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HTC One Android 4.4 KitKat Update Delayed for U.S.

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With seconds ticking away on its self-imposed deadline, HTC conceded defeat today saying that the HTC One Android 4.4 KitKat update, which was promised within 90 days for HTC One users on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon users, have been delayed one to two weeks into the month of February.

HTC promised a trio of HTC One Android 4.4 KitKat updates within a time frame of 90 days. The company delivered the HTC One Google Play Edition within 15 days, it delivered the HTC One Developer Edition in 30 days but up until today, the HTC One Android 4.4 KitKat update, which was promised within 90 days in the United States, remained missing.

Just yesterday, the update started rolling out in Europe, giving hope of a January release inside of the United States, but sadly, it just wasn’t meant to be.

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In a lengthy statement, HTC President Jason Mackenzie admitted that the company would miss the self imposed 90-day deadline, citing the lengthy certification process as the culprit. Fortunately, Mackenzie says that the delay won’t last long, saying that the updates will roll out within one to two weeks. He does not provide any specific dates or mention any carriers specifically.

He also says that the overall process “taught us a lot that will allow us to improve on our upgrade delivery in the future” and that the company will continue to remain transparent with its customers with future updates.

The delay also affects users in Canada as Mackenzie’s note targets all devices in North America. HTC UK still says that its update is on track for a release in January though the regional arm still hasn’t committed to a specific date for the update’s arrival.

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When the update does touch down, it will bring not only Android 4.4 KitKat, but the new Sense 5.5 to U.S. users as well. Sense 5.5 offers improvements to both Zoe and BlinkFeed and should shore up some of the issues that have been bothering HTC One owners since the arrival of Android 4.3 Jelly Bean back in 2013.

Rumors suggest that after Android 4.4 KitKat and Sense 5.5 will be Sense 6, an update that is expected to debut with the new HTC M8. HTC has reportedly started working on the update though the company hasn’t made any promises to HTC One owners just yet. We do, however, expect it to take an Android 4.4 KitKat approach to the next update, despite missing this deadline.

9 Comments

9 Comments

  1. Akshay Chaudhary

    01/29/2014 at 3:19 pm

    very good article :)

  2. Daniel Golightly

    01/29/2014 at 4:43 pm

    Well written. It’s unfortunate, but not a deal breaker for me. This phone is amazing as is and HTC has made leaps and bounds on customer satisfaction factors.

  3. Kevin Van Dyck

    01/29/2014 at 5:27 pm

    Pleasantly surprised to see comments without anyone going off about this. I’m looking forward to the update, but a couple of weeks longer is certainly no biggie. I’ve gone a lot longer between updates on previous phones.

    I am concerned by early reports from overseas that the camera’s low-light problem has not been fixed.

    • Freebandz

      01/30/2014 at 11:15 am

      If the majority of consumers who claim they know tech haven’t figured out that it’s a hardware issue they’ll never know. I had mine replaced months ago. I love the HTC One but the truth is at least a third of the initial releases were distributed with faulty cameras. A software update is not going to change it otherwise it wouldn’t still be a problem almost a year after release.

  4. Leeran Farin

    01/29/2014 at 7:15 pm

    Can’t wait for this update :) love my HTC and can’t wait for the update to make it even better

  5. Cory

    01/29/2014 at 7:40 pm

    Carriers, this is one reason why we hate you. Good on you HTC. Keep up the good work.

  6. ademuth

    01/30/2014 at 7:20 am

    Not surprising. Carriers will push through a new phone because it’s something they can sell. If only they saw the importance of actually keeping their existing customers happy by offering real support and making timely updates available.

    • Neal

      01/30/2014 at 5:01 pm

      it isn’t as easy as flipping a switch bub. it takes a lot to push it out. i have a one and I am more than willing to wait for a good launch that doesn’t brick my phone. carriers aren’t always liable for the late launches. you bought the product, and it’s not like it’s going to make your phone cure cancer. so there isn’t harm in waiting bub.

      • awdemuth

        01/31/2014 at 6:42 am

        I’m not willing to wait… I can think of several flagship phones with promised updates that were pushed back time after time until the new flagship phone was released and the previous phone was lost in history. Rinse and repeat with the new flagship. I didn’t say that carriers are _always_ responsible, but they are, more times than not, at the root of the issue one one way or another. Verizon has been absolutely terrible about this historically by keeping their phones locked down to maximize their bottom line. My statement goes beyond the technical aspects of the issue of phone updates by stating that mobile carriers need to up their game by providing customer service as well as technical support. HTC is being very transparent in this issue, yet, I hear nothing from the carriers to tell of their woes.

        The door swings both ways; the carriers could be holding the manufacturers feet to the fire when it comes to updating phones as well, at the risk of refusing to offer their phones in the future.

        I have a One as well. I rooted it the day I received it, just as I have with every device I’ve received since I got my G1 when it dropped. I have been enjoying 4.4 on my One for weeks now. Kit Kat is a nice update, though nothing to get too excited about, nor is it anything to get upset or defensive about.

        Yours truly,
        Bub

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