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Galaxy S3, Note 2, Note 3, Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat Update Details

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As we push deeper into the year, we’re starting to hear, and see, more details about Samsung’s Android 4.4 KitKat update plans. Today, we want to take a close look at all of latest details regarding the Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S3, and Galaxy S4 Android 4.4.2 KitKat and Android 4.4.3 KitKat updates.

It’s a little hard to believe that Android 4.4 KitKat has been around since September of last year. In September, right around the iPhone launch, Google announced Android 4.4 KitKat. It left out the important details but the company’s confirmation pointed to an announcement later in the year.

In October, Google announced the Android 4.4 KitKat update alongside a brand new Nexus 5 smartphone. A couple of weeks later, the Android 4.4 KitKat update was released for the company’s Nexus devices, the Nexus 4, Nexus 10, and Nexus 7. The roll out also included an Android 4.4.2 KitKat update for the Nexus 5.

Since then, we’ve seen Android 4.4 KitKat dominate the landscape. Companies like LG, Motorola, Sony, HTC, and Samsung have pushed out Android 4.4 KitKat updates to their user base. Samsung in particular is now playing host to a massive Android 4.4 KitKat push that has enveloped many of its top devices.

In January, Samsung started pushing out the Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update. In February, Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat update started to push. And since then, we’ve seen a number of other big time updates roll out. There is, however, still a lot of work left to be done.

Samsung is currently in the midst of several Android 4.4 KitKat roll outs though the four biggest include the Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update, the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update and yes, the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat updates. They are both still rolling out.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen a number of new details emerge and here, we breakdown everything there is to know about these four KitKat updates.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3

The Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4.2 update is worth installing for most users.

The Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4.2 update is worth installing for most users.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update is still rolling out. Yes, it has finished up in places like the United States and Canada but there are still plenty of people waiting on Android 4.4 KitKat and its upgrades. Here’s what we know.

We know that the update recently hit SM-N900 users in Chile, in Saudi Arabia, in Taiwan, and in Morocco. We’ve also heard that it has hit the SM-7005 in Singapore and in Hong Kong. Those who own these models in these regions will want to check to see if an update is available because it probably is.

As for missing updates, it’s looking like the Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat release will stretch into the summer. Both Telstra and Optus, Australian carriers, say that the update could roll out in July. Optus is a little more generous and claims that its updates could land in June but given that it hasn’t received the update from Samsung, this is far from concrete.

Vodafone Australia says that it plans to push its Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat updates in June though a specific date still hasn’t been given to customers. These are just a few of the stragglers (most carriers do not communicate) and it would appear that the Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update will push on deep into the summer.

It’s still not clear if Samsung and its lagging carrier partners will push Android 4.4.2 KitKat or the new Android 4.4.3 KitKat update but users should assume that Android 4.4.2 KitKat will come first.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Video -  020

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2 is in a much different position. Its Android 4.4 KitKat update is far more fresh than the Galaxy Note 3’s and thus, it less traveled. The GT-N7100 update and GT-N7105 Android 4.4 KitKat updates are both rolling out extremely slowly though we have started to see new details pop up in recent weeks.

At the tail end of last month, Sprint became the first U.S. carrier to roll out the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4.2 KitKat update. The update delivered a number of changes including Android 4.4 features and even Samsung Knox 2.0 for added security. Sprint’s update joined a smattering of Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat updates and it’s clear that the big push has yet to come.

Most devices remain on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean though the future is looking bright. Vodafone Australia and French carrier SFR both say that they plan to roll the update out in June. Optus was forced to push its ETA back to late July which means that there is a very good chance we’ll see the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update push well into the summer.

Rogers in Canada continues to maintain that it will roll out a Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update “soon” but it still hasn’t offered any concrete release information. Vodafone Spain also confirmed the update for arrival.

In the U.S., carriers remain silent. However, we recently saw Samsung update its AT&T Galaxy Note 2 product page with KitKat listed as the current operating system. This doesn’t mean that a roll out is imminent but it’s the closest thing we have to a confirmation.

It’s still not clear if devices will get Android 4.4.2 KitKat or Android 4.4.3 KitKat though we suppose we’ll find out in the weeks ahead as the update moves on.

Samsung Galaxy S4

Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Galaxy S4 vs Galaxy S3 -  Screens

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat is still rolling out to users, four months after the roll out first began. And while it has landed for a number of big name variants, there are still plenty of people waiting for Android 4.4 KitKat and its features.

Samsung’s GT-i9500 Android 4.4 KitKat update recently landed for users in Chile, Mexico and Columbia. As for the GT-i9505, the LTE model, we haven’t seen any recent updates emerge.

In the U.S., the AT&T Galaxy S4 Active Android 4.4 KitKat finally started redeploying on June 6th, six weeks after Samsung and AT&T halted its roll out. Here is what it has on board.

  • Android 4.4 OS upgrade (https://www.android.com/versions/kit-kat-4-4/)
  • Copy and paste improvements
  • Easier to insert pictures and videos in email or messages
  • Camera app accessibility from the lock screen
  • Call reliability improvements

There are several other devices that should be in the mix for June and July. Vodafone Australia still seems committed to roll outs in June while fellow Aussie carrier Optus says that it has been forced to push its updates back from June to July. That’s better than Tesltra, a carrier that still hasn’t even announced Android 4.4.

We have also yet to see the update land for the C Spire or MetroPCS versions of the Galaxy S4. It’s not clear when those updates will be arriving though we’d be shocked if they failed to roll out in June given how long users have waited. Perhaps the Galaxy S4 Active roll out will spark some movement. Perhaps not.

Samsung Galaxy S3

Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Galaxy S4 vs Galaxy S3 - Features

The Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update has been rolling out since early May but we still have not seen Samsung make a strong push. There are a few scattered updates available but we simply have not see a widespread roll out emerge. June could be the month but that remains uncertain.

In the past few weeks, we’ve seen the Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update land for the Sprint, Boost and Virgin Mobile variants in the U.S. We also thought that the U.S. Cellular Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update was available, the carrier and Samsung announced it, but it looks like it may have announced it prematurely. U.S. Cellular’s website lists it with Android 4.3 and Samsung’s website doesn’t list it with Android 4.4.

The other U.S. bound Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat updates remain unconfirmed and out of sight for the moment. We do expect carriers like AT&T and Verizon to push out updates in the future though.

Elsewhere, we’ve seen Rogers in Canada confirm the update and we also just recently saw Vodafone Australia confirm the update. Vodafone is one of the first international carriers to confirm the arrival though it does not offer any kind of a time frame. Other international carriers have yet to detail their plans.

With Android 4.4.3 KitKat now floating around, Galaxy S3 owners are wondering if that’s what they’ll get instead of Android 4.4.2. And while that’s possible, it remains unconfirmed.

8 Comments

8 Comments

  1. Bobby

    06/07/2014 at 10:22 am

    AT&T is the worst when it comes to updates. I wouldn’t be surprised if the S3 got its update in December.

  2. Tony

    06/07/2014 at 12:18 pm

    No lie – I didn’t get the upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich for my S2 until about 6 months after news had begun to spread about the OTA update becoming available “just around the corner” – that’s a pretty big corner, don’t you think? At least the build of Jellybean I have on my S3 seems to be performing more efficiently this far into its existence than most of my previous phones + operating systems. The problem usually happens rather quickly that apps and such are being updated and tweaked to perform really well on the newest OS’s (which I feel is a partially incorrect assessment, since they must have slightly different releases dependent on the phone and firmware, etc.,) and thusly they begin to bog down all of the resources on phones of users like me who don’t upgrade immediately when each new device rolls out. My S3 has quite a few apps installed, some that have processes running ’round the clock, and I have yet to see an impact on speed or performance. Then again, I think I’m better than most users at keeping tabs on the internal goings-on, and adjusting as needed.

  3. John

    06/07/2014 at 8:43 pm

    Samsung can go f itself im done with their crap pure android runs well and is open source but samsung takes that and bloats all its software on top of not releasing sources for updates which wont happen. If they cant do it then let the devs do it. Otherwise go piss off

  4. Mark

    06/08/2014 at 10:59 am

    Sorry but at&t is not the worst. Verizon is always the last to send out the updates. So at&t is the second to worst. Just thought I would let you know there is a bright side. ;)

  5. appsmanster

    06/08/2014 at 11:38 am

    If you haven’t updated to KitKat on the Note 3 don’t. It flat out SUCKS. Would not have updated if Samsung had not forced me to do so.

  6. Jakob D

    06/09/2014 at 3:22 am

  7. Daniel Headrick

    06/11/2014 at 6:57 am

    KIT KAT SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS

  8. don miller

    06/24/2014 at 2:46 pm

    It doesn’t suck, it super sucks!
    Killed internet access on my Galaxy Note 2 and Verizon
    doesn’t have a fix.

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