While the KitKat 4.4 update has been made available for many handsets in the US, the Verizon version of it is still missing for the Samsung Galaxy S4. So people are now waiting on Verizon to announce when the update will take place.
Samsung started pushing the update out for KitKat 4.4 for the Samsung Galaxy S4 in February and it first landed on Sprint and then went out to handsets beyond the US.
This is unusual as it is usually the other way around, with international handsets receiving updates first.
The roll out of an update usually spreads out over several weeks and this has not been the exception. Verizon are the biggest carrier in the US and it is usually the last to offer updates. It is the only carrier in the US not to have the KitKat 4.4 update at the moment.
However we don’t think that Verizon is going to skip KitKat 4.4, four of their rivals already pushed it out and there haven’t been any major difficulties due to the update released outside of the US.
It was said some weeks ago that the update was being tested internally and Verizon does like to take its time. So Verizon is weeks behind the rest of the carriers, but this is something that is normal.
Verizon will not push out the update any differently to what they have done in the past with other updates. In the past Verizon have updated their update page and then sent out OTA updates on the same day. These usually take a few days to complete, so owners don’t see the update all on the same day. The roll outs are random so you cannot pinpoint when and where it will take place.
There were some issue with the Android 4.3 update and some US carriers had to halt it thanks to issues on board the software, the same thing happened in the UK. However it’s not likely that the same thing will happen this time.
KitKat 4.4 is much smaller and Verizon will have had plenty of time with it to ensure that it runs smoothly.
Of course Verizon will not be the last to offer the update, or they shouldn’t be. We don’t expect carriers such as C Spire, Cricket and MetroPCS to offer the update before Verizon. While Verizon is typically the last major carrier to send out the update, in the past they have always sent out updates before the smaller competitors.
