Connect with us

Android

Verizon Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat Update: What to Expect

Published

on

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update has been rolling out since January but the update remains missing for one Galaxy Note 3 variant in the United States. With the Verizon Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update still missing in action, we want to make some bold predictions about its features and about its release.

All the way back in January, Samsung surprised a lot of people when it quietly started rolling out the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update. The update surprised people for two reasons. One, Samsung did not confirm its arrival ahead of time and the update emerged out of the blue. And two, the Galaxy S typically receives updates ahead of the Galaxy Note. Not the case here though the Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat update has since caught up to the Galaxy Note 3’s.

Several weeks after its release, the update arrived in the United States. As expected, Sprint was the first to the Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update. Sprint has done a phenomenal job at keeping its customers informed about updates and pushing updates out in a timely fashion.

Soon after the Sprint Galaxy Note 3 KitKat roll out, U.S. Cellular pushed its update out. Next, it was the T-Mobile Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update. At the tail end of last month, AT&T finally pushed out its much needed Android 4.4 KitKat update. The update was necessary because of major GPS issues plaguing the device.

The arrival of the AT&T Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 update means that there is one Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update remaining in the U.S.

Unsurprisingly, the Verizon Galaxy Note 3 KitKat update remains MIA and out of reach. Verizon is notorious for being last among U.S. carriers to major Android updates. It’s something that has left not only Galaxy Note 3 owners frustrated but owners of many Verizon devices peeved over the years.

While we wait for Verizon to spill the beans, we want to, we want to make some predictions of our own and take a look at what we expect from Verizon’s missing Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update.

Release Within Weeks

Android update release dates are extremely unpredictable, even when carriers provide detailed updates about their progress. They’re even harder to predict when carriers refuse to divulge information. Verizon rarely announces anything early which means that predicting its releases is extremely hard. We have enough history with Android updates, particularly Verizon ones, to make some educated guesses though.

Historically, Verizon has been last to Android updates but it’s typically not months behind its rivals. In the past, its updates have landed weeks behind the rest of the pack. For example, the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 Jelly Bean updates both were released just a few weeks later than the other major releases. Very rarely are owners waiting for months.

Galaxy Note 3 vs iPad mini 2-5

In other words, we don’t expect Verizon to be months behind the last Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update which, of course, was the AT&T Galaxy Note 3 update that landed last week. We expect the update to be weeks away and wouldn’t be surprised if it rolled out in the month of April.

Weeks ago we heard that Verizon had the Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat update in internal testing and we have to believe that the carrier has also been testing the Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat upgrade.

We’re not guaranteeing a roll out this month but we think it’s extremely likely given how far along in the Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat roll out we are.

Release Within Days of Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat

We expect Verizon to push out the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat updates within a few days of each other. We saw Sprint and U.S. Cellular do the same with their Android 4.4 KitKat updates and we saw Verizon roll out its Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 updates right on top of each other. Once one rolls out, expect the other to be close behind.

No Early Details

Expect Verizon to remain tight lipped about the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update and its release. Verizon very rarely confirms updates ahead of their release date and from the looks of things, it’s not prepared to offer Galaxy Note 3 owners any kind of a bone when it comes to this major upgrade.

Historically, Verizon has announced roll outs on the day that the roll out begins so at the very most, we’d expect a quick blog post announcing the update’s arrival. There is a very good chance that Verizon will simply update the device’s software support page to reflect the change and let the media do the talking for it. We’ve seen that happen in the past as well.

Zero Leaks

We’d be shocked if an official Verizon Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update leaked ahead of its release date. Rarely do we see updates for U.S. variants leak and when they do, they typically leak well in advance. Case in point, the AT&T Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update that leaked back in January.

Familiar but Different Update

The Verizon Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 release is taking awhile but the delay doesn’t mean that Verizon is loading up the Galaxy Note 3 with Galaxy S5 software features. Samsung confirmed the Galaxy Note 3’s Android 4.4 KitKat features a long time ago and the features that it confirmed have landed with every single Galaxy Note 3 update worldwide. We highly doubt that Verizon’s update will be an anomaly.

galaxy-note-3

We do expect Verizon’s Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update to be a little different than the other updates that have landed in the United States. Carriers might not have put Galaxy S5 features on board but they have put their own spin on the Android 4.4 KitKat update. The AT&T update for instance came with a fix for those pesky GPS issues.

We can’t predict what will be on board but we wouldn’t be surprised to see unique enhancements and fixes that are aimed at improving the overall Galaxy Note 3 experience. There are plenty of people dealing with problems so we expect Verizon to include fixes on board.

At Least One Android 4.4 KitKat Problem

We do know of at least one Android 4.4 problem that will be coming with the Verizon Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update.

Samsung-Galaxy-Note-3-Review

As we’ve pointed out numerous times, 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 and unfortunately, it’s not a problem that is linked to an individual carrier. And that means that Verizon Galaxy Note 3 users will be afflicted after installing KitKat.

There are workarounds for the issue but they are either extremely tedious or require rooting the device. For many, this won’t be a problem. For many others, it will be an enduring headache. Verizon Galaxy S4 owners should expect to encounter this problem and heavy microSD card users will want to take a look at some of the workarounds in order to decide if installing Android 4.4 is worth it.

7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. Keith Wagenknight

    04/01/2014 at 7:59 pm

    I get that not getting the latest update ASAP can be a pain in the arse but that would not make me leave VZW with their crazy 4G speeds and service everywhere because of that and I like my updates! For the 1st time I might actually forego the update because of all the issues and restrictions to your device with kikat.

  2. roguedroid

    04/01/2014 at 8:41 pm

    What a waste of time recycled article.I aged 30 minutes skipping through it. Let me para phrase and save you some pain.

    Slow to update as usual, always last,Verizon may update in April.KitKat has SD Issues.

  3. Wow

    04/01/2014 at 8:50 pm

    How many times have you “updated” this page Adam? Please, do the world a favor, stop writing this junk. You have zero skills. your articles suck.

  4. Sean Desmond

    04/02/2014 at 5:32 am

    This is a horrible article.

  5. Al

    04/02/2014 at 8:42 am

    Maybe, just maybe the verizon update will fix the issue of moving files!

  6. Chris Adair

    04/03/2014 at 3:40 pm

    probably not.
    verizon has to bog the update down with as much damn bloat ware as possible. They don’t give a shit about fixes. Hell if I hold my phone in my left hand opposed to my right I get no signal at all in my house. This is no joke. Verizon says this is a samsung thing. Bullshit! I say, it’s a verizon thing. Also my gps sucks on my note 3. I havent read anything about fixes for this like the at&t version.
    verizon screws over it’s customers because they can and believe me the testing is not for your benefit it is for theres . To lock these devices down as much as possible and screw you out of warranty repairs/replacements if you try to get around them.

    • JP

      04/09/2014 at 4:41 am

      @chris adair…If you knew anything about samsung devices and Verizon wireless then you would know that all samsung 4G devices are unlocked and that Verizon wireless is restricted from locking them down…besides there is no way for Verizon to screw you out of your warranty unless you screwed yourself by installing a custom rom or by rooting your device. Also verizon is only following explicit instructions from the manufacturer since verizon doesn’t make any devices but rather sells devices provided by manufacturers…such a noob, such a whiner, such an idiot…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.