Starting in August 2023, Google Play Services will discontinue support for Android KitKat in its new releases. KitKat, which was released in 2013, will lose support just before its 10th anniversary. This means that devices running on KitKat will no longer receive updates or support from Google Play Services, the company announced. Continue reading “Google to end support for Android KitKat in Play Services”
Samsung Galaxy S5 users will soon get the latest Android KitKat 4.4.3 update. It was reported last month that these two devices are being tested for the update. According to a leaked internal document found by Android Geeks, the update for Galaxy S5 is coming this month.
Google released Android KitKat factory images for Nexus devices and Motorola also announced that it will bring the latest update to its devices (X, G and E) this week. Now, owners of Google Play Edition HTC One M7, M8 and Sony Z Ultra are receiving the 4.4.3 update. HTC has also uploaded the kernel source for this update for the One M7 and M8 devices.
Yesterday, reports touted that Samsung is testing Android 4.4.3 KitKat on Galaxy S5 and S4 LTE-A. Today, several references points that Samsung is working on a low-end smartphone that will be powered by Android 4.4.2 (KitKat).
Continue reading “Samsung could be working on a budget smartphone running Android 4.4.2”
Cyanogen Mod developer Koushik Dutta, widely known for his ClockwordMod utility, which is the go-to custom recovery for Android devices, is also known for developing other utilities like an Allcast app that can stream from Android to Chromecast as well as Apple TV. Now he has released an app called Screencast(beta) that can record any rooted Android 4.4.1 device’s screen, with audio. Initially made available as a developer-only feature, one had to type a command in ADB to enable screen recording on any KitKat device, but thanks to the Screencast app, now it is available right on your device, with some unique additions like a quick shortcut – Volume up + power to start screencasting. It is demonstrated in this video here –
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC_5Ql7QrWE
As if Moto G wasn’t enough of an indication that Google and its subsidiary Motorola are working closely, today the company announced that its Flagship product – Moto X will be getting an update to Android 4.4 KitKat. This is only for Verizon Wireless customers who have bought the Moto X, but it still is way ahead of the KitKat OTA update that has been evading the Nexus devices so far. The Moto X is a neat little device that runs on stock Android, with a couple of hardware related enhancements like the always listening Google Now and the fact that it is now getting all the Android 4.4 KitKat goodness is a nice gesture from Google/Motorola.
Continue reading “Moto X gets Android 4.4 KitKat on Verizon before Nexus 4 OTA”
Google and LG have just unleashed a wave of announcements at us, and one of them is hardware – the Google Nexus 5. If you are curious about the other one, it’s none other than the software – Android 4.4 KitKat that comes preinstalled on the Nexus 5. The premier Android experience has received an update and will eventually roll out to Nexus 4 and other Google Play devices first, with OEM devices taking their own sweet time to implement them, as expected. Unlike Android 4.3, we have a lot of new features, user facing ones as well as under the hood features that will matter to you, a lot. Since there are too many to wrap your head, we shall be doing the service of compiling the most useful and obvious changes in Android 4.4 for you. So, what’s new in Android 4.4 KitKat?
Another year, another Nexus smartphone and another bar story. The relationship between bars and yet to be announced phones never ceases to amuse the internet folks. A couple of weeks ago, just ahead of the IFA, Google announced their next version of Android – 4.4 KitKat with some theatrics and “accidentally” showed off the next Nexus smartphone in their video. Recent images from FCC filings have also identified the same device and it shows stronger evidence of a new Nexus device.
Yesterday, a Google employee supposedly left a Nexus 5 device unattended while it was put for charging in a bar(Yes, you heard it right, A bar) and an employee of the bar was able to make a quick video and get a couple of images of the supposed Nexus 5. The images show that the device is quite identical to the one spotted at FCC filings and the one Google showed off in their video. It has the Nexus logo at the back in horizontal orientation and there is a huge camera which was seen in the video. There is a LG logo at the bottom and a Not for Sale text above it. The design language seems to be quite similar to the Nexus 4, but with less rounded corners and a bigger screen. There are no navigation keys which is quite typical of a Nexus device.
The boot screen shown in the images supposedly belongs to Android 4.4 KitKat, but it seems quite similar to the ones on the Google Play Edition phones. And the video shows just the lockscreen of what is believed to be Android 4.4. KitKat.
The rumored specifications of Nexus 5 include
You can check out the video right below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPYVbaF1Jmg
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yJSYSuyKfY
What do you think of the new Nexus 5? Is it impressive enough?
