Last Updated on April 11, 2017 by Mathew Diekhake
Samsung is pushing out a new Android 4.4.4 KitKat OTA update to the Galaxy S3 Neo smartphone. The news comes as an astonishment since it beats the likes of the current Galaxy S5 flagship that is only several months old. Moreover, another Galaxy Alpha that is the S5 with aluminum trimmings and slightly better specs has not yet seen the light of day on the shelves. Nevertheless, it is what Sammy has done so for Neo owners today is a fantastic day to update. Whats’s more, the file for manual installation is already available even though the over the air software is only starting to find its way to device settings and as a notification. If you prefer to wait it out for the notice to come automatically you can do that. However, remember that you should use a stable home WiFi connection instead of the mobile data. If you are away from home, remember to navigate your way to Settings > About Device and Check for Updates that way.
So far there are few smartphone and tablet manufacturers releasing this number build. Likewise, we know that Sammy has not gone ahead and pushed the update out for Sammy in their own range and they are one of the top OEM’s to normally be on top of their game and come out first with new software. It’s plausible that they are testing to see the reaction of how the software goes on the Neo before giving the all clear, but that is unusual behavior as the builds are well and truly tested before release anyway.
Remember these updates roll out in phases. That means no two people receive it at the same time and some can wait for weeks until it reaches their handsets. For those of you looking to skip the waiting queue and install it promptly then you can follow the guide we have listed below. However, before you go that far, lets run through some prerequisites so you know what you are doing and also don’t make any unnecessary mistakes that were avoidable with better knowledge.
We have word that people residing in Kazakhstan are starting to see the firmware. No other parts of the world have witnessed it just yet. It will come to other areas, but not all areas. Therefore, if you know you are in one of the regions that it is not coming there’s no point waiting for the notification. Anybody can install this manually for anywhere in the world as long as you have the model number I9300I.
- Make sure you backup the data to the internal or external memory options. Make copies of the phone contacts, market apps, picture and photo galleries, SMS texts with SMS Backup and more. If you are having trouble getting the job done, try using any number of the applications available from the official Play Store including Helium and Titanium backup.
- There is not any official change log posted for this firmware yet by Sammy so we don’t know what is inside. Nonetheless, we do know about 4.4.4 KitKat from other handsets. We know that this build comes with the OpenSSL protocol security fix. If you do not want to compromise the security, then this is one you do not want to miss out on. Furthermore, users should know that they will have a performance boost and small UI tweaks after the new build is running.
- Check that you are using a Windows-based computer, notebook or laptop. The Odin tool we are using today is made by Samsung developers and is specially made for flashing files. Conversely, they do not cater for any computers that are not under the Microsoft name such as Apple Mac and Linux or Unix based systems. people can flash firmware with other machines but not using this tool. Try searching XDA Developers threads on the forum for ideas on how to use the other operating systems if you cannot find a Windows PC.
- In addition, we want to stop all security programs from hampering with proceedings. Stop the virus protection, malware protection and the spyware protection from running on the computer and the Android smartphone. Consider turning them on again before browsing the internet after you finish to shun threats and attacks online from nasty Trojan horses and other infections.
- Validate the USB Drivers so we know they are up to date. Check that USB Debugging Mode is enabled from the Develop Options menu screen. If you do not turn this on we cannot connect the devices together and nothing will work. In some cases this menu is hidden in early builds of Jelly Bean. If you are running that now you will need to unlock the Developer Options by tapping the build number seven times from the About Device menu.
- There are lots to love in the S3 Neo including a big display, high pixel density screen, over 300 ppi, high-resolution display, dual SIM card support, lots of RAM, quad core processor, NFC, fast 4G mobile data support and a High-resolution camera, but the one feature we will find relevant to use today is the USB Charging option. With USB charging we can connect the handset to a computer with the USB wire and it will start powering up the battery automatically without us using the standard phone charger at all. Given that most of this guide is done while connected, there’s no point wasting time in making sure the battery has enough power. However, if you check the status bar and notice it is not charging you will want to save up at least 505 power before starting the guide.
How to update the Samsung Galaxy S3 Neo I9300I to Android 4.4.4 KitKat
Start by turning on the computer. Turn the mobile device off to step three.
1. Download the I9300IXXUBNH3 file here.
2. Download Odin 3.09 here.
Extract the content of both files and put them on the desktop. Run the Odin application so that it is open and ready on the computer monitor for when we come back to it in a minute.
3. Boot the S3 Neo into Download Mode.
– press and hold Volume Down + Power + Home keys at the same time.
4. Get a hold of the USB cable.
– It often connects the phone charger to the wall outlet.
5. Connect the two machines with the USB wire.
6. Watch as the ID: COM port inside Odin turns to blue or yellow.
– it will display the ‘added’ message.
If those two descriptions did not happen it’s time to download the USB Drivers again.
7. Press the AP button and upload the I9300IXXUBNH3 firmware file.
8. Do not check the re-partition box unless you are using a Pit file.
9. Leave the default settings as they are in Odin. they include:
– Auto reboot on.
– F Reset Time on.
10. Double check that everything is as we mentioned.
11. Press the start button and wait for the flashing to commence.
12. Do not touch any keys or buttons on either machine until the flashing finishes.
13. Close down Odin after it says ‘Pass” on the screen and the ID: COM ports change to a favorable color.
14. Stop over at the system tray and stop the USB Mass Storage device.
Now that you are finished, you can enjoy the latest KitKat experience anybody is using at the moment until we see the official Android L release. You can download the Samsung firmware application from the Google Play store to check if you have the latest version running on your mobile in the future.