Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat Update Details Trickle Out

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update details continue to trickle out as carriers start to inform their users of incoming Android 4.4.2 KitKat updates. Specific Samsung Galaxy Note 2 KitKat release dates, however, remain hard to come by.

Many weeks ago, Samsung USA and Samsung Poland confirmed plans to roll out a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update. In late April, Samsung made good on its promises when it started pushing out the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update to GT-N7100 Galaxy Note 2 users in France. Days later, the update spread to users in India and in Nordic countries.

Since then, official Galaxy Note 2 details have been few and far between thanks to silence from Samsung and silence from its carrier partners in the United States and elsewhere.

We’ve been trying to piece together the puzzle for Galaxy Note 2 owners all over the world in an attempt to bring clarity to the situation. We’ve tracked down Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat confirmations for Rogers in Canada, SFR in France, Vodafone and Optus in Australia, Sprint in the United States, and today, we’ve discovered some new details for users in Europe.

Vodafone Spain recently confirmed plans to roll out the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat updates for its GT-7100 and its GT-N7105, the latter of which is the carrier’s 4G version of the smartphone. The carrier says that Samsung confirmed plans to upgrade both of its devices, something that should settle the minds of Vodafone users in Spain and settle the minds of Galaxy Note 2 owners across the world.

While Samsung USA and Samsung Poland both confirmed the update, Samsung itself has yet to offer any specific roll out plans for Android 4.4 KitKat. Instead, users have been forced to rely on carriers and leaks for information. This information from Vodafone is extremely solid and it essentially confirms what Samsung refuses to confirm. That the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update will be landing for both the 3G and 4G variants.

Vodafone Spain, like the other carriers that confirmed Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 updates, says that it doesn’t have a specific release date for the updates. SFR and Vodafone Australia both say that the update could land in May. Optus says that it probably won’t be rolling out Android 4.4 KitKat until June.

Rumors suggest that Samsung is planning to roll out the Galaxy Note 2 LTE (GT-N7100) Android 4.4 KitKat update starting in May though the carrier has yet to officially announce its release plans. Carriers are typically weeks behind the start of the international roll out which means that Galaxy Note 2 owners on these carriers will be lucky if they see the software emerge in May. June, at this point, seems more likely.

Vodafone Spain also says that it will be Android 4.4.2 KitKat that debuts for the Galaxy Note 2 and not something else. The carrier issued this information a few days ago, before we started hearing rumors about a possible jump to Android 4.4.3 KitKat for at least some of Samsung’s Galaxy-branded smartphones.

Android 4.4.3 KitKat update rumors have been flying around for months. The Android 4.4.3 KitKat is expected to alleviate Android 4.4.2 KitKat problems and it’s expected to deploy to Google’s arsenal of Nexus-branded smartphones and tablets. Rumors also suggest that it will be coming to Samsung’s devices in the future as well.

SamMobile recently claimed that Samsung is currently testing the Galaxy S5 Android 4.4.3 KitKat update. It, like Android Geeks, also claims that Samsung is thinking about pushing Android 4.4.3 KitKat instead of Android 4.4.2. It’s not clear which devices might be under consideration though Android Geeks suggests that both the Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S3 could get Android 4.4.3.

While nothing is confirmed, it could explain why we haven’t seen a massive Galaxy Note 2 or Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update push during the month of May. The Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 update is currently limited to three variants while the Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update is only available on Sprint.

Unfortunately, information regarding these updates is slow moving and it could be that Galaxy Note 2 owners and owners of other Galaxy devices won’t find out for sure until the day of the roll out. Samsung is notorious for keeping silent about its release plans, likely in an attempt to keep expectations under control. Releases depend on the success of internal testing and internal testing can often lead to delays.

It’s still not clear if Android 4.4 will be the end of the road for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. The device is approaching its second birthday and Google only recommends 18 months of software support.

It does appear to be the end of the road for the Samsung Galaxy S3 given that Samsung UK recently confirmed that it would not be pushing out Android 4.4 KitKat for the Samsung Galaxy S3, one of the most popular smartphones of all time.