Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Now Receiving Android 4.4.2 KitKat: How To Upgrade Your Phone

By Prarthito

| Published: Friday, January 24, 2014, 19:06 [IST]

South Korean heavyweight Samsung has started rolling out the latest Android version - Android 4.4.2 KitKat - for its Galaxy Note 3 smartphone in India, after the company kicked off the upgrading procedure for Note 3 last week, starting with Poland.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3, which launched in India back in September last year running on Android v4.3 (Jelly Bean), will now look to gain the same status as that of the Samsung Galaxy TabPRO tablet series which already run on the latest KitKat version of Android.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Treated to Android 4.4.2 KitKat: How To Upgrade

The update, with build number N9005XXUENA6, offers a number of minor UI upgrades and changes under the hood that are also assisted via improvements to the phone's overall system.

Discussing about the changes, the new update, weighing in at 361.04 MB, changes the device's Status bar color from white to green with a shortcut for Camera lockscreen. The lockscreeen now also features a full screen album art from the music that's being played in the background, apart from a number of bug fixes, improvements to the device's stability and other performance improvements.

There are two steps to download and install the new upgrade - both manual and automatic. Before heading into the manual method, those of you who will look to go through the procedure in a traditional way, just head over the phone's Settings - More - About Device - Software Update - Update. And then you will need to wait for the device to complete the procedure.

As far as a manual update (provided phone is rooted) for the same is concerned, there are a few steps that you will need to follow. But before we can begin, it is to be noted that the manual update for the new Android KitKat is based on a custom ROM that's unofficial and not released officially by Samsung.

Before we begin, it is important to remember that all your data should be backed up properly. For example, whatever images, music and video files you have should be copied to the external memory card.

Also, enable the USB Debugging Mode in your PC by heading over to Settings - Applications - Development - USB debugging. On a similar tone, make sure you have at least a minimum battery life of 40 per cent, or else there's a huge chance that you device will shut down in the middle of the update.

Note: If not rooted, root the device at your own risk as there may be a possibility of damages to the device. However, if you are not sure, just wait for the official update to reach your phone.

Here are the steps to download and install Android KitKat v4.4.2 on your Galaxy Note 3.

Step 1: To begin with, download Kit Kat 4.4.2 Android firmware package and Odin to your computer.

Step 2: Once done with the download, just connect your phone with the USB cable and bring the the downloaded zip files in the device. Next, disconnect the device to enter the Recovery Mode.

Step 3: To enter Recovery Mode, just hold Volume Up button and the Home key button, and while holding both these buttons, you will need to switch your phone on while in recovery mode, where you need to select options to clear the data already present in your phone.

Step 4: While in Recovery Mode, select "install zip from sd card," then choose the Liquid Smooth KitKat 4.4.2 Android firmware zip file, follwed by the Google Apps Package which you had already placed in your phone.

Step 5: When the firmware is updated, select Go Back and then "reboot system now." It is to be noted that the entire process of updating the firmware will require around 4 -5 minutes, and in some rare cases it may take even more time. So stay patient.

Step 6: When the firmware is finally updated, go to Settings - About Phone where you will find that your phone has been succesfully upgraded.

So there you have it. Your phone has now been upgraded to the latest version of Android.