Galaxy S3 owners using AT&T's services are in for some good news on Wednesday, as the phone carrier announced that it's finally offering an update to the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system.
Technically, phone owners could have downloaded this update back in December directly through Samsung's own Kies desktop software, but it's doubtful that a high percentage of users even knew that was a possibility. Most people are probably still running on Ice Cream Sandwich.
Either way, AT&T is now rolling out the updates over the air (OTA). Downloading and installing the update will require users to hook their phone up to a WiFi connection, though that's a much better option than requiring people to go to through a program on Samsung's Web site that they've probably never even heard of. Turn on the WiFi settings on in your phone, go to Settings, then tap About Phone to check if the update is available.
So what does the update bring? Galaxy S3 owners will now be able to enjoy the benefits of Project Butter, Google's attempt to make everything run more smoothly and efficiently. Additionally, things like Google Now, a new browser, improved camera apps, widgets, and more are available.
Getting updates out for all the phones that run Android software has been something of a problem for Google. Nearly half of Android users are still running on Gingerbread, while about 30 percent have upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich. Jelly Bean just recently reached about 10 percent of Android users, meaning Google still has a ways to go before most of its customers benefit from all the latest features and performance enhancements.
