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Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat Update Roundup

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Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S3, and Galaxy S4 Android 4.4.2 KitKat updates continue to roll out despite Google’s release of the new Android 4.4.3 KitKat and Android 4.4.4 KitKat updates. Here, we take an updated look at the progress of Android 4.4.2, a look at Android 4.4.3 and Android 4.4.4 KitKat, and a look at the future which could include the all new Android L.

Last September, Google announced its Android 4.4 KitKat update, an update that delivered new features and performance enhancements. The small update emerged for Nexus users in November and to Android users in the weeks and months after. For Samsung users, the first Android 4.4 KitKat update arrived in January in the form of the Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4.2 KitKat upgrade.

Since then, we’ve seen the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update land for numerous Galaxy Note 3 variants, the Galaxy S4, the Galaxy Note 2, and the Galaxy S3 to name a few. These, of course, are four of the most popular devices in Samsung’s lineup and that’s why we are going to focus on them in this latest breakdown of Android 4.4 KitKat update details.

In the past few weeks, things have gotten interesting for Android users. In early June, Google released Android 4.4.3 KitKat, an update designed to fix Android 4.4.2 KitKat problems. A few days later, the company released Android 4.4.4 KitKat, a new KitKat update that included security patches. In late June, Google announced Android L, a brand new Android update that will replace Android KitKat and deliver an overhauled software experience sometime later this year.

With Android 4.4.2 KitKat updates still pushing out, Android 4.4.3 KitKat and Android 4.4.4 KitKat updates swirling around and Android L confirmed for later this year, we want to take another detailed look at how the situation is progressing for Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S3, and Galaxy S4 users and offer some predictions in regards to the future.

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.

Android 4.4.2 KitKat

Since the last time we took a look at the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4.2 KitKat update, we haven’t seen much movement. Carriers like Vodafone, Optus and Telstra in Australia still haven’t rolled out their Android 4.4.2 KitKat updates though, as we’ve pointed out, we should see the few remaining Android 4.4.2 KitKat updates push out during the month of July.

We have, however, seen a new Android 4.4.2 KitKat update push. The update, which landed for the T-Mobile Galaxy Note 3 a few weeks ago, is now live in the United Kingdom and it delivers Galaxy S5 software features including Kids Mode, Download Booster and Samsung Knox 2.0 security suite. It’s not the full the Galaxy S5 software feature set but it should still be welcomed by Galaxy Note 3 users nonetheless.

Keep in mind, the Galaxy Note 3’s new Android 4.4.2 KitKat update will likely roll out in phases to international users and that means that it could take months to complete. We expect these features to roll out to all Galaxy Note 3 users though Samsung still hasn’t confirmed which devices will get Galaxy S5 software features and when.

Android 4.4.3 & Android 4.4.4 KitKat

Unfortunately, we still haven’t heard anything in regard to Samsung’s plans for Android 4.4.3 KitKat or Android 4.4.4 KitKat. Rumors are non-existent and the company hasn’t confirmed plans to roll out Android 4.4.3 KitKat or Android 4.4.4 KitKat.

What we can say is that Galaxy Note 3 users are dealing with a number of Android 4.4.2 KitKat problems that could, perhaps, push Samsung and its carrier partners to push Android 4.4.3 or Android 4.4.4 KitKat. Android 4.4.4 is more likely given that it’s the newer version.

If one or the other does hit the Galaxy Note 3, we would expect it to feature fixes for Android 4.4.2 KitKat in addition to carrier and TouchWiz specific fixes and enhancements.

Android L

Google’s brand new Android L update was introduced at Google I/O 2014 and it’s set to bring improved notifications, changes to the keyboard, battery life improvements thanks to Project Volta, and more. While the update has been confirmed for a number of current devices including the HTC One M7 and HTC One M8, it hasn’t been confirmed for any Samsung devices.

That said, we fully expect the Galaxy Note 3 to get Android L for one simple reason. Samsung updates devices for two years before kicking them to the curb. The Galaxy Note 3 will turn one in September which means that Android L should be served up sometime in late 2014 or early 2015.

Android L release rumors point to an October and December release window and we typically see manufacturers like Samsung push updates out weeks after the initial release. So, we could see something similar to this year’s Android 4.4 KitKat release with the Galaxy Note 3, being the powerful device that it is, become one of the first Samsung devices to get the update.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Video -  020

Android 4.4.2 KitKat

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4.2 KitKat is much more active given that it’s much newer than the Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4.2 KitKat release. The update has only been pushing out since late April. That said, we’ve seen the update make considerable progress since the start of its roll out. In fact, it’s currently available for four of the five Galaxy Note 2 variants in the United States. The only one without the update? The T-Mobile Galaxy Note 2.

Several carriers proclaimed that they would be pushing out the update in June but they weren’t able to keep in line with their ETAs. And while we have seen a bit of a delay, we expect several missing Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4.2 KitKat updates to emerge in the month of July. Roll out dates for these carriers should vary.

We fully expect the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update to continue deep into the summer. We would not be surprised if the T-Mobile Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4.2 KitKat update emerged sometime this month.

Android 4.4.3 & Android 4.4.4 KitKat

android_kitkat-575x383

Samsung still hasn’t announced plans for Android 4.4.3 KitKat or Android 4.4.4 KitKat which means that Galaxy Note 2 owners are in the dark about the company’s plans. There is a chance that we could see one of these two roll out for the Galaxy Note 2 but nothing is guaranteed at this point.

One thing that we should note is that Galaxy Note 2 owners in the United States have been complaining about a number of Android 4.4.2 KitKat problems so we could perhaps see Samsung and its partners deliver Android 4.4.4 KitKat to address these issues. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Android L

Same story here. Android L is official, it’s confirmed for a few HTC and Nexus devices but it hasn’t been confirmed for Samsung devices. We do know that Samsung and Google are working to bake Knox into the software, so there’s that, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s coming to devices like the Galaxy Note 2.

Remember, the Galaxy Note 2 turns two years old later this year. That puts it in a gray area. So, nothing beyond Android 4.4.2 KitKat is confirmed and Galaxy Note 2 users will want to temper expectations.

Samsung Galaxy S4

Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Galaxy S3 vs Galaxy S4 - Cameras

Android 4.4.2 KitKat

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Android 4.4.2 KitKat update has been pushing out since February and it has made a ton of progress since then. We do expect a few more Android 4.4.2 KitKat updates to emerge in July, led by Australian carriers Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone.

However, we’re still not sure when the few remaining Android 4.4.2 KitKat updates will land for U.S. users. MetroPCS and C Spire have yet to push out their Android 4.4.2 KitKat updates and as far as we can tell, they haven’t announced any specific details.

Android 4.4.3 & Android 4.4.4 KitKat

This is where things get interesting. Recently, we saw the Android 4.4.4 KitKat emerge for the Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition. We’ve also seen rumors that point to a Galaxy S4 Android 4.4.3 KitKat update for the LTE-A model. Rumors have pointed to an arrival in July though it’s unclear how the arrival of Android 4.4.4 KitKat might affect that roll out. At the very least, given the rumors, we expect Android 4.4.3 KitKat or Android 4.4.4 KitKat to push out to the LTE-A model.

Galaxy S4 users are reporting numerous Android 4.4.2 KitKat problems so again, we would not be surprised if Samsung and its partners deliver Android 4.4.4 KitKat to shore up some of the issues before Android L arrives on the scene later this year.

Android L

Android L. Google’s latest update. It still hasn’t been confirmed for the Galaxy S4 but we do expect the device, which will be within the two year mark later this year, to get Android L. We also would not be surprised if the device gets some of the software features that arrive with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, the rumored Galaxy Note 3 successor that’s expected to deliver new software this fall.

Samsung Galaxy S3

Samsung-Galaxy-S5-vs-Galaxy-S4-vs-Galaxy-S3-Design-620x232

Android 4.4.2 KitKat

Finally, the Samsung Galaxy S3. The Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.4.2 KitKat update has been rolling out since early May and since the initial roll out, we’ve seen it land for a number of different variants including the AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, Boost, and Virgin Mobile variants in the United States. T-Mobile is the only major carrier in the U.S. that hasn’t rolled an update out. We also recently saw it push out in Canada.

Oddly enough, we haven’t seen very many confirmations. Vodafone Australia is one of the few international carriers that has confirmed a Galaxy S3 Android 4.4.2 KitKat update but simply have not seen the same kind of information that we usually see ahead of a release. That doesn’t mean that updates aren’t coming, it just means that it could take a little bit before we see updates arrive.

Expect this update to continue to roll out deep into 2014.

Android 4.4.3 & Android 4.4.4 KitKat

We haven’t seen any news regarding Android 4.4.3 KitKat or Android 4.4.4 KitKat, not surprising given how young this Android 4.4.2 KitKat roll out is. Now, we have seen Galaxy S3 owners complaining about Android 4.4.2 problems so it’s possible that we’ll see Samsung roll something out later in the year. If Samsung does roll something out, it may be the last update that the Galaxy S3 ever receives.

Android L

Samsung’s 1GB non-LTE version of the Galaxy S3 was left behind on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean so there is a very good chance that the Galaxy S3 will remain on Android 4.4 KitKat. The Galaxy S3 is also older than two years and it will be pushing towards its third birthday come fall. So, temper those expectations Galaxy S3 users.

Of course, thanks to a fantastic development community, Galaxy S3 users will likely be able to unofficially install Android L.

13 Comments

13 Comments

  1. Barry

    07/02/2014 at 8:00 am

    Whoever developed 4.4.2 for Galaxy S3 needs a kick right in the nuts. Nothing but problems since the forced upgrade. Tried all the recommended troubleshooting and finally called Verizon, who walked me through a factory reset. Ugh!

    • Seth Mishne

      07/02/2014 at 8:24 am

      I have always hated my vzw s3 since it got 4.3 on it. I got battery problems, apps crashing, lagging among other things. it seems like that with each update my phone has more and more problems. when will vzw offer us new phones for all of the problems we have been having never.

    • Ashley

      07/02/2014 at 11:17 am

      I’ll second that. Not at all improved. New, but not improved. WORSE by far. Slooooooow

      • Seth Mishne

        07/02/2014 at 11:35 am

        A million times WORSE I can’t wait to get rid of this STUPID PHONE and get another one.

    • Geoff

      07/02/2014 at 4:00 pm

      Agreed for the Galaxy Note 2 as well, nothing but a mess esp. with sending/receiving texts. I have always been against getting an iPhony (intentional) but if this doesn’t improve I may have to switch over to the “children’s” version of a cell phone.
      Long story short – this update sux a$$!

  2. Larry Garza

    07/02/2014 at 1:24 pm

    My Sprint s4 keeps on losing it’s network connection. When I try and make a phone call the screen freezes. I need to restart it every time I need to make a call or send and receive a text message. I’ve been Sprint stores best buy and nobody will own up the problem.

  3. Charley Jade

    07/02/2014 at 2:19 pm

    I really hate that VZW stopped the few months early upgrading. I’m stuck with a buggy phone until next July… I loved my s3 the first few months but after going through 3 phones & 3 software updates it seems I’d be better off throwing it away :(. I’d love to see SOMETHING that would fix this madness they call an UPGRADE!!!

    • Seth Mishne

      07/02/2014 at 2:37 pm

      I AGREE with you 100% no vzw WANTS to BREAK our s3 so they do not work and that we will give up and buy a new phone. I cannot upgrade until October. HOW COME VERZION CANNOT DO A SINGLE THING TO PHONE OUR BATTERY PROBLEMS AND OTHER PROBLEMS WE HAVE BEEN HAVING WITH OUR S3. JUST GIVE US A SIMPLE UPGRADE FOR FREE FR EVERYONE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH OUR PHONE. DO NOT MAKE THE EXCUSE THAT WE HAVE NOT HEARD ABOUT ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE 4.4 OR 4.3 SOFTWARE UPDATE.

  4. Ashley

    07/02/2014 at 2:41 pm

    I had to school the verizon rep on how to help me move my settings back to a media device that would be recognized by my PC so I could back it up and then factory reset. First, the drivers have to be on the PC, downloaded from the Samsung site. Then, I had to take the battery out for a soft reset in order to get the PC to recognize my phone even after DLing the drivers. I used Kies and then factory reset. It is much faster now, but who knows for how long.

  5. kittykitty

    07/03/2014 at 7:10 pm

    my Note2 with ATT got update to 4.4 on 6/29 with no problems. However my s3 started on 6/29, but kept receiving “update interrupted” since. I tried everyday , finally, this morning, it showed message “restart your device to finish”, then, its done ! Both phones are with att.

  6. Bradlee

    07/04/2014 at 11:46 am

    I’ve had NO problems with the 4.4.2 update on my AT&T S3. Hopefully they’ll come out with an android L release quickly for the s3, but ill probably be upgrading around November anyway.

  7. Brooklyn

    07/14/2014 at 2:35 pm

    The update left me without a phone. It started to drain the battery rapidly shortly after the update finished, and then after the first day of having the update, it stopped charging my cell phone. Now I can’t get my phone to even turn on, as it’s dead, and I can’t format the system/return to factory defaults because it can’t charge.

  8. LeNor Reese

    08/04/2014 at 12:41 pm

    My Note 3 was working fine. Then I updated (July 2014) and have not been able to charge my phone fully since then. I’m not happy, because I use my Note 3 for business. The battery will not charge to 100% and opening one application drains the battery within an hour of use.
    Can someone please let me know how to fix this problem?
    Thank you.

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