The XDA Developers forum is well known for hosting leaked software updates, months or weeks before they’re actually available OTA. If you’re a techie, and you have the wherewithal, you can generally have the latest updates running on your devices much earlier than expected. I say “techie” because the flashing process does require some advanced knowledge and skills to complete.
Android 4.1.2 has been available for the Galaxy S3 in many places for some time now. Unfortunately, for Galaxy S3 owners in the US, many are stuck waiting for the latest Android update to release. More and more leaks are starting to come available, indicating that an official OTA update should arrive soon. The official update, however, could still be months in the making.
A brand new leak for the Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3 has made its way to the XDA forums, and you can get it right now if you want to try your hand at flashing your phone. The update includes Android 4.1.2 and is labeled as build VRBMA2. As with all leaked software updates, this one will have its share of bugs, so it’s best not to perform the update on a daily driver. If you decide that you’re feeling pretty adventurous, be aware that you’re flashing your Galaxy S3 at your own risk.
Word on the street is that the leaked update does not include Samsung’s Premium Suite features, which were announced not too long ago. At this time, we don’t know if that means the next update is not going to include them at all, or if Verizon and Samsung are planning to add these features in a later build.
To refresh your memory, the Samsung Premium Suite is a collection of new features and improvements that work to enhance Samsung’s intuitive software. Particularly, multitasking features have been improved, and more apps support the Samsung multi-window feature. Of course, there some new features have also been implemented like the Paper Artist function that allows you to sketch with your stylus over existing photos and images. If you want to know a little more about the Premium Suite, be sure to check out our previous coverage of the update for the first Samsung Galaxy Note.
Back to the topic of OTA updates for the Samsung Galaxy S3, this leaked software is good news for Verizon owners. It shows that Samsung and Verizon are still dedicated to providing a reasonable 4.1.2 update for the S3 and that perhaps an official update may be coming soon. As I mentioned above, it’s almost impossible to guess when exactly the update will start to push out, especially considering neither Samsung nor Verizon has provided an estimated release date yet.
As it would seem, patience is a virtue, and it just happens to be a virtue that most of us are forced to use with these relatively slow Android software updates. If you’d like to flash your phone with the leaked update, just follow the source link below.
Wow, I really said “update” a lot in this article, huh?
Source: XDA Developers