Last week, we let you know about a particularly infuriating issue with Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3. After the update to Android 4.4 Kit Kat arrived, more than a few folks noticed that their third-party accessories – namely flip cases like the S-View from Spigen – no longer worked. At first, Samsung said in order to ensure a “smooth user experience,” Galaxy Note 3 owners should only use first-party accessories with their device. The company also said a “correlation between the Android version 4.4 and the supposed incompatibility of third-party accessories does not exist.”
Today we’re seeing Samsung back track on the latter statement, admitting to Ars Technica that the Kit Kat update did indeed bring compatibility issues for third-party accessories along with it. Those of you who have been dealing with these issues can breathe a sigh of relief, as Samsung promises that an incoming software update will fix the problem. Here’s the full statement:
“We have currently identified a software compatibility issue with the Galaxy Note 3 update to Android 4.4 (KitKat) and select 3rd party accessories. A software update will be available shortly. We are committed to offering a diverse and reliable mobile experience for all customers, providing continued support and solutions for any issues that arise with product updates for both Samsung manufactured and third-party accessories.”
We’re not sure just when this update will be arriving, but hopefully Samsung gets it out quickly. There are some people out there saying Samsung knew this was going to happen, but that seems a little unrealistic to us. Samsung needs to win and maintain customer loyalty if it wants to stay on top of the Android game, and randomly making third-party accessories incompatible is a poor way of doing that. Of course, Samsung would naturally prefer it if consumers bought their first-party accessories, but it would have to be pretty desperate to actually force you into buying them.
Regardless of intent, we suppose the important thing is that an update to fix the issues is on the way. We’ll be keeping an ear to the ground for news of this OTA patch, but for now, head down to the comments section and let us know if you’ve experienced any compatibility issues with third-party devices for your Galaxy Note 3.
Source: Ars Technica, Via: Android Police