Samsung Galaxy S4 Exynos model receiving Android 4.4 KitKat update

BY Abhijeet Mishra

Published 20 Feb 2014

s4-official-kitkat

Samsung’s official list of phones and tablets eligible for an update to Android 4.4.2 KitKat came out less than a day ago, and the Korean manufacturer is already pushing out the latest version of Android to one of those devices. According to SamMobile, owners of the octa-core variant of the Galaxy S4 (model number GT-I9500) in Russia can now update their phones to KitKat and leave the once exciting world of Jelly Bean firmly behind.

The update carries build number I9500XXUFNB3 and brings the usual array of KitKat features – minor UI changes including all-white status bar icons, reduced memory consumption, faster performance, default launcher and messaging app selection in settings, a dedicated camera icon and full screen music album art on the lock screen, wireless printing and NFC tap-to-pay support, and general stability improvements. The third-party accessory incompatibility that plagued the Galaxy Note 3 update shouldn’t affect the S4, but in case it does, I’m pretty sure Samsung will fix it with a followup update after enough users complain about it.

The OTA should pop up in your notifications menu at some point in the next few days, though it’ll likely be almost a month before every region and device is covered by the rollout. An update for the Snapdragon variant should follow soon, and if you’re feeling too impatient, checking manually in the Settings » About phone » General » Software update menu might help to keep you busy till the update actually arrives on your handset.