Thanks to a test leak, the Samsung Galaxy S4 I9505 can now be updated to Android 4.4.2 KitKat with the build number of XXUFNAD. Please note that this is an official build that can only be installed manually and not an official OTA release by Samsung. The reason is that it is in testing stages, and Sammy is not ready to roll it out yet. With that being said, there is the potential to come across a few bugs and minor stability flaws that will be fixed by the developers. It is the official firmware made by Samsung though, so there isn’t a need to worry too much about it. That big advantage of downloading and installing the XXUFNAD firmware is that it will have all the new features that come with the Android 4.4.2. So, if you want to update and find out what they are and don’t mind a slight dip in performance to have them, then upgrading the Galaxy S4 should interest you. You can find everything you need to know is below.
New features:
When you enter the code and get through the pass code lock screen, the first update you will see will be in the status bar running along the top of the screen. All of the icons in this tray will now be completely white. There was some green mixed in there and some orange. Now everything is just plain white. In my opinion, it does look good, and it also helps to make the status visible for all the icons.
The camera is more accessible. In the bottom right hand corner of the lock screen is a small camera icon similar to what Apple did with iOS 7. You can click the icon and now have access to taking photos without needing to know what the pass code is to unlock it. This helps if the phone isn’t yours and you want to take a quick picture of something. The test build might not have this feature just yet. There are reports that some people don’t see it there. Once the official release comes out, then it will definitely be there for you.
One thing you will notice in this build is an update to the landscape keyboard. To use the landscape mode, turn the phone on its side so that it’s in your hands long ways and not the usual way up. The keyboard will automatically rotate with the Smartphone, giving you a longer mode to use it in.
Most of the other features come internally to do with the hardware and software performance. It does perform better than the older firmware. It is faster, and you can notice this as soon as you boot it up.
Prerequisites:
This guide is for the GT-I9505 model galaxy S4 only. Knowing that, do not try to install it on any of the others because it won’t work and could cause damage to the device.
Use Samsung KIES to download the correct USB drivers. The right drivers will help the device be recognized by the computer and by the ODIN program.
Back up all the personal data and settings to the internal storage MicroSD card. This way, if anything does go wrong and you need to do a full factory reset to fix any issues, you will have your data still there to use again. When we do the factory reset the phone will be reset to the way it was when it first came out of the box. There aren’t any applications or contacts left stored.
Make sure that the Smartphone has at least 60% battery power remaining so that it gets through the guide without turning off. The last thing you want is for the device to not make it because that can cause big problems such as bricking.
Extra Details of the XXUFNAD firmware:
Model: GT-I9505
Country: Open Europe
Version: Android 4.4.2
Changelist: 481100
Build date: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 22:02:19 +0000
Product Code: OXX
PDA: I9505XXUFNAD
CSC: I9505OXXFNA2
MODEM: I9505XXUFNAD
How To Update Galaxy S4 I9505 With XXUFNAD Android 4.4.2 KitKat Leaked Firmware
1. Click here and download the file.
2. You will need to have ODIN pre-installed. It gets used for all manual Android firmware installations. If this is your first time doing so, you can get ODIN from here. Once it’s finished downloading, install it and open the application up.
3. Boot the handset into download mode. Pressing Home, Power and Volume down simultaneously will do this.
4. Connect the S4 to the computer with the USB cable.
5. Click on the PDA option inside ODIN and upload the XXUFNAD firmware file.
6. Leave all the default settings the way they appear already and click the start button to begin the flashing.
Once you have finished, you can click on “Settings” and scroll down to the “General” option. Inside here click on the “About Phone” section and you should now see that your Galaxy S4 is running Android 4.4.2. This way we can confirm that the update did work for you. If it didn’t work, you may want to go over the guide one more time and try again. There is likely something you missed out, or you can leave a comment or click on the contact section and reach out to us for some help.