KitKat now rolling out to Sony’s Xperia Z Ultra, Z1 and Z1 Compact
An Android 4.4 KitKat update for the Xperia Z Ultra, Z1 and Z1 Compact is rolling out as of today, Sony’s announced. In addition to what the newer OS version itself brings, Sony’s folded in some tweaks of its own, like a reworked status bar and quick-settings menu, a couple of PS4-inspired UI elements and updated forms of Sony’s stock and media apps. While KitKat might be ready for this trio of devices, remember that availability depends on where you live and what carrier your handset may be bound to, so don’t bet on a notification popping up this very afternoon. Sony confirmed back in November that the Xperia Z, ZL, ZR and Tablet Z, too, were eligible for a KitKat update, but they’ll have to wait until at least “mid-Q2″ for their snacks. In better news, the Xperia T2 Ultra, E1 and M2 have been added to that exclusive list, though we can’t give you even vague timelines for when these updates might be available just yet.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Sony
Via: Android Central
Source: Sony
Google Wallet’s tap and pay soon to be exclusive to KitKat and up
Google will soon be cutting off support for the tap and pay feature on devices not running yet running KitKat. Pre-KitKat devices aren’t quite as secure as devices running 4.4 and up thanks to some firmware updates introduced in the latest version.
In laymen’s terms, the new firmware allows the wallet app and the processor to provide the protection, which is why it will no longer be supported on older versions of the OS.
Here’s Google’s official statement:
We wanted to let you know about an update to Google Wallet that might change the way you use the app. Right now it looks like you’re using tap and pay with a device running an Android version older than 4.4 KitKat. On the newest version of Android, tap and pay works with different technology for an improved experience. As a result, starting on April 14, 2014, tap and pay will no longer work for devices with older Android versions.
Tap and pay will be available for most devices running Android 4.4 KitKat. If you are able to upgrade to KitKat now, you can check if your device supports tap and pay. Supported devices will display a tile in your “My Wallet” screen that tells you to set up tap and pay. For devices that are not eligible for Android 4.4 KitKat or don’t support tap and pay, you can still use the Google Wallet app to store all of your loyalty cards and offers, send money to your friends, view your orders, and use the Google Wallet Card to make purchases.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for continuing to be a loyal Wallet user.
If you have any questions, please visit our Help Center. Sincerely, The Google Wallet Team
Anyone out these think this will pose a serious issue? Anyone using this feature on a device running Jellybean or below?
Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
The post Google Wallet’s tap and pay soon to be exclusive to KitKat and up appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google Wallet’s tap-to-pay feature will require Android 4.4 KitKat starting April 14th
It’s time to upgrade that old phone you’ve been using for Google Wallet payments at the local store. Google is now telling Android users that they’ll have to run KitKat to use Wallet’s tap-to-pay feature from April 14th onward. The company prefers the newer OS’ “improved experience” for NFC-based payments; in other words, it would rather use a more universal, cloud-based approach to processing your banking info. You may be out of luck even if you are using KitKat, though, since the new requirements rule out support for the EVO 4G LTE, Galaxy Note 3 and 2012-era Nexus 7. We suspect that many Wallet fans are early adopters that already carry qualifying devices, but Google’s move could have many shoppers looking for alternatives.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google
Via: Droid-Life
Source: Google
Android 4.4.2 for the T-Mobile Galaxy S4 and Many More! – Device Updates
Alright friends, time to see if you got an update headed your way. Pretty much all the updates are Android 4.4.2 related, and you T-Mobile Galaxy S4 and Note 3 users should be you are finally getting it. If you haven’t gotten you update yet, don’t worry, these update rollouts take time. Just be glad that they are coming.
Device Updates
T-Mobile Galaxy S4 gets Android 4.4.2
Android 4.4.2 for the HTC Butterfly S
Huawei Ascend P6 gets Android 4.4.2
KitKat hits the T-Mobile Galaxy Note 3
Android 4.4.2 rolls out to the Sprint Moto X
T-Mobile starts Galaxy S4 Android 4.4.2 OTA Update
Another day and another OTA on the way for a Samsung device. Today we learn that T-Mobile is pushing the OTA update for the Samsung Galaxy S4 that will bring it up to Android 4.4.2. This update will bring with it a baseband version of M919UVUFNB4. The push moves the device from 4.3 that that pushed back in Novemeber. That one brought in Knox and Galaxy Gear support.
The update brings in the usual KitKat changes like improved stability, new camera short cut on the lock screen and an improved on screen keyboard.
The update is rolling out in stages via the traditional OTA method. If you opt for the update in that fashion you will want to make sure you have over 50% battery charge and some time to kill on a Wi-Fi network. The update will weigh in at 388mbs and will take a little bit of time to download. If you aren’t a huge fan of OTA downloads, the update has also been made available via Samsung Kies. That would be Samsung’s companion PC app for backing up things, transferring files and updating your device. It is also very useful for those that don’t like to wait for the update prompt to finally hit their device. If you want to do it manually yourself, just open Samsung Kies on your PC and connect your device. You can head over to Samsung.com for the Kies software if you don’t have it yet, it takes a while to install though.
Source: T-Mobile
LG’s L90 handset is rolling out this week… in Russia
If the debut of LG’s L-series of handsets at last month’s Mobile World Congress had you hankering for a new phone, you’re in luck. The 4.7-inch L90 starts rolling out this week in the CIS region (think Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia). LG has also detailed a few new specs, as well. In addition to the 1.2GHz processor, the L90 comes with either 8GB or 16GB of RAM and a 2,540mAh battery. Its cameras are rated at 1.3MP up front, and 5MP or 8MP for the rear. Pricing and domestic availability remain ambiguous for now, but the South Korean outfit promises more local info will be available closer to a domestic launch. To pass the time until then, you could always work out your own custom Knock pattern; we recommend the beat from “Around the Fur” by the Deftones for maximum cool-points.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG
Source: LG Newsroom
KitKat Update Rolling out for T-Mobile Galaxy Note 3
Last week we saw Samsung had released the source code for Android 4.4 KitKat for the T-Mobile Galaxy Note 3. We usually see an update to the corresponding device within a day or so. Sadly it took a few more days than that for T-Mobile to start the push. It would appear that the Android 4.4.2 KitKat update for the Galaxy Note 3 has begun. It has popped up a few times for various users on XDA and a user on the T-Mobile support page has alerted people as well.
The update carries software version KOT49H.N900TUVUCNB4 and is quite large, coming in at a reported 495.75MB’s. Obviously you will want to make sure you have some time to kill on Wi-Fi and well over 50% battery life before you start the process as the download is also being said to take almost 2 hours to download.
We can only guess at what the update has done, or what T-Mobile has altered. Certainly there will be some bug fixes, tweaks and performance improvements. Samsung reportedly was going to be altering the UI, Location Menu, Enhanced Messaging and Upgraded Google Mobile Service Apps.
Source: T-Mobile Support | XDA
Via Androidandme
Sprint Outs Upcoming KitKat Updates for Note II, S4 Mini and Others
Sprint put up a bit of a silly little release on their newsroom page today. It announced that Android 4.4.2 updates were beginning to roll out to the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Samsung Galaxy Note 3. It is funny simply because the S4 update started on February 13th and the Note 3′s update started on February 20th. We are sure there are plenty of people out there that don’t know the updates are rolling out, so it is still good that they posted about it, but still, seems a bit late to make it a Newsroom item.
Along with that little announcement Sprint also makes mention of four other Samsung devices that will be getting the update. As it sits today, Sprint plans to push out Android 4.4.2 to the Galaxy Note II, Galaxy S4 Mini, Galaxy SIII, Galaxy Mega and the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0. They don;t mention when the updates for any of the devices will start to take place, but at least we know Sprint at least plans to make it happen. Our best guess would be that two or three device updates will start popping up in a few weeks after the current Note 3 and S4 updates near completion.
Source: Sprint Newsroom
Via AndroidHeadlines
Nexus 5 Camera CPU bug fix coming soon
If you’re a Nexus 5 owner then you’ll know about the bug which causes the phone’s CPU to be maxed out when using the camera, resulting in high battery drain. According to a post by Google on the company’s issues tracker, it seems Google have isolated the issue and will be issuing a fix shortly.
The bug is caused by something called “mm-qcamera-daemon” which causes high battery consumption, and since this process is related to handling camera data, it means that third-party apps can trigger it, so it’s not constrained to an operating system calling function.
According to Google, one particular offender is Skype, which seems to be accessing the camera regularly from the background and by doing so is triggering that bug. We’ll ignore why Skype is trying to access the camera without you knowing…
As mentioned, Google has found a fix for the bug and is bundling it in the next maintenance version of Android, most likely 4.4.3. Until then, the only fix is to reboot the device, and Google are recommending that removing Skype may relieve the issue.
The more significant point is that this bug may not be constrained to Nexus devices, since third-party apps are able to call the camera, so KitKat devices running a Qualcomm chip for camera processing, like the Galaxy Note 3, are also most likely affected. Unfortunately a fix will have to go via the manufacturer for these devices, so may delay the patch being delivered to your non-Nexus device.
If you think you’ve been hit by this bug, drop us a comment below.
[Via Google Issue Tracker]
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Galaxy S4 and Note 3 KitKat update removes benchmark-improving code
You may remember the controversy that was caused when it was discovered that Samsung had implemented code in the Galaxy S4 and Note 3 which boosted their benchmark scores in an attempt to falsify the performance of the device. It seems that Samsung has chosen to remove this offending code in the latest Android 4.4 KitKat update for the devices.
Scores run on the 4.4 KitKat build of the devices came up short when compared to the same benchmark test conducted on the Jelly Bean variation of the device. The single-core score went from 682 to 674 and the multi-core score dropped from 2114 to 1913.
It seems that Samsung’s KitKat builds have had the ‘com.sec.android.app.twdvfs’ package removed, which was previously present and suggested at being responsible for this performance-boosting result.
Perhaps Samsung learnt their lesson? Despite fudging the benchmark results, the devices are still some of the quickest on the market.
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