Per reports, an updated Android build v4.1 Jelly Bean is expected to roll out for AT&T subscribers of Samsung Galaxy S3 this week.
While the new update may not be the expected Android 4.2 build, nonetheless this is something big for all the AT&T-based Galaxy S3s, and will put them at par with their Sprint counterparts, who were the first in the country to get the highly anticipated Android Jelly Bean update.
The news that AT&T is on the verge of getting the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update was first revealed by PopHerald, and it was also stated that the Web site had received an anonymous tip that the official Android 4.1.2 Jellybean for AT&T’s version of the Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone will be arriving next week.
However, if this news turns out to be true, it would leave Verizon Wireless customers without a Jelly Bean update for its Galaxy S3 users, alongside T-mobile and U.S. Cellular who also haven’t made any announcements yet on their Jelly Bean update schedules.
Verizon has always been late in rolling out updates in a timely manner and now, a big possibility exists that the company could turn out to be the last among U.S.-based carriers to push out the official Jelly Bean update for its customers using a Galaxy S3.
Contrary to popular belief, neither Google nor the smartphone makers are to be blamed for the late arrival of the updated OS. However, the reason why carriers take such a long time to push out updates, according to PopHerald, “is because after Google has handed over the source code to manufacturers–like Samsung or LG–they still have to customize the raw Android operating system for each phone by optimizing the kernel/source code, adding UIs and custom apps, after that, the finished firmware will then have to go through the carriers for further testing and further adding completely unnecessary ‘bloatware’.”
Nonetheless, Verizon subscribers would feel that not all is lost after it was reported that a new Jelly Bean ROM has emerged for Verizon-based S3. The new leaked ROM is for Android 4.1.1 with build JRO3L.I535VRBLJ1 and is dated Oct. 24.
