If you own an HTC One and have been waiting patiently for Android 4.4 KitKat, keep your eyes peeled, because an update should be just around the corner. According to HTC’s own portal for updates, the smartphone is in the final stages of approval before carriers are expected to push the update to customers.
As opposed to waiting for a rumor or test launch in another country like some other carriers, HTC decided with its flagship devices, such as the HTC One, One Mini, and One Max, to offer a fair amount of transparency as it gets updates sent out to customers.Through the HTC Updates Portal users have been able to see as the latest version of Android, 4.4 KitKat, has made its way from availability to hackers and developers, such as with the Play Edition of the HTC One, to end-users among the four major U.S. carriers.
The latest bit of news from this portal is HTC’s status update, which says that carrier versions of the HTC One KitKat update are not in certification. The certification step is pretty much the final step before the update will be pushed out over the air (OTA) by carriers, and basically is a bunch of internal testing made by the carrier to make sure the update meets their standards, supports all the added functionality the carrier may offer customers, and of course ensures intricate Android software, such as the kernel, are operating as best as they should with the hardware within the HTC One. But also, carriers just like to meddle.
However, news that the updates are in certification doesn’t mean we have a timeline for release. Usually it doesn’t take more than a few weeks for updates to begin popping up on select carriers, but it depends on a lot of factors. Nonetheless, this news means that you should certainly remain optimistic about seeing a update around the corner, even we don’t have any specifics yet.