Samsung Gets Ready to Serve Android 4.4 KitKat to Several Galaxy Smartphones and Tablets

Fact - bears eat beets. Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica. Another fact - less than 2 percent of people who own an Android device are running the latest version, Android 4.4 KitKat. That figure will go up over time, and will rise rather quickly once Samsung puts into motion its plan to upgrade several Galaxy devices to the latest and greatest version of Google's open source operating system.

Samsung sent us an email this morning confirming plans to roll out KitKat for several smartphone and tablet devices in the U.S. Those devices include the Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy S4, Galaxy S4 mini, Galaxy S4 Active, Galaxy S4 Zoom, Galaxy S III, Galaxy S III mini, Galaxy Mega, Galaxy Light, Galaxy Note 8.0, Galaxy Tab 3, Galaxy Note 10.1, and Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition.

Google KitKat

Owners of above mentioned Galaxy devices will receive all the benefits of KitKat plus some updated apps and functions. Some highlights include an integrated Location Menu that enables users to easily activate GPS, Wi-Fi, and mobile networks while simultaneously checking the battery usage of apps; enhanced messaging where users can choose between Messages or Hangouts as their default messaging app; and an upgraded Google Mobile Service (GMS) app that allows users to automatically back up photos and videos, as well as open, view, rename, and share Google Docs and files.

Samsung didn't get too specific with release dates and instead said availability will vary by carrier and product. Updates will begin rolling out today and continue throughout the coming months.