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Android 4.4.2 KitKat Update Rolling Out Right Now for Your AT&T Samsung Galaxy S4

Feb 26, 2014 09:53 PM
Feb 26, 2014 10:21 PM
Smartphone displaying a software update notification on a background of candy wrappers.

The newest version of Android, 4.4.2 KitKat, is making its way onto AT&T Samsung Galaxy S4sright now. Itching to try out the latest that Google has to offer? Keep an eye on your status bar for a notification letting you know that a system update is ready.

Some of changes you can expect, aside from an upgrade to KitKat, are Samsung Galaxy Gear compatibility, the ability to drag and drop to uninstall or disable apps, and call reliability improvements.

If You Don't See the OTA 4.4.2 Update Yet

If you don't see the notification yet, you can manually fetch the over-the-air (OTA) update. Head to your GS4's Settings -> More -> About device -> Software update -> Check for updates, then press OK at the bottom.

Device information screen displaying software update status and legal information.
AT&T software update screen showing options to check for updates and continue update.
AT&T software update prompt on a smartphone.
Device information screen displaying software update status and legal information.
AT&T software update screen showing options to check for updates and continue update.
AT&T software update prompt on a smartphone.

You'll need to be on a Wi-Fi connection (you can't update over mobile data), and as the update can use 412 MB to 842 MB of storage (depending on your current Android version), have at least 850 MB of free space on your device.

AT&T software update notification for device connection to Wi-Fi.
AT&T software update in progress, downloading via Wi-Fi.
AT&T software update notification for device connection to Wi-Fi.
AT&T software update in progress, downloading via Wi-Fi.

It also wouldn't hurt to have a fully charged battery, or just keep your phone plugged in, so it doesn't run out of juice in the middle of the update.

How to Bypass the 24-Hour Waiting Period

It may tell you that your software is already up to date, and to check back in 24 hours. While you're limited to checking for updates once every 24 hours, you can use a little softModder trick to get around that. Head to your GS4's Settings -> More -> Date and time.

AT&T software update confirmation screen indicating current software is up to date.
Smartphone settings menu with options for location services, security, application manager, battery, date and time, developer options, and about device.
Date and time settings on a mobile device.
AT&T software update confirmation screen indicating current software is up to date.
Smartphone settings menu with options for location services, security, application manager, battery, date and time, developer options, and about device.
Date and time settings on a mobile device.

Uncheck the box for Automatic date and time, and you'll be able to set the date manually. Simply forward the clock a day and you'll be able to run the software check again. Just don't forget to set it back to automatic time once you're done getting the update.

Have a Rooted GS4? Some Things You Should Know

If you're rooted (most likely on 4.3 or 4.2.2), you might not want to update to KitKat quite yet. For one, OTAs and modded phones don't play well with each other. If you do download the OTA, it'll probably fail during installation. Secondly, on the off chance that you do get the update to work on your GS4, you'll lose root.

My advice? Hold off on updating until this build of KitKat has been rooted. It's only a matter of time until developers find a way to root, and we should be able to get some flashable Odin files to manually upgrade to KitKat.

But stay tuned—when the rooted version of the update is released, we'll have your download link and instructions here.

The next big software update for iPhone is coming sometime in April and will include a Food section in Apple News+, an easy-to-miss new Ambient Music app, Priority Notifications thanks to Apple Intelligence, and updates to apps like Mail, Photos, Podcasts, and Safari. See what else is coming to your iPhone with the iOS 18.4 update.

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