jelly-bean
The International And T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE are now updating to Android 4.3 Google

Android 4.3 Jelly Bean is not quite finished rolling out on the Samsung Galaxy devices, and the international and T-Mobile models of the Galaxy S3 LTE are now receiving the update.

Standard Galaxy S3 models, both international and T-Mobile, have already updated to Android 4.3. In fact, the international Galaxy S3 model was the one that brought the various post-update problems for Android 4.3 to public attention. We saw the update postponed on the international Galaxy S3 and resumed again. Since then, a number of Galaxy devices, both in and out of the U.S., have updated to Android 4.3.

The update appears still to be fragile, especially for Sprint users, but many Galaxy devices seem to be taking well to Android 4.3. We tested a T-Mobile Galaxy S4 after its Android 4.3 update and have found little to no trouble. The most common complaint with the Android 4.3 update appears to be battery drain, but users may be able to contain it with some battery-saving techniques.

The T999LUVUBMK4 build firmware for the T-Mobile Galaxy S3 LTE and the I93000BUUGMJ3 build firmware for the international Galaxy S3 LTE are currently available over the air. The Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update for the Galaxy S3 LTE includes Galaxy Gear support and the Samsung KNOX security system. The Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE will also receive many features, which originated on the Galaxy S4, including an updated user interface, keyboard and notification center; new camera modes; and the move-to-SD-card feature, among many others. As always, users can check for the update manually by accessing Settings > About device > Software update.

Verizon Wireless And The Eluisve Android 4.3 Update

At this point most Samsung Galaxy devices have updated or have continued updating to Android 4.3, but many Verizon Galaxy devices are painfully behind in their updates, including the Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Nexus. Both the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 were listed in the leaked Android 4.3 update timeline, which was used as a reference for rollouts early on, but their respective Nov. 22 and Nov. 29 rollout dates came and went with no sign of an update. Samsung Galaxy devices on many other carriers did not update according to the timeline, but did update eventually.

Verizon is well known for being the last carrier to provide support for its devices, but one device, the Galaxy S4, has been updated to Android 4.3 on the carrier since late October. The Verizon Galaxy S4 is now receiving a patch update to address the bugs that affected early Android 4.3 adopters. This could indicate that Verizon is attempting to sort out all of its Android 4.3 problems before updating other devices.

Another device that may soon update to Android 4.3 is the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. The Verizon Galaxy Nexus has not really been a part of the Android 4.3 update discussion, but it appears the device is not completely out of the running to see a new operating system. In early October, reports indicated that the update prospects for the Galaxy Nexus were uncertain. Now, Verizon says the device will see Android 4.3 at some point, but there is no specific time frame for a rollout. The Galaxy Nexus currently runs Android 4.2.2, an update which it received in March. Since then Verizon users have been awaiting fixes for bugs associated with that operating system.

The other carrier branded model of the Galaxy Nexus, powered by Sprint, had been updated to Android 4.3 since late October. Notably, Android 4.3 will be the last support push for all models of the Galaxy Nexus once it updates as Google is no longer updating the device as of the release of Android 4.4 KitKat.

Has your T-Mobile or international Galaxy S3 LTE handset begun to update to Android 4.3? Let us know in the comments below.

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