Android 4.4 KitKat Problems: Nexus 4 Owners Lament As Verizon Moto X Receives Speedier Update

The Android 4.4 KitKat update is finally rolling out onto Nexus 4 handsets, but many owners are still not happy. For reasons still unknown, Android 4.4 not only came to the Nexus 4 much later than anyone expected, but other non-Nexus devices began receiving the update first.

Usually, older Nexus devices receive an update immediately upon the unveiling of a new Android operating system, but some waiting came with the introduction of Android 4.4. After the system released on Oct. 31, the 2012 and 2013 models of the Nexus 7 and the Nexus 10 tablets did not receive an update until two weeks later. The Nexus 4 waited another week for an update, while the 3G Nexus 7 models still await their Android 4.4 KitKat update.

The only reason most have considered for the delay in older Nexus models updating to Android 4.4 is that Google may have wanted the Nexus 5, which was introduced with the system, to have the Android 4.4 features exclusively for some time. But the fact that the Verizon Moto X began updating to Android 4.4 before the Nexus 4, which is predecessor to the Nexus 5, has many Google fans upset.

Indications of the Verizon Moto X update to Android 4.4 began on Monday, when soak tests from Verizon and Motorola support forums leaked to the public. On Tuesday, Motorola announced that the Android 4.4 update was official for the Verizon Moto X. Then the Android 4.4 update hit Nexus 4 handsets over the air early Wednesday morning.

There was not much time in between the Verizon Moto X and Nexus 4 Android 4.4 updates, but that has not stopped Nexus fans from speaking out on their frustrations with the late update, as well as the staggered rollout that is expected for the Nexus 4. The Nexus 4 update Android 4.4 should roll out over a few days or weeks, which means many handsets may still have to wait for the update to come around. The Verizon Moto X, being a carrier-specific model, probably will have a much easier time rolling out the update to current users.

Savvy Nexus 4 users also have the option of installing the Android 4.4 KitKat update manually, with its factory images, which have been available for a few days. Those who prefer to wait for the OTA update can try to prompt it by selecting “check now” under “System Updates.”

While the Moto X is not a Nexus device, with Motorola now being a division of Google, it is for all intents and purposes a Google device. It makes sense that Motorola would have an easier time navigating the update process than other manufacturers, many of which are not expected to begin updating their current devices to Android 4.4 until well into 2014. The Moto X runs a slightly modified version of stock Android. Prior to the Android 4.4 KitKat update, the device ran Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, the operating system with which it released in August.

Do you think there is a problem with the new Nexus rollout schedule? Let us know in the comments below.

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