Android 4.3 Jelly Bean Problems: Trouble Arises With The AT&T Galaxy S4 Update As Samsung Speaks Out About The Galaxy S3 Update Issues

The Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update for the Samsung Galaxy S4 is not going as smoothly as many believed, and now reports indicate the update for the AT&T S4 model has been pulled from OTA rollout.

The AT&T model of the Samsung Galaxy S4 began receiving the Android 4.3 update last Thursday, but now the update is no longer going out to AT&T Galaxy S4 handsets, Android Police confirmed on Monday.

IBTimes spoke with an AT&T customer service representative who told us that the network and Samsung decided to pull the update due to a few bugs and issues that have arisen since the update rolled out. The update has been halted in order for the companies to contain the bugs and figure out how to resolve them.

There is no word on exactly what the bugs are, but AT&T Galaxy S4 users have reportedly indicated problems with Wi-Fi or cellular data connections, among other small issues.

According to the rep, Samsung has not given any indication of when the update will be available again, but it appears the aim is to get the system fixed and continue rolling out the Android 4.3 update.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 on other networks, including Verizon and Sprint, has updated to Android 4.3 and it appears both models have also been experiencing problems since their respective rollouts on Oct. 29 and Oct. 30. Extensive post update issues have been reported for the Verizon Galaxy S4 in particular, including battery drain, screen blackouts, voice recognition failures, constant reconnecting of Wi-Fi, constant switching between 3G/4G and Wi-Fi networks, issues with text message contacts, issues with the Verizon car charger, missing mobile data icon, music player launches on its own, Bluetooth audio glitches, lagging and slowed performance, as well as issues with widgets, Air View and screen rotation.

The T-Mobile Galaxy S4 was expected to update to Android 4.3 on Monday, according to a leaked rollout schedule that accurately predicted the Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T updates; however, a T-Mobile representative has told IBTimes that there is no indication of the Android 4.3 update being available for the network’s Galaxy S4.

This may be an indication that the Android 4.3 update for the T-Mobile Galaxy S4 has also been pulled even before its rollout, which is something we have already seen with the Galaxy S3. It was the last-generation Galaxy S3 that really brought the problems with Android 4.3 to the forefront. When U.S. models failed to update as expected, many began to wonder what was going on. The update was expected to hit the Sprint Galaxy S3 on Nov. 6 and the AT&T Galaxy S3 last Wednesday, but the models remain without an update after many international Galaxy S3 owners have reported that host of issues came with their update. Samsung has now spoken out about the issues plaguing the Android 4.3 update for the Samsung Galaxy S3.

Among the major Android 4.3 problems for the Galaxy S3 are: lag when attempting to wake the device up from standby, random Freezing, extensive battery drain, issues with Bluetooth audio playback in cars, stuttered playback on Samsung’s music app, device freezing after incoming calls, poor RAM management, and Wi-Fi issues. Samsung UK recently released a statement indicating that the Android 4.3 update for the Galaxy S3 has also been pulled from OTA and Samsung Kies while its issues are being investigated.

As we are currently investigating the reported issues with Galaxy S3 4.3 Jelly Bean update, the upgrading service has been temporarily suspended. We are committed to providing customers with the best possible mobile experience, and will ensure to resume the upgrading service at the earliest possibility.”

Android 4.3 problems are nothing new. Notably, the operating system was plagued with a host of issues during its initial release onto Google branded Nexus devices. Owners also experienced Wi-Fi issues, slowed performance, and Bluetooth incompatibility, among many other issues. Since then, patch updates appear to have resolved many of the Nexus specific issues; however, considering these previous issues with Android 4.3 on its native devices, it is not quite surprising that issues have arisen again on OEM devices.

Have you been affected by the issues with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean on the Samsung Galaxy S4 or Galaxy S3? Let us know in the comments below.

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