KitKat 4.4 Software Update?

[xxAd0r3MyAuraxx]

Has any Samsung Galaxy S3/S4/Note 3 users gotten their update yet?? What is the hold up? Sprint customers have already gotten theirs. =/

[japetty]

VZW will be the last carrier to the table will be my guess which is where it is with VZW and Android updates.  Just hope it don't cause a bunch of problems with your phone as the update to an S3 created a few updates back and it was several weeks before they put out an update to fix that problem.

[yotehtr1]

Ya basically once every other carrier has pushed the update verizon will follow minus features and plus a huge stack of bloatware. Coming from a previous thunderbolt owner (which was also a flagship phone) Im well aware of how poorly verizon handles updates. Hopefully it works whenever it does show up. The last thing I need is another top of the line smart phone that becomes a paper weight

[deanccd]

They took forever to update the Galaxy S3 and that was a bomb with many users.  So that extra time it took for TESTING was a waste of time.  I don't expect the KitKat update until at least summer.  When it does come out I am not updating until I see on the web that the same thing that happen to the S3 does not happen again.   Verizon use to be better in the past but maybe they don't care since they are the largest carrier.   but T Mobile is coming up behind them very fast and after 12 years with Verizon I am considering moving on.   Verizon also is way behind on the more recent hardware where the carriers have more up to date equipment.  Maybe they service will get better like it use to be.

[japetty]

And when they do send out a screwed up update the never admit it and blame it on the phone manufacturer when they were the last one to screw with the update adding bloat and removing features.  Then it take them forever (several weeks) before they send out something to see if it will work.  Don't know if other carriers do this same thing or not cause I have been with VZW for many years.  Were I live other carriers just don't have the service VZW provides.  LTE in the backwoods of NM is pretty good.

[Lin71]

I'm looking at buying the Note 3. I may wait until the update is done or just go over to T-Mobile. I am tired of Verizon jerking us around with all the bloatware and crap updates. Since the other companies have updated, we know it works fine. Just stop jacking with it Verizon and give it to us.

[jtown]

I wouldn't recommend the Note 3 based on the information posted in this discussion group.  Lots of complaints about poor signal strength, garbled voice calls, unreliable WiFi.  Then voice calls are fixed, then broken, then maybe fixed again.  Signal strength is better on more recently manufactured phones but there are still complaints from people who have bought them this month.  Just too sketchy for a premium device.  I was really looking forward to getting one last year but I was a couple hours from a Verizon store on release date.  By the time I got back to civilization, the bad reports were coming in.  I waited and waited to see if they'd be resolved in a new hardware revision but it doesn't look like it.  Now I'm waiting to see how the S5 turns out.

BTW, when it comes to Verizon, you should assume your phone will never be updated.  That way, if someone screws up and sends out an update, it'll be a happy surprise.  My current phone is the Galaxy Nexus.  Nexus devices are supposed to be the first to get updates but Verizon customers (who haven't hacked their phones) are still running 4.2.2 from late 2012. 

[japetty]

Your nexus has maybe reached its End of Life.  Nexus is an old phone.  VZW has not had another nexus phone since that one and probably won't until VZW is all 4G/LTE and maybe not even then.  VZW does have a nexus tablet now but it is all 4G/LTE.  We will see later on after VZW converts to VoLTE later this year.  VZW is the worst at updating the OS but I do hear many at at&t complaining as well.  Some fell none of these carriers are fast enough at OS updates.  I do feel VZW is not fast enough to react to their failed updates.  They take weeeeeeks not days to fix those.

[jtown]

It may be an "old phone" but it came with a 2 year contract that was just up a couple months ago.  And that's for people who bought it on release day.  It's not going to get 4.4 from Google but 4.3 was released last July and other carriers have released the 4.3 update for the phone while Verizon spent months claiming to be reviewing the update for quality, blah, blah, blah.  Now they won't even respond to inquiries.  When they did provide updates, Verizon was weeks or months behind the other carriers when releasing them.  Pathetic.

Verizon is crap when it comes to supporting their phones.  No two ways about it.

Verizon hasn't had the last two Nexus phones because they've shown they're not willing to support the line properly.

[Ziphron]

My girlfriend used her Dad's upgrade to get a Droid Ultra while she waited for her Samsung S3 to come from a hardware repair...the phone had an available update to Kit Kat right out of the box.  Seeing how Motorola is now, and has been, owned by Google it comes as no surprise.

[japetty]

Motorola has been sold by Google to Lenovo the company that purchased the hardware business of IBM a few years back.  The sale should be consummated by Google soon.

[Ziphron]

Oh!! Thanks for the tidbit...usually I follow that kinda stuff pretty closely, thank you for the info 😃  I wonder what that will mean for Motorola Mobility

[japetty]

The Motorola Mobility hardware business will go to Lenovo and Google is retaining the Motorola Mobility patients is the way I read the article.  I did not think when Google bought Motorola Mobility they really want to be in the hardware business.

[MyNote3Problems]

I have a Note 3.... You do not want a Note 3 if you need to use it as a phone. Horrible signal

[Ziphron]

I have a Note 3 as well...but I have no problems with signal.

[MyNote3Problems]

I've not had your luck. In my rural area it's almost useless. Never had this problem with my Razr Maxx nor my OG Motorola. Wife's S3 has no issue. Verizon has sent me one refurb already. The only way to use the phone in my house is with a network extender which would be great if we actually had great internet service. Check these forums and you'll find page after page of people with the same issue.

[cowboychincs]

Hey everyone.... the last Android release messed things up really bad for GS3 and Note 3 phones (as well as some other phones)... so I would NOT recommend moving to a Note 3 or a GS3 until VZW (Samsung) comes out with a new Android release to fix the issues we are having... look at the forum and look for Wi-Fi issues, battery drain, etc.  Tons of problems with no answer from VZW yet.  Not sure if the new KitKat release will fix any of these issues... as we cannot get any info from VZW.... just know that there are thousands of us who are suffering from the issues....

[michaeljtimko]

I called Verizon last night to drop two lines and before I ended the call, I asked about Kit Kat.  I explained that all of the Droid phones have it and the two other CDMA carriers (Sprint &  US Cellular) have it.  I asked what was the hold up getting it out to the S4 and Note 3?

In true Verizon fashion the answer was we don't know... maybe you should ask Samsung.

[sbclose678]

I'm also waiting with bated breath for the KitKat update. I have a Note 3 and haven't experienced any signal or reception issues with it so far.  I purchased the phone back in November 2013. 

However, I'm seeing some interesting commercials out of AT&T where you can have up to 4 phones, unlimited text and talk and now, 10G of shared data for $160 a month.  I have 3 phones and have 10g data, etc. and is costing me $100 a month more than that.  Wondering if I should eat the early termination fees and go over to AT&T?  Does anyone know if Verizon is planning on doing something similar to AT&T? 

I sure would like the KitKat update.  Thanks all.

[NexusMan21]

Those new AT&T plans are only if you join AT&T Next, or bring your own device. You cannot sign 2 year contracts for 4 lines, and get 4 phones for cheap and get the $160 a month. If you do 2 year contracts to get the cheap phone, you are stuck with the same pricing they had before which is very similar to what you are paying on Verizon now.

Those AT&T prices are very attractive, I have been thinking about them too. Verizon does not compete on price - I doubt they'll do anything significant like AT&T just did with their prices.

After paying your ETFs and getting new phones (at full retail), or through AT&T Next, it'll be a while before you start seeing the savings on AT&T.