Android 4.3 Release Date Nears: Operating System Discovered In Bluetooth SIG Filing For HTC One Google Play Edition

Despite still being unconfirmed by Google, Android 4.3 Jelly Bean is making itself quite known to the public. After being leaked in the form of test firmware reportedly ported from the Google Play Editions of the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4, the Android 4.3 has been discovered yet again, in a Bluetooth SIG filing for the HTC One Google Play Edition.

According to the filing, the Android 4.3 powered HTC One Google Play Edition was certified for Bluetooth 4.0 on Friday after the application was filed on June 18. Taking clues from the filing, we see the design model number HTC PN071xx_Android4.3_G with PN071xx indicating the model number for the HTC One and the G supposedly indicating that the device is a Google Play Edition. Rumors have suggested that Android 4.3 will bring Bluetooth 4.0 LE support to Android devices. We have also seen the Nexus 7 tablet and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone in previous Bluetooth SIG filings, both supposedly running Android 4.3.

Even with all of this evidence suggesting that Android 4.3 Jelly Bean exists, without confirmation from Google, it all remains speculation. News of Android 4.3 surfaced as early as April, when rumors reported that Android 4.3 would be released instead of “Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie.” Since then, several Android tipsters and developers, including Android Police founder Artem Russakovskii, have discovered build numbers beginning with the letter J (for Jelly Bean) within the server logs for their websites. Most recently, the guys at tech blog Myce discovered the build numbers JWR66D and JWR53F within the website’s server logs, which are thought to be Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, running on the Nexus 7 tablet and the Nexus 4 smartphone, respectively.

The leaked Google Play Edition firmware that is now available reportedly allows Android 4.3 Jelly Bean to run near perfectly on standard Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One handsets. Rumors suggest that the real Android 4.3 will roll out onto Nexus devices and then Google Play Edition devices sometime in July. Currently, there is no news on this software release. However, we know that the Google Play Editions Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One begin arriving to owners Tuesday. It will be interesting to see how the coming weeks play out for Google, as well as Samsung and HTC.

Android 4.3 Jelly Bean is expected to include an updated camera app, as well as several updates to Android’s notification settings, which may coincide with the release of wearable devices such as Google Glass and the Pebble Smart Watch.

Do you think the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean release is near? Let us know in the comments below.

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