Verizon Galaxy Note 3 owners, rejoice! Your KitKat update is finally ready for you, as long as you’re willing to put in a little work using the Kies update software on your Mac or PC. Alternatively, you have the option of using the Verizon Software Upgrade Assistant on your computer, if that’s more your speed. Sorry, no OTAs available yet.
The update is Android 4.4.2, so it’s the most recent version of Android. You’ll get all of the KitKat features that you want, like voice activated Google Now, Immersive Mode, lock screen art when you’re listening to music, and built-in cloud printing.
If you already have the Samsung Kies software installed on your computer, just open the program and then plug your phone in to your computer. The update should pop right up for you and you’ll be prompted to install it. Verizon’s software takes a few more steps to use. You’ll need to go into their Software Upgrade Assistant on your device using your OS’s file explorer. Verizon has been kind enough to provide instructions for that on the Verizon Wireless website.
Like I mentioned before, no OTA update is being made available for this Note 3 KitKat update yet. Verizon hasn’t posted any sort of changelog, either. This initial rollout is likely just a test. Most users won’t know to use Kies to get the update, so Samsung and Verizon can see how it acts on a few devices before pushing it out to everyone. It usually only takes a few days from the time an update hits Kies to when it’s pushed out over-the-air to everyone.
Verizon Note 3 owners are among the last to get this KitKat update from Samsung. They have Verizon to blame for the hold up. Big Red typically tests a software update forever before sending it out to users. This means that if you’re a Verizon subscriber, you’re often stuck waiting for your updates while your friends on other carriers are enjoying whatever new features Google has for us. But hey, at least you know the update has been tested to work properly on your Note 3, right?