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Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat Update Breakdown (Round 2)

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The Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update has been rolling out since mid-February but the release is still far from complete. With many users still waiting for the Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update to arrive, we want to take a close look at the latest details and offer up a look at what we expect in the future.

Several months ago, Samsung announced that it would be delivering Android 4.4 KitKat updates to a number of different devices including the Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note 2, and the aging Samsung Galaxy S3. In particular, the Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update was impressive considering many Android devices get left behind after 18 months of less.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 has had an interesting journey to Android 4.4 KitKat. It arrived with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich more than two years ago and in the months after its release, it was upgraded to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The Samsung Galaxy S3 skipped Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and went right up to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, an upgrade that emerged at the tail end of last year.

Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Galaxy S4 vs Galaxy S3 -  Display

Android 4.3 Jelly Bean dominated the Galaxy S3 update landscape until early May when the first Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update rolled out to owners of the Sprint Galaxy S3 in the United States. Since then, we’ve seen the Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 update cancelled for some users and the Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update land for others.

Like most Samsung Android updates, the Galaxy S3′ upgrade to Android 4.4 KitKat has been slow. So slow, in fact, that a majority of Galaxy S3 users are still on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean waiting for Android 4.4 KitKat to arrive.

With Android 4.4.3 and now Android 4.4.4 KitKat now available for a number of devices, Galaxy S3 users are looking for answers. In an effort to provide as much clarity as we can to Galaxy S3 owners in the United States and around the world, we want to detail everything we know about the Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update and breakdown the important details that all Galaxy S3 owners need to know about right now in late June.

Galaxy S3 Android 4.4.2 KitKat Roll Out Continues

The Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.4.2 KitKat update has been pushing out since early May but it’s still unavailable for a number of Galaxy S3 owners around the world. The Galaxy S3 GT-I9305 Android 4.4.2 KitKat update remains unavailable but we have seen the Galaxy S3 LTE Android 4.4.2 KitKat update push out to a number of devices in June.

Recently, the Galaxy S3 Android 4.4.2 KitKat update landed for the Verizon Galaxy S3, a bit of a surprise given that Verizon is typically one of the last to push out major Android updates. We also saw the update recently push out for the AT&T Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy S3 LTE in Canada with carriers like Rogers and TELUS leading the charge.

Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Galaxy S3 vs Galaxy S4 - Cameras

What’s important to note is that the Verizon Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update was massive, absolutely chock full of features. We expect future Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat updates to come with their own enhancements and fixes, especially if this does turn out to be the Galaxy S3’s last major Android update from Samsung and Google.

And while Samsung appears to have been focused in on the Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update for North America though we know that the update is likely going to be landing for some other regions in the future, it’s just not clear when.

Missing Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat Updates

The T-Mobile Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update remains missing in action and so do updates for carriers like C Spire, MetroPCS and Cricket. Given that we’ve seen the update land for major carriers and other pre-paid and smaller carriers, we’re expecting the Android 4.4 KitKat update to push for the remaining U.S. carriers.

As we’ve noted several times, do not expect these carriers to announce details ahead of time. Typically, American carriers remain mum ahead of the release. Sprint is the lone exception.

Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Galaxy S4 vs Galaxy S3 -  Screens

Confirmations for other parts of the world remain scarce. Vodafone Australia is, from where we are standing, the only international carrier that has confirmed a Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update for arrival. The usual suspects like Optus, Telstra, SFR remain silent about potential upgrades for the Galaxy S3. In fact, these carriers have offered schedules that stretch into July and the Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update is still nowhere to be found.

This doesn’t mean that an update isn’t coming but what it does mean is that Galaxy S3 users outside of the United States could be in for an extremely long wait for Samsung’s Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 upgrade. June releases, at this point, seem like they’re out of the question.

Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Galaxy S4 vs Galaxy S3 - Comparison

Instead, we expect the Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update roll out to extend into July and perhaps into August and September as Samsung and its partners work to outfit the aging device with a new piece of software.

Android 4.4.3 KitKat, Android 4.4.4 KitKat, Android L

The Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.4.2 KitKat update is lagging and that has caused plenty of people to wonder about the prospects of an Android 4.4.3 KitKat update or Android 4.4.4 KitKat update.

We haven’t seen, or heard, anything that points to Samsung or its carrier partners skipping Android 4.4.2 for Android 4.4.3 KitKat or Android 4.4.4. Given that these are not major Android updates, there is certainly a chance that the Galaxy S3 could acquire one or the other down the road, especially since they contain vital bug fixes, but that remains unconfirmed and hard to predict.

l-dev-prev

What’s easy to predict is the demise of the Galaxy S3. We already saw Samsung kill off one Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update due to performance issues and we get the feeling that it’s not going to offer Galaxy S3 LTE two major updates. It would frustrate too many people. Instead, we expect Samsung to keep the Galaxy S3 on Android 4.4 KitKat.

Today, Google announced Android L, its brand new Android update that features UI changes and an assortment of other features. It’s an exciting update and it’s one that Samsung is working on with Google. However, there is a very good chance that Samsung will pass on it for the Galaxy S3 given its age so Galaxy S3 owners will want to temper those expectations.

8 Comments

8 Comments

  1. shaheena

    06/25/2014 at 9:36 pm

    Great list about stop struggling.Thank you for posting such a useful website. Your weblog happens to be not just informative but also very stimulating too.

  2. liane

    06/26/2014 at 1:12 am

    Pissed me o#.. can’t see any improvement but now I can’t tell when my phone is charging & it took my 3rd numerical page away (auto faces, hearts, etc.)

  3. Mali

    06/26/2014 at 3:05 am

    Can you list all the new things 4.4 has. My Galaxy 3 upgraded but I don’t see much of a change.

    • Sally

      06/26/2014 at 4:36 pm

      I took the update from Verizon on my Galaxy 3 and am now wondering what changes have occurred?

  4. Reggie Currie

    06/26/2014 at 6:35 am

    By the time the kit Kat 4.4.2 gets to my GS3, the Galalaxy Note 4 will be out. And I’ve held off upgrading til now because I knew it would take forever to get KitKat.

  5. Kilty Spoke

    07/03/2014 at 6:41 am

    C-Spire is pushing the update now. I can’t see a difference except that my battery indicator is now white instead of green :-) Can you enlighten us as to what was changed?

  6. Lizbuz

    07/09/2014 at 4:07 pm

    Well Galaxy S3 LTE might not get KitKat. Australina Carrie versions for sure. See this https://www.justaboutphones.com/galaxy-s3-lte-gt-i9305-might-miss-android-4-4-2-kitkat-update/

  7. Joshua

    01/19/2015 at 7:54 am

    I still haven’t received 4.4 kit Kat. I still have 4.3 jelly bean

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