Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat Release Imminent in U.S.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update is poised to land in the United States. And while nothing is confirmed, there is a very good chance that the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat release will arrive this week, at least for some users.

Several weeks ago, Samsung USA announced that it would be delivering two highly anticipated Android 4.4 KitKat updates. The first, the Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 update. The second, the Galaxy Note 2 KitKat update. The company did not say when it would deploy the updates, only that the updates would arrive at some point down the road.

Earlier this month, Sprint became the first carrier in the world to push out the Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat update. And yesterday, we learned that Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile, both operated by Sprint, also rolled out their Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 KitKat updates. These are still the only three Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 updates that have rolled out.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update has made similar progress. While it hasn’t spread to the U.S., it is available in several other regions around the world including France and India. The update is bound to hit the United States at some point and from the look of things, it may hit the United States this week.

We have spotted the Sprint Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update lurking on Samsung’s Open Source website for developers. Typically, after an update is spotted here, its roll out is imminent. We’ve seen updates push within 48 hours of appearing on Samsung’s site so there is a very good chance that Sprint will roll the update out this week.

This kernel source file that Samsung posted isn’t going to be useful for the general public and we suggest avoiding it given that the official release is probably close. Developers that have an interest in the software, whether it’s for ROM development or otherwise, can download the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat software right now.

Sprint will likely wait until the update’s release date to confirm all of the details. U.S. carriers almost never confirm release dates and change logs ahead of time.

The carrier’s Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update will likely become the first update to arrive inside the United States though there’s a very good chance that it will not be the only Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 update to emerge in the United States.

Samsung USA’s broad confirmation likely means that other Galaxy Note 2 models, including those on AT&T, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon will get Android 4.4 KitKat down the road. U.S. Cellular is usually on the heels of Sprint while AT&T and Verizon typically lag behind the initial wave of updates.

The Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update is poised to land for several other carriers in the next few weeks with carriers in France, Australia and Canada all targeting releases in the near future. Specific release dates are still not known and carriers likely won’t offer a specific release ahead of time given that release dates depend on the unpredictable testing process.

Sprint’s Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat update is expected to mirror the other Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4 KitKat updates that have pushed out over the past few weeks. Instead of major upgrades to TouchWiz, Samsung’s Android 4.4.2 KitKat updates are dominated by Google’s changes to the Android operating system.

It’s not clear yet where the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 goes from here. Later this year, the device turns two and Google recommends only 18 months of Android software support. And while Samsung typically delivers 24 months of support, it’s no guarantee that the Galaxy Note 2 will move past the Android 4.4 KitKat update in the future.

Thanks, G!