It was only days ago that a member from the XDA Developers forum told us there was a “big update” on the horizon for the Xperia E3. We already knew the build number as 18.5.A.0.26. If you are an owner of the Sony Xperia E3 smartphone you should keep your eyes peeled on the notifications panel for the new 18.5.A.0.26 firmware as it’s starting to roll out to devices over the air. The new software update is a version of Android 4.4.4 KitKat.
Although the XDA Developers forum picked this is a large update, we know from experience that likely isn’t true. Since most of the features of Android KitKat come patched in the earlier Android 4.4.2 KitKat including white status bar, white navigation bar, cloud printing, new color emoji, immersive mode and the full screen album art from the lock screen, we know the last stages of KitKat to come with much less. Android 4.4.4 typically comes with a fix for the OpenSSL security and a revamped phone dialer–although that doesn’t happen for every device. In addition to those chances, Sony always update some of their own bloatware and native applications/services. You might see those changes in this installment.
For now, information on what’s inside this build in scarce because it’s hot off the press. We’ll learn more about it in the coming days and hopefully update the story with all the features inside. These type of minor updates usually come with a great deal of bug fixes for devices. If you are suffering from bugs yourself it’s always a great idea to update the phone as soon as possible because a fix might be inside for you.
We don’t know if this update is coming out for the Sony Xperia E3 Dual D2212. It doesn’t seem as though the 18.5.A.0.26 build is coming out for that device yet. However, it might continue rolling to more handsets in the days and weeks ahead.
Those erring on the side of caution should backup the data before selecting the “download’ and “install now” options from the display. You should find it rolling direct to the Update Center soon. All over the air updates roll out to devices in stages, meaning you could be waiting a while before it reaches you. Try to accept the notification using the WiFi and not the mobile data plan. That way you are skipping the high traffic over the network.
Let us know in the comments any questions you have, plus any additional information including feature you are finding after installing the OTA.