Connect with us

Android

Android 4.4.4 KitKat Update Release Date & Rumor Roundup

Published

on

A little more than a month ago, Google rolled out an Android 4.4.4 KitKat update to replace the Android 4.4.3 KitKat update that it had rolled out only a few weeks before. With a month under its belt, the Android 4.4.4 KitKat update has made considerable progress but there is still work to be done as companies work to deliver Google’s latest Android 4.4 KitKat features.

June was an extremely busy month for the Mountain View based company. In early June, after weeks and weeks of rumor, Google finally pushed out the Android 4.4.3 KitKat update. The update, a massive bug fixer for Android 4.4.2 KitKat problems, rolled out the same day Apple announced its brand new iOS 8 update for iPhone and iPad.

In the hours and days after its initial roll out, Google delivered the update to a number of Nexus devices including the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10 and for several Google Play Edition devices. Motorola also pushed out Android 4.4.3 KitKat for several devices including the Moto X and Moto G, two of its popular smartphones.

Then, just a few weeks later, the company issued Android 4.4.4 KitKat, a new Android 4.4 KitKat update and one that delivered a patch for an OpenSSL vulnerability that Android 4.4.3 KitKat did not address. For Nexus users, Android 4.4.4 KitKat represented a minor update. For others, Android 4.4.4 KitKat has delivered both the patch and the bug fixes and changes that Android 4.4.3 KitKat brought with it.

Now that we’re a month into the roll out, we’ve seen tons of Android 4.4.3 KitKat and Android 4.4.4 KitKat updates roll out and tons of details emerge. In the past few days alone we’ve seen a ton of information surface, both good and bad.

Here, we roundup all of those details in an attempt to paint a clear Android 4.4.4 KitKat picture for smartphone and tablet owners on HTC, LG, Motorola, Samsung, and Sony. It’s another update update.

HTC Android 4.4.4 KitKat Update Update

HTC One-Best-Cheap-Phone-June 2014

HTC won’t be rolling out Android 4.4.4 KitKat updates to its smartphones. Instead, the company is going to be rolling out Android 4.4.3 KitKat with the Android 4.4.4 KitKat patch baked in.

The company’s Android 4.4.3 KitKat update push has already begun with the Sprint HTC One M8 the first to receive the Android 4.4.3 KitKat upgrade. It’s not clear when the company will roll out updates for its other HTC One M8 models on AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. The company is likely working through the certification with these three carriers, a process that is unpredictable and can often lead to unforeseen delays.

What we do know is that the HTC One M8 Developer Edition Android 4.4.3 KitKat update should land this week, this according to HTC’s Mo Versi. The company is evidently targeting the end of this week for a release. It appears that a roll out for the international version of the HTC One M8 could come around the same time though that remains unconfirmed.

The HTC One M7 will also get Android 4.4.3 KitKat and it appears that the update is already rolling out to the HTC One M7 Developer Edition. The update has not, however, landed for variants inside the United States and there is currently no target date for the roll out.

Rumors have suggested that the HTC One M8 and HTC One M7 will both get fully upgraded before the month of August is over. Carrier release dates, of course, depend on testing and approval.

Android 4.4.3 KitKat updates for other devices have yet to emerge and it’s not clear if the company will push beyond its two flagship smartphones. HTC says that after Android 4.4.3 KitKat it will move onto Android L so it’s possible that devices like the HTC One Max and HTC One mini will get updated directly to Android L from Android 4.4.2 KitKat.

LG

LG-G3-review-i61

Still no word from LG about Android 4.4.3 KitKat or Android 4.4.4 KitKat. This is not unusual. The company typically remains mum about software updates for users in the United States, up until the actual roll outs. Same goes for those living outside the U.S. So while it’s possible that the LG G3 and LG G2 will get Android 4.4.3 or Android 4.4.4, users may not find out until the day the roll out begins.

One thing to note is that we still haven’t seen any of the usual suspects release future plans for LG Android 4.4.3 KitKat or Android 4.4.4 KitKat updates, something that tends to happen well ahead of a release. French carrier SFR and Australian carrier Optus, two carriers that love to announce Android update plans early, have yet to confirm any upgrades a sign that LG G2 and LG G3 owners could be in for a long wait.

It also could be that LG skips these updates for Android L later this year. That remains unconfirmed but in our minds, it’s a distinct possibility given how close we’re getting to the fall.

Motorola

Moto-X-Best-Cheap-Smartphones June 2014

Motorola has been extremely busy as of late and in recent days, it has pushed out Android 4.4.4 KitKat updates to the Moto G in the United States and in the United Kingdom to go along with Android 4.4.4 KitKat pushes for the Droid Ultra, Droid mini, Droid MAXX, Moto X, Moto E, and Moto G.

It’s still not clear when Android 4.4.4 KitKat will touch down for the remaining Moto X variants in the United States. The T-Mobile variant sits on Android 4.4.3 KitKat while the others are still listed as getting their updates soon. How soon is anyone’s guess but given how quickly Motorola has pushed out its Android 4.4.4 KitKat upgrades, we would not be surprised if these updates landed well ahead of the Android L release.

Rumored release dates have yet to pop up though that’s not a big deal. Motorola tends to keep its customers informed from start to finish and we expect this to continue as it continues work on these missing upgrades.

Samsung

Galaxy S5 Review - 5

Like LG, Samsung has yet to commit to Android 4.4.3 KitKat or Android 4.4.4 KitKat. Rumors originally pointed to a Samsung Galaxy S5 Android 4.4.3 KitKat release in June followed by a Galaxy S4 Android 4.4.3 KitKat release in July though neither update has rolled out and the company has yet to offer any specifics regarding these two new Android 4.4 upgrades.

Other than those rumors, we’ve heard very little about Samsung’s plans for the future including Android L, the update that’s supposed to replace Android 4.4 KitKat later on this year. Samsung typically does not offer concrete details until its ready to share its plans so Galaxy users will need to keep an eye out for rumors as we push toward the fall.

Sony

T-Mobile Sony Xperia Z 3

And finally Sony, like Motorola, has been making a strong push to get its latest Xperia devices outfitted with the latest software. The company skipped ahead to Android 4.4.4 KitKat for devices like the Xperia Z1, Xperia Z1 Compact and Xperia Z Ultra and it appears that the company will continue on that path as we head deeper into the year.

Recent updates to SFR’s Android update schedule indicate that the carrier plans to push out Android 4.4.4 KitKat to the Xperia Z1, Xperia Z1 Compact, Xperia Z Ultra, and Xperia Z2. All of these updates are slated to arrive in early August though the carrier has yet to provide any specific dates for Sony Xperia users moving forward.

Furthermore, Australian carrier Optus says that it plans to push out Android 4.4.4 KitKat updates for its Xperia Z, Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z Ultra with the Xperia Z Android 4.4.4 KitKat update targeted for late July. The others are said to be pushing in the coming days. Finally, Australian carrier Telstra says that it will roll out Android 4.4.3 for the Xperia Z1 and Z1 Compact though those updates could get changed to Android 4.4.4.

We bring these dates and updates up because they help to set expectations for other users around the world. Sony is clearly working hard to get its top devices outfitted with the latest software and it’s clear that many users will get an upgrade to Android 4.4.4 KitKat before the Android L update arrives sometime later this year.

7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. Dipanjan Das

    07/23/2014 at 9:10 pm

    any news regarding updates for xperia L ?? we are still stuck on 4.2.2 … will there any possible update to 4.4.4 or android L .. thank you

  2. hitasoft

    07/23/2014 at 10:22 pm

    I like the list. The topic are so helpful that it made me think of creating a blog about myself, even though personally I don’t know how to create one.

  3. Nick

    07/24/2014 at 12:59 am

    What about Sony Xperia Z1S? Its still on jelly bean 4.3? Is their information when the Sony Xperia Z1S Will get kitkat 4.4.4?

  4. shashidhar b

    07/24/2014 at 3:37 am

    Can i update me phone , samsung galaxy trend phone with android 4.1 update to andriod kitkat 4.4

  5. Joey Smith

    07/24/2014 at 9:35 am

    Believe me … Let’s leave Samsung, they don’t respect their customers. When it comes to updates, they’re really very slow. I’ve had bad experience, my T Mobile S4 is a piece of crap after it was updated to kitkat 4.4.2, I hate the phone and I’m willing to update it to 4.4.3 or 4.4.4 in order to see if it improves. I wish I could downgrade it to the oldest android version it had when I bought it. We have to move to Motorola, Nexus, HTC or whatever other phones, but Samsung SUCKS when we pay too much!!!!!!!!!!!

  6. M.Rajasekar

    07/27/2014 at 6:45 am

    When the galaxy s4 mini duos model GT-I9192 will get an android kitKat-4.4

  7. Sue Gelles

    11/06/2015 at 5:56 am

    Help! I have a Verizon Ellipsis7 and I have many problems with it. Not the least of which is my inability to print out pdf’s from Adobe Acrobat. I’ve tried all the instructions as given, but to no avail! And sign-ins are soo problematic! It has soured me on Androids forever! (we are Apple users for everything!)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.