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Galaxy Note 3, Note 2 & Galaxy S4 KitKat Release Dates Shift

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Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and Samsung Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat release dates have been pushed back at one carrier and are now pegged for late May or early June. And sadly, the carrier’s new schedule does not include the elusive Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update.

Since January, Samsung has been pushing out Android 4.4 KitKat updates to its customers. The company’s push started with the Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update, an update that kicked off in January. Next, the company started rolling out its Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat upgrade to its customers.

As we’ve inched deeper into the year, the company has starting rolling out several more Android 4.4 KitKat upgrades including updates for the Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S3, two former flagships that might be standing on their last legs. Those who haven’t received these updates yet are eager to get information about their roll outs. And while some carriers refuse to disclose information, others like to keep their customers informed.

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Vodafone Australia is one of the carriers that likes to keep its customers informed. That’s great for its users and its great for other Android users because it helps to put Samsung’s Android roll outs into perspective. Samsung does not issue time frames for its roll outs leaving that information to individual carriers.

In April, Vodafone said that it would be pushing out its Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat updates in late April or May. We noted over the weekend that there was a good chance that its ETAs would be pushed back one, because it hadn’t received the updates from Samsung and two, because we had seen another carrier shift its ETAs into June.

Sure enough, the carrier’s new Android update schedule is out and it offers some new insight into several of its upcoming Galaxy Android 4.4 KitKat updates.

The carrier suggests that there is still a chance that its Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat updates could roll out in May but if that happens, it won’t be until late May. The carrier still hasn’t received these updates from Samsung and typically, they need a few weeks or internal testing before they’re ready for public consumption.

It now says that there is also a chance that they could push out in early June. In other words, we could potentially see the Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update arrive just about six months after the update first started rolling out.

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Vodafone remains one of the few carriers that has confirmed the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update for arrival, joining the likes of Optus, SFR and Sprint in the United States. Most carriers remain silent though the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update is expected to land for carriers all over the planet.

A recent leak from SamMobile suggests that the Galaxy Note 2 LTE Android 4.4 KitKat update will be rolling out starting in May though no specific release date was offered to owners of the GT-N7105 variant of the Galaxy Note 2.

Missing from the carrier’s updated schedule is the Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update. While the Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update landed for Sprint in the United States last week, we haven’t seen it roll out for anyone else. Leaks point to an arrival for the LTE model sometime this month but it appears that the LTE model might be the only version of the Galaxy S3 that gets the software.

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A credible leak suggests that the GT-i9300 Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update was cancelled for performance reasons. Earlier this year, Samsung Poland announced that it would not offer the Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 update to the 1GB model. The GT-i9300 utilizes 1GB of RAM while the LTE version of the Galaxy S3 uses 2GB.

This could explain why carriers like Vodafone, Optus and SFR have all left the Galaxy S3 off of their Android update schedules, schedules that push into June. These carriers also stock the 4G LTE model though none of them are willing to talk about a potential release. At the very least, Galaxy S3 users on carriers outside of the United States should expect a lengthy wait given that none of these carriers have offered information.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat roll outs are getting older but there are still a number of devices that have not received Android 4.4 KitKat. In the United States, the Verizon Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update remains missing. So do Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat updates for MetroPCS and C Spire Wireless.

Unlike Vodafone, those carriers remain silent about their plans for Android 4.4 KitKat and they will likely remain silent all the way up until the actual release day. Sprint is typically the only carrier that communicates update plans with its customers.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Branden James Kahler

    05/08/2014 at 12:00 pm

    Anybody notice that the Verizon Galaxy Note 3 Support page now says Software Update? It hasnt said that since December when they pushed the MJE update?

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