An alleged internal Samsung document leaked Wednesday shows a list of devices getting the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update, and implies that the Android 4.4 upgrade for the Galaxy s3 international model (GT-I9300) may be cancelled.
SamMobile, a site specializing in rumors concerning Samsung mobile devices, released the document on Wednesday. The paper, dated April 25 of this year, shows what appears to be an official Samsung letterhead.
One already confirmed information from the memo is the April release date of the Android 4.4 update for the Galaxy Note 2. Last week, Samsung had released the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update for the Galaxy Note 2, though it is going to be awhile before roll out completes across all major U.S. mobile service provided.
Users may start seeing the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update for the Galaxy S3 LTE, Galaxy Note 2 LTE, and Galaxy Note 3 Neo by May 2014. And, it is possible that Samsung will start pushing out a similar update for the Galaxy S4 Mini, Galaxy S4 Mini LTE, Galaxy Grand 2, Galaxy Mega 5.8, and Galaxy Mega 6.3 by June. Whether this prediction will become reality depends entirely on the authenticity of the document.
The release date for the gt-19300 Samsung Galaxy s3 update has been left out, which does not boad well for overseas users. Hype for a possible Android 4.4.2 KitKat update on the Samsung Galaxy s3 began after Sprint made an announcement promising such update earlier this year. Sure enough, Sprint delivered on this promise by rolling out this update just last week. However, the upgrade was only available for the U.S. version of the Samsung Galaxy s3.
As of now though, other major U.S. carriers have neither announced nor released an Android 4.4.2 KitKat update for any version the Samsung Galaxy s3. Naysayers have already predicted a very limited release of the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update for the aging Galaxy s3 -- a device that was released back in 2012.
According to SamMobile, the informant of the alleged memo reported that Samsung's development team was having difficulties implementing the Android 4.4.2 KitKat upgrade with the TouchWiz application on the Galaxy s3 - preventing the device from loading system apps. As a result, developers reportedly stopped further testing "until further notice." The report made no mention of Sprint's recent roll-out of the Android 4.4.2 KitKat for the Samsung Galaxy s3.
The Android 4.4.2 KitKat Update was first released in February for Samsung Galaxy s4. So far it has already rolled out for Sprint, AT&T and Verizon customers.
As for the Galaxy Note 2, the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update was available to French users only, but the update may roll out to users of other countries soon. Sprint rivals have not been idle, and recently AT&T released the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.
The Android 4.4.2 KitKat is not considered a major update, and mainly consists of fixes that include enhanced user interfaces, GPS functions, and messaging. Still, the software is a high-demand upgrade amongst a number of Android users. Despite promises from Samsung, this latest Android 4.4 update remains unavailable across a number of service providers and devices.
There is already rumor that Google is hard at work developing the Android 4.5. Based on the progress of the Android 4.4.2 KitKat rollout, there may be a possibility users will see both Android 4.4 and Android 4.5 updates occurring simultaneously. Whether or not this will happen remains yet another mystery.
