according to the latest leak from today || https://www.justaboutphones.com/samsung-galaxy-s3-note-2-back-track-android-4-4-2-update/

  3. blake

    04/01/2014 at 7:28 am

    4.4 came to my note 2 this morning and my phone died. How can I restart it? Update phone doesn’t work.

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