Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4.4 Update Arrives Ahead of Lollipop

A Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4.4 KitKat update is hitting the United States ahead of the Galaxy Note 3 Android 5.0 Lollipop update that’s confirmed to arrive sometime next year.

As we push further and further away from the Android 5.0 Lollipop release date, we’re starting to see Samsung Galaxy Android 5.0 Lollipop update details emerge from the shadows. Samsung recently confirmed a Galaxy Note 3 Android 5.0 Lollipop update for next year and we’ve seen new information point to a widespread release in the future.

While many users are fixated on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Lollipop update, there is still work to be done from an Android 4.4 KitKat standpoint and recently, we’ve seen a number of new Galaxy Note 3 KitKat update details emerge.

Today, AT&T’s announced its Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4.4 KitKat update, a continuation of the update that was paused several weeks ago while the company worked out issues behind the scenes. Some AT&T Galaxy Note 3 users did not get Android 4.4.4 KitKat and this will be the update that takes them from Android 4.4.2 KitKat to Android 4.4.4 KitKat. For those that did install Android 4.4.4 KitKat, this update will be much smaller.

AT&Ts new Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4.4 KitKat update comes with an AT&T Address Book Fix and an ambiguous fix for the software’s design. Those that did not receive the Android 4.4.4 KitKat update when it first arrived will be treated to security upgrades and fixes for a number of bugs that were plaguing the device on Android 4.4.2 KitKat. So while this isn’t Android 5.0 Lollipop, it’s an important update nonetheless.

The carrier notes that the update will be rolling out OTA which means that Galaxy Note 3 users on AT&T will want to head into the device’s settings to check for the Android 4.4.4 KitKat update. U.S. carriers will often roll out updates in batches so if the update isn’t available right this second, it should become available in the near future.

U.S. carriers still haven’t confirmed a Galaxy Note 3 Android 5.0 Lollipop update though thanks to Samsung, we know that one is poised to start rolling out to the international models sometime in the early part of next year. Samsung hasn’t outlined any specific time frame for the update though the update is expected to push after the Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.0 Lollipop update rolls out.

Thanks to leaks, we know that Samsung is preparing Android 5.0.1, Google’s new bug fixer for the Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system. Android 5.0.1 Lollipop is all but confirmed for the Galaxy S5 LTE-A, Galaxy Note 4 and the Galaxy Note Edge. Samsung itself hasn’t confirmed the specifics but it’s clear that the company has Google’s new Android 5.0 update in testing.

French carrier SFR recently put out ETAs for the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4 and yesterday, we tracked down some new information for Samsung Galaxy S5 and Samsung Galaxy Note 4 users in Spain.

Vodafone Spain, a carrier known for being very upfront with its customers, says that it’s currently planning to roll out the Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Lollipop update in 2015. The carrier says that it “can not give a specific launch date, but it is quite certain that the upgrade to the latest version of the operating system Google will not happen until next year.”

The carrier also notes that it currently is looking at an early 2015 release for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update. This lines up with SFR’s January ETA and it also backs up Samsung’s earlier confirmations. The company recently said that the Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.0 update would land in early 2015 and that’s precisely what this carrier is telling its Galaxy Note 4 users.

Most carriers, including those based in the United States, remain silent about the Android 5.0 Lollipop update and its features. We’ve seen the Sprint Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Lollipop update leak out several times already but that update remains unconfirmed.