Samsung Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 update ignores customers
The Android 4.4 KitKat operating system update was recently introduced, and many smartphone manufacturers are already informing their customers about update schedules. Today we wonder why Samsung can’t do the same for the Galaxy S4, as so far customers have been pretty much ignored as far as the Samsung Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 update is concerned.
Over the next few weeks and months we will see the Android 4.4 update slowly rolled out to different devices. The likes of HTC, Motorola and Sony are announcing plans for the update to be pushed out to their flagships and other devices, but from Samsung there has been more of a deafening silence.
We know that the Samsung Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Note 2 will all receive Android 4.4 at some point. However, whereas other manufacturers are informing customers, Samsung has merely stated that rollout plans will be announced in due course.
Previously we spoke about how we felt Samsung should be trying to beat the competition to get the update pushed out to the flagship Galaxy S4. Since then we’ve heard more and more manufacturers announce devices that will receive the update and some have also announced timeframes.
We’ve already heard that the update is now beginning to roll out for Google Nexus devices first (as you’d expect), and HTC has already given its flagship HTC One customers news that the device will start to receive the update by the end of January. HTC has also just announced that the update is now ready to be approved for the HTC One Google Play Edition.
Motorola has also informed customers and announced that its new Moto G handset will release in some areas with Android 4.3, but in areas where the release is coming slightly later it will launch running Android 4.4. Motorola has also informed its customers that the popular Moto X will receive Android 4.4 in the coming weeks, and as well as this has provided customers with an update checker for other devices.
Then we have Sony who recently informed its customers about the first raft of its devices that will receive Android 4.4, including the Xperia Z1. Yesterday we also heard about how Chinese manufacturer Huawei has now announced its Ascend P6 will jump straight to Android 4.4 and that the rollout for the update will begin by late January.
Recently we discussed our expectations for the Android 4.4 update for the Galaxy S4, and one thing we noted was that going on Samsung’s past record, the company is unlikely to keep customers well informed about the update. Also when Samsung does feel the need to give out some information it’s likely to be pretty vague.
We do have to wonder at the wisdom of Samsung when it comes to keeping customers in the loop about OS updates. Samsung is the most dominant Android device manufacturer in the world, and you would think that might mean that it could at least reward its many loyal customers by issuing meaningful information about updates.
You might also imagine that given the vast resources of the company it could push these updates to customers much quicker than it usually does. It’s possible that this is all about to change and that when Samsung does finally feel its time to keep its customers informed, the update will be ready to go, but don’t hold your breath!
We’d be interested to hear what readers feel about how Samsung handles Android OS updates for its devices, particularly where keeping customers in the know is concerned. Please do send us your comments about the following, or any other aspect of the Android 4.4 update for Samsung devices.
Are you eagerly waiting to hear more about the Android 4.4 update for your Galaxy S4 or other Samsung mobile device? Are you generally happy about the speed at which Samsung pushes out OS updates for its devices, or are you surprised they take so long? Maybe you feel Samsung should be doing much more to inform its many customers about updates?
Comments
29 thoughts on “Samsung Galaxy S4 Android 4.4 update ignores customers”
so the point of this article was? where is the news then oh yeah looking for traffic well done on reporting nothing about the actual software useless site not going to bother reading your crap anymore
can anyone tell me wen am going to get andriod 4.3 for my s3 in india
I would like samsung to inform us s4 owners and other samsung customers like Apple inform their customers as it’s frustrating having to trawl the web to find out info ! Just saying. .
This article is trolling
Blah blah blah. I didnt get the latest update before those other guys whine whine whine. Shut up already. My S4 is fine and sniveling writers like this fool need to go home to mommy.
My Galaxy S4 has not received the 4.3 update I checked for update everyday on my phone and the KIES nothing yet for those of us resident in Nigeria
when will the 4.3 update reach us in Nigeria?
Updates are not important to me. When I bought my S4 I wasn’t thinking to myself “oh I can’t wait for my brand new phone to get updated”. When I buy a phone, I buy it as is. Updates are just sugar on top of what is already a excellent device. If people are that anal about “updates”, stop buying from Samsung and start buying directly
from Google. End of story…
And I agree with the person who said “this writer is a troll”. Stop writing about this BS and find us some useful information.
The previous comments criticising this story and the author make no sense and are completely unfounded. In my opinion it is very well written and makes many valid points.
The writer my be trolling slightly but the facts are quite accurate. i Have a S4 Google edition and the ONLY reason i purchased it is because i figured it would be updated as a nexus device. That is why they are soo expensive. Your paying a premium for it. If i knew Samsung would be so lax about updates i probably would of bought the HTC One Google edition. i thought Google editions devices were mandatory to receive the update within 15 days as the device is provided by Google?
You really can’t compare Samsung to other manufacturers. They have a ton of phones to update while the other manufacturers are completely ignoring their older phones. The update will come in due time and they don’t rush out an update as they apparently did with the update for the S3.
One other thing, outside of the Nexus line Samsung has been the best Android OEM for updates.
I just got 4.3 on Tuesday on my Galaxy S4, the first update since I purchased the phone in April. I’m guessing 4.4 will not be rolling out until February.
I would love to have the 4.4 update. Still waiting for 4.3.
Being a Samsung device user and a T-Mobile customer, I am confident that I will be one of the last people to get the update. Great companies both in other areas, but famous for not having speedy updates or even letting us know about when it might possibly happen.
Man its ridiculous. I can’t believe I have an s4 and the latest official update is still 4.2.2. Now of course I am rooted and actually on 4.4 but its about the lack of respect. Why is the flagship phone 2android versions behind? Last Samsung phone I will buy. BC they have a I don’t give a f*** attitude toward they’re customers.
Already rooted and currently using KitKat 4.4 on my galaxy s4
talk cock?we talk original firmware
did yor baseband change?
Samsung has been better than a couple years ago…remember the original galaxy s? At least my S2 received 3 software updates…yes they could be a little faster but it’s not that bad
If the sn2 is to get 4.4 we wont see it before june no matter what the so called insiders say. I dont care much anymore if and when the updates arrive ive waited to long. The forums manage write articles without a single concrete fact only conjecture and inference.
I’m on sprint and my s3 still hadn’t seen 4.3. That was supposed to happen November 6th.. so giving dates Is irrelevant, since they can’t keep them.
I wouldn’t update to 4.3 yet anyways. I got it a couple weeks ago on my S4 and have been experiencing many of the bugs that have been reported – it will randomly freeze and shut down apps, the Mobile Data button is missing, random shutdowns… If it does get issued to you, I’d suggest waiting to update until Samsung issues a patch with it.
That’s why I got the s4. It’s a shame that the s3 is still on 4.1. If history repeats itself, the s4 will remain on 4.3 until the 3rd or 4th quarter of 2014. While they push the s5 running 4.4. I’m done with Samsung. They ignore me, I’ll ignore them when I buy phones.
Still Samsung is focussing on Phones than Tablets.Tablets are the least considered for the update.I do have a Note 8.0 which was launched about the same time of Galaxy S4 & is one of their premium devices but still I am stuck on 4.2.2.Android 4.3 was rolled out on June 2013 & 4.4 on November & still they can’t promise OS updates on such premium devices.What a pity since we are paying premium,we don’t get the equal treatment…
i bought the s2 epic 4g touch, s3 and now s4. now that sprint is carrying a nexus device, i’m done with samsung. timely updates are important to me.
I am a loyal customer of Samsung. Previously I had 2 galaxy s3 and a galaxy note 2 and now am using galaxy s4. I got and 4.3 update for my international galaxy s4 version last month. I wonder why Samsung is not announcing 4.4 update for their currently flagship devices. Galaxy s4 will get android 4.4 update but why they are so late in updating their devices? If you go through past records you will notice that Samsung used to update galaxy series phones much faster. But now thwy are very slow in pushing latest updates. I will buy a Nexus 5 in January if I see am not getting any update for my Galaxy S4 till January. Nexus phones are always the best choice if u want to taste the latest android versions. Smooth and faster than any other Android phone due to lack of bloatwares.
Sometimes I wonder who these companies employ in their PR departments. I don’t think they realise that even if they ARE one of the last companies to update their flagship, if the customers know WHEN they will get the updates they will be 10x happier.
My past smartphone was the HTC Evo and the S4 was my first Samsung. I was thrilled with the S4, but the 4.3 update has completely messed it up (freezing, shutting down, missing components, etc… and I’m just an average user). It’s bad enough that I’m looking up if I can reset back to 4.2 or if I have to root to get around the problems. Since the 4.3 update seems to have been botched, I think Samsung would save face best if they pushed the 4.4 update through. Why toss out a temporary patch job when you can placate users with a brand new OS? At least, I would rather know that someone is working on it than to sit in the dark hoping for something. If this is how Samsung treats its customers, I think I’ll be choosing Nexus or HTC next year.
Considering they’ve botched all hope of using custom software by employing a locked bootloader in 4.3 , this will be my last Samsung… Pushing knox onto non company phones and expecting most of us to like it just killed me buying a s5…