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 most 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 been keen on updating its older devices, like the Galaxy S2 with Android 4.1 though there are still some updates That remainding missing for Several key devices here in the United States.
And while Samsung was’ve been hard at work updating its older devices with Android 4.1, Google Introduced another Jellybean update, One That has been elusive for many of the non-Nexus devices out there.
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean is currently king of the Android world in That it’s the Most Recent Version of Android That Google has unleashed upon the public. And while it’s not as massive of an update as Android 4.1 was, 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 been extremely slow with the Samsung Galaxy S4 Becoming one of the only non-Nexus smartphone to run Google’s most current software. Even the new HTC One, Which is HTC’s latest and greatest piece of hardware, is 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 break down 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The Samsung Galaxy S3 remains a top tier smartphone, despite the fact That it has been replaced by the Samsung Galaxy S4. And while it remains on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, an update That it received 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 alreadycreated are accustomed to being behind in terms of update speed.
AT & T has not yet confirmed the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean for its 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 we Should 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 looking likely for a roll-out. In fact, owners could even be waiting until the fall for the update to arrive. The international roll out is rumored for either May or June.
Also of note Is that the Sprint Galaxy S3 recently got Multi-Window View, a piece of the missing Premium Suite update, and it could meansthat the AT & T Galaxy S3 will receive the powerful multitasking feature in a future update as 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 certainkind That the device will get the update down the road.
Fortunately, Sprint owners will likely see the update arrive before most as Sprint has been extremely diligent When it comes to getting Android updates out in a speedy Mannerism. It beat other Galaxy S3 devices to Multi-Window View and it has pushed out the Galaxy Note 2 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.
T-Mobile is typically 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 spring for any of the features in the missing 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 most as it has, in the past, been fairly solid to updates but at other times been extremely slow, 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 thus, 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
Verizon is currently 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 been working hard at getting the software primed and ready for a release.
Still, Verizon is typically cargo to major updates and we expect it to be load 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 doing now? fully 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