KitKat rolls out for Galaxy S4, Note 3 in UK and US
Android KitKat is heading to Samsung's Galaxy S4 and Note 3 via an over-the-air update rolling out to devices in the US, UK and other countries.
The update finally brings two of Samsung's most popular devices up to par with the latest release of Android version 4.4.2, which currently powers about 2.5 percent of the world's Android devices.
"Samsung UK can confirm that a phased rollout of Android 4.4.2 KitKat has begun across UK devices including Galaxy S4 and Note 3. Customers will receive the update over the coming weeks, pending each network’s own software approvals process," Samsung said in a statement.
According to posts from UK users on forums, Samsung's take on KitKat hasn't brought many changes but does improve battery life and now includes a camera shortcut on the lock screen.
Galaxy Note 3 and S4 owners that haven't received the update automatically can use Samsung's Kies desktop application to manually check for an update.
The KitKat update for select Samsung devices comes as HTC continues to iron out issues that caused it to yank its KitKat update for HTC One devices last week. The rollout hasn't been resumed.
Across the Atlantic, T-Mobile this week began rolling out KitKat to its Galaxy S4 subscribers. Key improvements include improved stability and a better on-screen keyboard. The 388MB update brings the device up to Android version 4.4.2/Baseband version M919UVUFNB4.
Samsung last month announced some of the key changes that US consumers could expect as it outlined which Galaxy devices would get Android 4.4.2.
Key improvements included:
- Location menu: An integrated location menu enables users to easily activate GPS, wi-fi and mobile networks, while simultaneously checking the battery usage of apps running location service capabilities.
- Enhanced messaging: Enables users to choose between Messages or Hangouts as their preferred default messaging application, and select from a larger assortment of updated Emoji icons.
- Upgraded Google Mobile Service (GMS) apps: Users can automatically back up photos and video and can open, view, rename and share Google Docs and files.