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Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 Release MIA as Android 4.3 Push Continues

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The Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update continues to roll out though Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update details remain scarce, something that is certainly a cause for concern amongst Galaxy S3 owners as the device approaches its second birthday.

All the way back in October of last year, Samsung announced that it would be rolling out a trio of big time Android 4.3 Jelly Bean updates. The updates, for the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 would not only deliver Samsung Knox and Galaxy Gear support but they would deliver a number of enhancements and fixes. Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 owners in particular were treated to some of the Galaxy S4’s new camera features.

In late October, the Galaxy S4 Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update emerged from hiding. In November, both the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.3 Jelly Bean updates started rolling out. By December, the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean updates for the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 were finished rolling out in the United States. Other places haven’t been so lucky.

We’ve been monitoring the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update situation for months now. And while the Android 4.3 update has rolled out to most Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S3 users, there are still some updates missing in action.

Galaxy S3

Today, Australian carrier Telstra announced that it has started rolling out the last of its Android 4.3 Jelly Bean updates. The Galaxy S3 i9305T Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update should now be available to Galaxy S3 owners. The carrier’s other Android 4.3 update for the Galaxy S3 emerged earlier this month and has been rolling out since April 18th.

Telstra’s Android 4.3 roll out means that there is only one visible Galaxy S3 Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update that remains missing in action. Most carriers refrain from releasing software update information to their customers which makes them very difficult to track.

Australian carrier Optus still owes its Galaxy S3 GT-I9305 customers an Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update. The update is still slated to roll out in mid-to-late April but thus far, we haven’t seen the carrier offer the update or alter its ETA which means that owners are in limbo as we head deeper into April.

It’s still not clear where Samsung Galaxy S3 owners will go from here. While Android 4.3 Jelly Bean will surely land for all remaining Galaxy S3 variants, it’s not clear when, or in some cases, if the Galaxy S3 will receive its next major Android update.

Last week, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update started rolling out for the international version of the Galaxy Note 2. The update, which was confirmed for arrival a number of weeks ago, was rumored to be arriving alongside a Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update. Problem is, we haven’t seen many carriers confirm an update for arrival.

Besides Sprint, a carrier that confirmed the update several weeks ago, we haven’t seen carriers announce any plans for the Samsung Galaxy S3. Telstra left the device off of its latest Android update schedule and carriers like Vodafone Australia, SFR and Rogers, all of whom are extremely candid about Android updates, have yet to say a word.

Some believe that the Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update might never roll out. SamMobile’s Faryaab Sheikh says that there is a good chance that Samsung will decline to offer an Android 4.4 KitKat update. He cites Google’s recommended 18 months of software support and Samsung’s issues with Android 4.3 as possible reasons.

Android Geeks, however, believes that the Android 4.4 KitKat update will come to a number of devices, including models with 1GB of RAM. It believes that a number of Galaxy S3 variants, including those on AT&T and Verizon, will get the Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update at some point down the road. It suggests that the roll out could start in May but that remains unconfirmed.

Samsung USA and Samsung Poland both confirmed Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat updates several weeks ago but since then, both wings have remained silent.

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Samsung’s other Android 4.4 KitKat updates haven’t been so quiet. We’ve seen the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update start rolling out and at the end of last week, we finally saw the Verizon Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat update emerge from the shadows, weeks behind the rest of the pack.

Verizon still owes its Galaxy Note 3 users an Android 4.4 KitKat update but it’s still not clear when that update will start rolling out. Historically, carriers have pushed out Galaxy S and Galaxy Note Android 4.4 KitKat updates within close proximity so it could be that the Verizon Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update rolls out soon.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S4, unlike the Galaxy S3, have a bright future ahead of them. Both were released in 2013 and that means that they should both receive the next major update from Google, an update that is rumored to be Android 4.5.

7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. Marijan

    04/28/2014 at 1:53 pm

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  2. Kimberly Siebert

    04/30/2014 at 2:49 pm

    i just got my release updated on my phone – Verizon – Samsung GS3 April 30, 2014 2:30 pm SUCK IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Schmoozee

      05/10/2014 at 10:52 pm

      Lol what a 4.3 update.. Who cares when are we getting kit Kat? Come on verizon

  3. brian

    05/01/2014 at 4:01 am

    with virgin / optus. Just got 4.3 for galaxy s3 4g today

  4. NEV

    05/01/2014 at 5:17 pm

    Brisbane here – got 4.3 last night from Optus on my Galaxy S3.

  5. kb

    05/05/2014 at 10:24 am

    I think my Verizon Galaxy 3 is updating currently (optimizing app 164 of 201…). Or maybe it’s just a change to the 4.3 install…

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