Galaxy Note 3 & Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 Releases Pushed Into Summer

Several Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, and Samsung Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat updates have been pushed to the summer meaning the Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update, at the very least, will still be rolling out six months after it was first released.

Back in November, Google released the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update to the public for the first time. The update, which landed for Nexus 5, Nexus 4, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10 users in November, pushed out to owners of non-Nexus devices in the weeks after. And while Samsung wasn’t involved n the initial round of Android 4.4 KitKat updates, the manufacturer asserted itself in a big way at the beginning of the year.

In January, Samsung started pushing out the Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update. In February, the Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat update started to push out to users. By late April, the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update and several other upgrades were rolling out. And in early May, the Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update, expected to be its final upgrade, was released inside the U.S.

All four of these updates are still rolling out including the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat upgrades which have moved into their fifth and fourth months respectively. And while Samsung has made significant progress, it’s clear that there is still a long way to go for these two updates and the Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 upgrades.

Australian carriers Optus and Telstra recently updated their Android update schedules. Telstra finally confirmed its long awaited Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat update but unfortunately, the update isn’t right around the corner. The carrier says that Samsung has delayed its test submission until mid-June which puts the update on target for a release in and around July 14th.

The carrier still hasn’t confirmed Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note 2 or Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat updates so those updates could still be far off in the distance, perhaps, beyond the month of July.

Optus is in a similar boat. While the carrier initially pointed to Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat releases in April, the carrier has, over time, pushed back its ETAs.

Yesterday, the carrier updated its schedule to reflect changes made to all three updates. The carrier now says that its Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat updates won’t land until mid-July, that its Galaxy Note 3 Android 4.4 KitKat updates won’t hit until mid-June or early July and that its Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update won’t push until mid-to-late July.

Samsung has not made any of these updates available to Optus which means that there is a potential for these ETAs to be pushed back even further into the year. It’s also not clear if these updates will be Android 4.4.2 KitKat or Android 4.4.3 KitKat, the latter of which is Google’s brand new KitKat update.

What’s interesting is that the Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update remains missing in action at both carriers. The Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update is pushing to LTE versions of the device and we’ve already seen it arrive for a number of carriers in the U.S. And while the update will land for more U.S. carriers, international carriers remain quiet about the prospects.

If these carriers do plan to roll out the Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update, it may be awhile before the updates roll out to their users.

Google is rumored to be coming out with a brand new Nexus 8 tablet later this year and new Nexus hardware is always accompanied by new Android software. Rumors have pointed to the arrival of an Android 4.5 update and it’s possible that some Samsung devices will still be waiting for Android 4.4 KitKat as a new Android update emerges. Only time will tell.