Android
Samsung Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat Release Gains Steam
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat update release gained steam today as it landed not only for a new carrier in the United States but for the GT-i9500, one of the international variants of the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat update roll out is underway. The update has landed for two models in South Korea, last week it hit the Sprint Galaxy S4 and today, the United States’ fifth largest carrier U.S. Cellular pushed out its Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat update. And today, Samsung also started to push the update to one of the most popular Galaxy S4 variants, the GT-i9500.
Galaxy S4 GT-i9500 users on XDA-Developers have begun seeing the update and thanks to SamMobile, we know that they are telling the truth. Indeed, the GT-i9500 Android 4.4 KitKat update release has begun though it appears that for the moment, the release is limited to Russia. Samsung typically rolls out updates slowly so this is unsurprising.
In the weeks ahead, the company will continue to push out the update and it should land for all Galaxy S4 users within the next couple of months, depending on the carrier. Carriers will often give their users a heads up about incoming releases though not all carriers offer early upgrade schedules.
This marks the third Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat update in recent days and it appears that Samsung is making a strong push ahead of the Samsung Galaxy S5 launch, set to take place on February 24th in Barcelona, Spain. The Galaxy S5 is expected to arrive with Android 4.4.2 KitKat on board and it looks like Samsung wants its aging flagship on par with its successor when it arrives.
The Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 KitKat update is not a massive update and it does not bring Galaxy S5 software features to owners. Instead, it brings Android 4.4 KitKat features with some smaller tweaks and enhancements that will vary by carrier. Carriers typically outfit major software upgrades with their own spin, adding fixes and features applicable to their users.
While the Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 update is gaining steam, it’s still unavailable for many users. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless have yet to confirm Android 4.4 KitKat upgrade release dates and there are still a number of carriers around the world, including in North America, that have yet to issue any official word about the arrival of Samsung’s big update.
From the looks of things, that could certainly change soon as Samsung works with its carrier partners on a big Android 4.4 KitKat push.
Robert
02/20/2014 at 6:30 pm
As a sprint customer who has already done the upgrade I say to one and all DONT DO IT!!! this upgrade has caused more problems than it cures. it literally ran my battery from a full charge to 21% in less than 3 hours. the problem seems that it wont shut the screen off EVER and I can safely say I have never ran down a battery in the whole year I’ve owned it. And it has a nasty habit of killing (read that uninstalling) apps that it doesn’t like, after the install I lost over 20 apps that I had to re-install from scratch.
Mick Steadman
02/21/2014 at 1:03 am
Samsung have never released a buggy update have they? Shock, horror, an inquiry demanded. I was moaning to myself about everybody and their dog getting it before the GT19505 but then thought myself lucky as this time it isn’t my expensive handset that Samsung have used as a test bed.
Melinda
02/21/2014 at 6:08 am
I just did this upgrade and like Robert mentioned in his comment I lost several apps and can’t seem to get them to reload. The update also moved all of my images out of the image icon and I can only get to them by going to “my files”. The phone is very slow and is also eating away at my batter much faster. :-(
Mick Steadman
02/21/2014 at 6:21 am
Yet another much anticipated update falls well short of expectations. Oh don’t stop now Samsung, you’re just getting good at it. We don’t mind you turning our 2 year contracted phones into a sculpture to the ridiculous as you use your customers to test your software.
Mick Steadman
02/21/2014 at 6:31 am
Just been told to run your battery more or less flat and then give it a 12 hour recharge. Something to do with calibrating the battery.might be worth a go.
Scotto-
02/21/2014 at 11:37 am
I almost always do this to my batts because despite what is said about memory in batts, Li-ion or otherwise, they do last longer and hold a charge longer this way. I just updated to 4.4.2 last night and while a few apps did disappear, everything else is running fine. We’ll see how it goes…