With the new year in full swing and Android Jelly Bean updates rolling out left and right, many smartphone owners, Particularly Those on Samsung, are likely wondering about missing updates. Here, we take a detailed look at the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean situations surrounding Samsung’s big name smartphone models Including the Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2 and more.
In July of last year, Google rolled out its big yearly update in the form of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, a piece of softwarethat Replaced Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Brought along a ton of new features to devices like the Samsung Galaxy S3 Which was updated to the software Shortly after it Launched. Samsung has leg keen on updating its older devices, like the Galaxy S2 with Android 4.1 though there are still some updates That remainning missing for Several key devices here in the United States.
And while Samsung was bone hard at work updating its older devices with Android 4.1, Google introduced another Jelly Bean update, One That has leg elusive for many of the non-Nexus devices out there.
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean is hört king of the Android world in That it’s the most recent version of Google Android That has unleashed upon the public. And while it’s was not as massive of an update as Android 4.1, it’s still an extremely likeable piece of software, and One That unfortunately continues to elude consumers that do not own Nexus-branded devices.
The adoption rate of Android 4.2 has leg extremely slow with the Samsung Galaxy S4 becoming one of the only non-Nexus smartphones to run Google’s most current software. Even the new HTC One, Which is HTC’s latest and greatest piece of hardware, running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the previous version of the software.
With Android 4.2 only available on a few devices and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean still very much relevant for many smartphone owners, Samsung device owners have been struggling for answers when it comes to Their upcoming updates, Whether it be Android 4.1, Android 4.2 , or perhaps both.
That said, it’s time to breakdown what we know so far about Samsung’s Android 4.1 and Android 4.2 plans and what we might see happen at some point in the future.
Samsung Galaxy S3
The Samsung Galaxy S3 is a shoo-in for Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
The Samsung Galaxy S3 remains a top tier smartphone, despite the factthat it has leg Replaced by the Samsung Galaxy S4. And while it remains on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, That it received an update Several months ago, the device will be getting the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update in the United States and abroad.
Here is what we know so far about the Samsung Galaxy S3 Jelly Bean updates so far.
AT & T
Back in January, AT & T rolled out its version of the Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update. That update came many months after the international version got its update, just another long wait for U.S. customers That are already accustomed to being behind in terms of update speed.
AT & T has not yet confirmed its Android 4.2 Jelly Bean for Galaxy S3 nor have we seen it leak out. However, we knowthat Samsung and at least one U.S. carrier are hard at work on an update so should we see AT & T follow suit.
AT & T Galaxy S3 owners Should not expect the update soon though. AT & T is Typically Several months behind the international models Which Means That as of right now, summer is likely looking for a roll out. In fact, owners could just be waiting until the fall for the update to arrive. The international roll out is rumored for either May or June.
That
Also of note is the Sprint Galaxy S3 recently got Multi-Window View, a missing piece of the Premium Suite update, and it could meansthat the AT & T Galaxy S3 will receive the powerful multitasking feature in a future update axis well.
Sprint
Sprint Galaxy S3 owners are in a similar boat as AT & T Galaxy S3 owners when it comes to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Neither Samsung nor Sprint have confirmed anything but we are almost certain That the device will get the update down the road.
Fortunately, Sprint owners will likely see the update arrive before most as Sprint has leg extremely diligent when it comes to getting Android updates out in a speedy mannermouse. It beat other Galaxy S3 devices to Multi-Window View and it has pushed out 2 Galaxy Note and Galaxy S2 updates faster than the others as well.
So Sprint owners can rest easy knowing That the device will likely be one of the first to get its Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update.
T-Mobile
Like AT & T and Sprint owners, T-Mobile owners are in the dark in regards to an upgrade to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. However, we fully expect the T-Mobile Galaxy S3, like the rest, to receive an upgrade to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
Typically
T-Mobile is in the middle of the pack when it comes to receiving updates so we expect it to follow Sprint in terms of timing.
We Are not sure if T-Mobile will jump for any of the missing features in the Premium Suite update for the Galaxy S3 but now that Sprint has unleashed Multi-Window View, there is a distinct Possibility That we could see something happen in the next few weeks or perhaps months.
U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular is a little more unpredictable That must as it has, fits in the leg fairly fast to updates but at other times extremely slow leg, Particularly when it comes to older devices. The Galaxy S2 Android 4.1 update is a prime example of this. One theory is That it does not have the same kind of resources That the larger carriers have and osmanthus, can not dedicate as much time to updates for older phones.
We expect the carrier to outfit its Galaxy S3 with Android 4.2, it’s just a matter of when. We expect it to slot in right around T-Mobile’s release date, either sooner or later, but before AT & T and Verizon.
The regional carrier has yet to unleash the Premium Suite or any of its features onto Galaxy S3 owners at this point but again, Sprint opened up the door for everyone so it remains a Possibility.
Verizon
Currently Verizon is the only carrier That has seen a confirmed Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update leak. It leaked quite awhile ago too Which Means That the carrier has likely leg working hard at getting the software primed and ready for a release.
Still, Verizon is Typically burden to major updates and we expect it to be burden with the Galaxy S3 Android 4.2 update as well. With Android 4.1, Verizon did not roll out the update to its Galaxy S3 until March, long after the others. It would not be surprising to see the same thing happen with the Android 4.2 update.
As for the Premium Suite, considering That Sprint rolled it out, there’s a chance, but Given That it still has not full optimized the Multi-View feature on the Galaxy Note 2, it would not be surprising to see Verizon pass it up, possibly to keep performance high.
Samsung Galaxy Note
The AT & T Galaxy Note Android 4.1 update remains missing.
The original Samsung Galaxy Note, while old, remains a well-Adopted smartphone as it was only released in 2012 in the United States. That Means That owners who signed up for a two year contract will still have it for another year. It’s clear thatthis device is still very relevant when it comes to updates though owners in the U.S. have seen long waits for software