Right now I am mixed emotions over the fact that Google decided not to release the 4.4.2 for Galaxy S3 internationally including my homeland of Australia. On the other end of the spectrum, we are now right in the thick of Android 4.4.3 rumors and news flying around everywhere. It is easy to get confused and overly excited at these times, but the show must go on. One device that isn’t straying either side of the fence just yet is the N9005XXUEND6 Galaxy Note 3 LTE version. Owners of this model are receiving Android 4.4.2 over the air or OTA as we speak. To check if it is sitting and waiting for your hands to get to work navigate to Settings > General > About device > Software update > Update and your device.
Many regard this as a minor update and while that is hard to dispute there are several cool features included in it that I love. The first is the camera icon on the lock screen. It lets anybody that picked up the smartphone click the widget and use the camera. The only way that it can be a bad thing is if you are doing something naughty and somebody snaps a picture of you. Other than that there is nothing but good things to come from it because it does not give access to the past photos that have been taken. There is no privacy concerns about existing photos and it means you do not need to yell your pass code across the beach so somebody can take a photo for you. It does come with the option of moving it away from here though if it does not suit your need. For most people, it should be a blessing.
The next favorite of mine is all white icon in the status bar. I believe Google and the Android development team steered clear of this idea because it was too bland/boring/plain. However, call me crazy, but I think it looks gorgeous like that. It is supposedly to suit the Kitkat 4.4 theme. You will also notice a few font inside of the notification tray. It is only a very slight difference but also to better suit the design of KitKat stock.
By now we have seen this update roll out to many devices including the Droid DNA, the soak test on the Droid Ultra, Droid MAXX and Droid Mini. Other devices to receive Android 4.4.2 already are the Moto G, Moto X, LG G2, G Flex, One Max and many other devices that are not this year’s flagship models. And for that matter not even this years handsets at all. So, with that in mind, it is more a case of “about time” rather than “wahoo,” but anyway it is still great to see the new software coming for owners I am sure. We have covered what is in the version extensively all over our site and it is expected to be much the same for all different smartphones and tablet so take a look around at all the information available.
Also included in this firmware is some fantastic Easter Eggs that are like games to play. We know the Mountain View company loves to include these activities to keep fans amused and to let them know that it is OK to have a good time with their devices. Not like Apple who don’t let you do anything with them and are uptight about it all. Go to Settings > About and tap on the Android version number or build number repeatedly to find the hidden eggs. It will make a letter appear on the screen. Keep tapping the letter fast to see the KitKat logo. Tap it again and you get the same picture that I have included in this post. It shows all of the different and past Android software versions such as Jellybean, Ice Cream Sandwich, Honeycomb, Gingerbread and more!
If you have had enough reading about it and want to start the manual installation using the file then I already have made the guide for you to follow here.