If you own the Nexus 10, you can now update to Android 4.4.3 Kitkat software that has the build number of KTU84L by clicking the link, I’ve included at the bottom of this page. The Nexus 10 zip file became available at the same time as the Nexus 4, but we ran out of time to cover both yesterday so we thought we’d cover the smartphones first and finish the tablet off today. It may be later, but the advantage is you can read up on everything we know about this build that is more than we knew yesterday.
It is the latest version of Android that you can install on your device. It has rolled out to most of the nexus family of devices already, and several other names including the Google Ply Edition of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the flagships from last year and this year for HTC called the M7 and M8. It won’t be long until we see the Galaxy S5 coming with this, but T-Mobile are the phone carrier managing to introduce these builds first, and the S5 had an SMS bug that needed addressing so they rolled that out for now instead. What we have here, of course, is for the Google Nexus 10 today, and I’ve managed to find out a lot about what is inside. Each day that goes by exposes us to extra information, and we are now starting to get a good understanding of what is inside.
Before I start, it would be cruel of me to get you too excited because it doesn’t bring much, by the way, of UI improvements or features. That will be saved for a later date when we make the jump up to a new name.
First off the phone dialer is new. It is one of the biggest standout features in this build. It is blue and white where it once was a much darker gray or black. There are new pictures for the contacts list. The graphics have changed, and it is easy to see if you are using avatars with real photos to get a better understanding of it. Sometimes people just use letters or colors, and it is hard to tell. I’m personally not a big fan of the new shape. I continually tried to get away from square picture for my website and since I couldn’t I got rid of them. I like the type that looks like a widescreen, but square is without a doubt coming back towards graphics-fashion if there is such a thing. Who knows, maybe Google are onto something with this, and I am behind. There are a lot of bug fixes rolling out in this firmware that address WiFi problems, Telus, 3G problems, camera issues and other features similar. As always, if you have noticed a bug in your current software then obviously it is a good idea to download and install this OTA or manually as soon as possible because there is a very good chance that there is a solution the problem you were facing. The speed has enhancements again. It is getting harder to pick up on the speed and usability of the OS because it was already very good in previous KitKat versions, but I feel as though it has taken another step ahead in the direction to perfection.
As I mentioned, users are starting to receive this over the air. It will come as a system notification but if you want to check it manually if it is there for you go to Settings > About tablet > System updates > Check now. It is similar to what we always say for the smartphone directions except because the Nexus 120 is a tablet we need to go to About tablet instead of phone.
The downside with OTA is that it takes a long time to reach everybody. So your friend might already have it but you are waiting and waiting until you can’t wait anymore so you use this file. That’s perfectly OK, and it will give you the same experience it just takes a little more effort. To install it manually, you will need a custom recovery this time instead of Odin. That has been a way for all of these files so far no matter which Nexus device you have. We’ll try and post a guide shortly if we have time so check back later to the home page as see if it is up. If you do not have a custom recovery, it can be flashed from the stock recovery, you will need ADB. If you don’t know how to execute ADB side load then, it will be better to sort after a professional guide that is a lot more helpful and in full detail.What I’m writing now is just a post to update on the news and a comprehensive guide will be posted later today or over the weekend.
Download the KTU84L OTA Zip file from here.