Think that everyone's Samsung Galaxy S4 is the same as yours...
Think again!
#1.1. There are currently 29 models of the Samsung Galaxy S4 phone.
Most of which are covered in this General Galaxy S4 forum.
Some of these models have already had as many as 12 different stock Samsung Android firmware releases since launch.
So, you can see that when you take into account the different locations worldwide and those locations unbranded and carrier branded firmwares, there is no such thing as one Samsung Galaxy S4 and one Jelly Bean or KitKat firmware but rather, 29 different phones with, currently, over 3,000 different variations of firmware for Android 4.2.2, Android 4.3, Android 4.4.2, Android 4.4.3, Android 4.4.4 and Android 5.0.
#1.2. Your VERSION
To locate your model version, go to...
Settings > More > About device > Model number
This will give you the model of Samsung Galaxy S4 that you have.
You can now refer to the Wikipedia table here to see more information about your phone model.
You will see, the two main Samsung Galaxy S4 models are the global International, GT-i9505, quad core and the International, GT-i9500, octa core, models with the other minority variants based on these. These variants all have different versions of the stock Samsung firmware that the International models run on and may have features removed, added or amended as well as carrier add-on's, sometimes referred to as "carrier bloatware".
#1.2.1 Other Galaxy S4 forums on Android Forums are:-
i9505G Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition
i9295 Samsung Galaxy S4 Active
i9190 Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini
SM-C1010, SM-C101 Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom
#1.3. Your FIRMWARE
To locate your current firmware version, (not baseband/modem), go to the dial pad and type in...
*#1234#
This will give you your, "Version", details in full, usually 3 lines of information which are all relevant. The important one to note in this case is the first, "AP:", (a.k.a PDA), detail. This is important because, as previously mentioned, some models have had a number of updates and improvements to their original firmware.***
*** If code *#1234# has been disabled on your firmware, you can download and install, free from the Play Store, Phone Info and it will give you, under Firmware Info... PDA, Baseband, CSC, versions. It also has the added advantage of showing your Product code.
For instance, someone with a Samsung Galaxy S4, SCH-R970 on firmware R970VXUAMDL will be running a very different firmware and hardware to a Samsung Galaxy S4, GT-i9500 on firmware i9500UBUFNB3. The former is a quad core phone on the US Cellular, CDMA, network on an early, MDL, April 2013, Jelly Bean release and the latter is an octa core phone for Trinidad and Tobago on the, currently, latest, NB3, March 2014, KitKat firmware with no 4G/LTE.
Also, the CSC, (Customer Software Customisation), code, which dictates the customisations for your location/region/carrier. The 3 letter code comes directly after the model version shown in #1.2 above. For instance... CSC: I9505ZTOFNB3 for the International I9505 non carrier branded model for Brazil or CSC: R970USCFNAE for the US Cellular model SCH-R970.
Therefore, it is always useful to ascertain the model of phone and firmware as some problems may only occur with certain models or versions of firmware and may not apply across the board to all Samsung Galaxy S4 models and firmwares. Also, a firmware update may have been released that corrects a problem.
Tip: It is a good idea to make a note of your full firmware details in case you ever need to manually re-install your firmware without voiding your warranty.
#1.3.1. Samsung releases are categorised as follows:-
M = year = 2013 (13th letter of alphabet)
E = Month of year (May in this case, 5th letter of the alphabet)
A = Build of that month (10th for, "A", as they start 1-9 first, before letters)
Therefore, MEA is pre MGG, (2013, July, 16th release), and is before Knox. Only stock Samsung firmwares MGG onwards, (with the exception of MH1), have Knox Security.
#1.3.2.
See also...
Rooting Galaxy S4 - Dummies Guide (International)
Update Problems - Dummies Guide
Bloatware removal - Dummies Guide
GPS Fix - Dummies Guide
Warranty period for your S4?
No Gorilla Glass 3 on all Galaxy S4's!!!
#1.4. Your device's current firmware version is not supported to update firmware via kies
This indicates a mismatch with your CSC, (Consumer Software Customisation) code, see #1.3 to obtain this. This can happen for a number of reasons.
You will not be able to receive an update via Kies, the Samsung PC Suite, if you are rooted, on a custom ROM or have flashed a stock Samsung firmware with a different CSC code not originally intended for your phone, and may receive the message,"YOUR DEVICE'S CURRENT FIRMWARE VERSION IS NOT SUPPORTED TO UPDATE FIRMWARE VIA KIES" or "YOUR DEVICE DOES NOT SUPPORT SOFTWARE UPGRADING VIA KIES", depending on your version of Kies .
It has also emerged that sometimes vendors have been flashing phones with a different stock Samsung firmware prior to sale in an attempt to sell to a wider market and therefore upgrades via Kies are not possible. There are also reports that people who have had their phones repaired at a Service Point and re-flashed with different firmware are unable to receive updates via Kies.
Provided that your phone has never been rooted, unlocked, flashed or altered by you in any way, then the best advice is to take it to a Samsung Service Point and ask them to update the firmware for you.
#1.5. Alternatively, if available for your phone model number, you can download a stock Samsung firmware of your choice and flash this via a PC suite called Odin3 v3.09.
If your current firmware is Knox enabled, Android 4.3 onwards, you cannot downgrade to 4.2.2 or from 4.4.2 to 4.3.
This is for competent users and could void your warranty by flashing any firmware other than that intended for your original CSC code, see #1.3 above, as well as preventing future updates through Kies or Over The Air, (OTA).
.
#1.6. TIP
If you are a poster it is a good idea to mention your model number and firmware version in case this has a bearing on your problem.
Better still, if you have 25+ posts, you can go to the black bar at the top of this forum and click on your Username, which will show a drop down menu. Just select, "Signature", and you can enter in the signature box the details of your phone, i.e. - "Galaxy S4 i9505". This ensures that your device details are shown in every post you make. You can update this as often as you like and will help other users immediately identify your phone and firmware.
Think again!
#1.1. There are currently 29 models of the Samsung Galaxy S4 phone.
Most of which are covered in this General Galaxy S4 forum.
Some of these models have already had as many as 12 different stock Samsung Android firmware releases since launch.
So, you can see that when you take into account the different locations worldwide and those locations unbranded and carrier branded firmwares, there is no such thing as one Samsung Galaxy S4 and one Jelly Bean or KitKat firmware but rather, 29 different phones with, currently, over 3,000 different variations of firmware for Android 4.2.2, Android 4.3, Android 4.4.2, Android 4.4.3, Android 4.4.4 and Android 5.0.
#1.2. Your VERSION
To locate your model version, go to...
Settings > More > About device > Model number
This will give you the model of Samsung Galaxy S4 that you have.
You can now refer to the Wikipedia table here to see more information about your phone model.
You will see, the two main Samsung Galaxy S4 models are the global International, GT-i9505, quad core and the International, GT-i9500, octa core, models with the other minority variants based on these. These variants all have different versions of the stock Samsung firmware that the International models run on and may have features removed, added or amended as well as carrier add-on's, sometimes referred to as "carrier bloatware".
#1.2.1 Other Galaxy S4 forums on Android Forums are:-
i9505G Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition
i9295 Samsung Galaxy S4 Active
i9190 Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini
SM-C1010, SM-C101 Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom
#1.3. Your FIRMWARE
To locate your current firmware version, (not baseband/modem), go to the dial pad and type in...
*#1234#
This will give you your, "Version", details in full, usually 3 lines of information which are all relevant. The important one to note in this case is the first, "AP:", (a.k.a PDA), detail. This is important because, as previously mentioned, some models have had a number of updates and improvements to their original firmware.***
*** If code *#1234# has been disabled on your firmware, you can download and install, free from the Play Store, Phone Info and it will give you, under Firmware Info... PDA, Baseband, CSC, versions. It also has the added advantage of showing your Product code.
For instance, someone with a Samsung Galaxy S4, SCH-R970 on firmware R970VXUAMDL will be running a very different firmware and hardware to a Samsung Galaxy S4, GT-i9500 on firmware i9500UBUFNB3. The former is a quad core phone on the US Cellular, CDMA, network on an early, MDL, April 2013, Jelly Bean release and the latter is an octa core phone for Trinidad and Tobago on the, currently, latest, NB3, March 2014, KitKat firmware with no 4G/LTE.
Also, the CSC, (Customer Software Customisation), code, which dictates the customisations for your location/region/carrier. The 3 letter code comes directly after the model version shown in #1.2 above. For instance... CSC: I9505ZTOFNB3 for the International I9505 non carrier branded model for Brazil or CSC: R970USCFNAE for the US Cellular model SCH-R970.
Therefore, it is always useful to ascertain the model of phone and firmware as some problems may only occur with certain models or versions of firmware and may not apply across the board to all Samsung Galaxy S4 models and firmwares. Also, a firmware update may have been released that corrects a problem.
Tip: It is a good idea to make a note of your full firmware details in case you ever need to manually re-install your firmware without voiding your warranty.
#1.3.1. Samsung releases are categorised as follows:-
M = year = 2013 (13th letter of alphabet)
E = Month of year (May in this case, 5th letter of the alphabet)
A = Build of that month (10th for, "A", as they start 1-9 first, before letters)
Therefore, MEA is pre MGG, (2013, July, 16th release), and is before Knox. Only stock Samsung firmwares MGG onwards, (with the exception of MH1), have Knox Security.
#1.3.2.
See also...
Rooting Galaxy S4 - Dummies Guide (International)
Update Problems - Dummies Guide
Bloatware removal - Dummies Guide
GPS Fix - Dummies Guide
Warranty period for your S4?
No Gorilla Glass 3 on all Galaxy S4's!!!
#1.4. Your device's current firmware version is not supported to update firmware via kies
This indicates a mismatch with your CSC, (Consumer Software Customisation) code, see #1.3 to obtain this. This can happen for a number of reasons.
You will not be able to receive an update via Kies, the Samsung PC Suite, if you are rooted, on a custom ROM or have flashed a stock Samsung firmware with a different CSC code not originally intended for your phone, and may receive the message,"YOUR DEVICE'S CURRENT FIRMWARE VERSION IS NOT SUPPORTED TO UPDATE FIRMWARE VIA KIES" or "YOUR DEVICE DOES NOT SUPPORT SOFTWARE UPGRADING VIA KIES", depending on your version of Kies .
It has also emerged that sometimes vendors have been flashing phones with a different stock Samsung firmware prior to sale in an attempt to sell to a wider market and therefore upgrades via Kies are not possible. There are also reports that people who have had their phones repaired at a Service Point and re-flashed with different firmware are unable to receive updates via Kies.
Provided that your phone has never been rooted, unlocked, flashed or altered by you in any way, then the best advice is to take it to a Samsung Service Point and ask them to update the firmware for you.
#1.5. Alternatively, if available for your phone model number, you can download a stock Samsung firmware of your choice and flash this via a PC suite called Odin3 v3.09.
If your current firmware is Knox enabled, Android 4.3 onwards, you cannot downgrade to 4.2.2 or from 4.4.2 to 4.3.
This is for competent users and could void your warranty by flashing any firmware other than that intended for your original CSC code, see #1.3 above, as well as preventing future updates through Kies or Over The Air, (OTA).
.
#1.6. TIP
If you are a poster it is a good idea to mention your model number and firmware version in case this has a bearing on your problem.
Better still, if you have 25+ posts, you can go to the black bar at the top of this forum and click on your Username, which will show a drop down menu. Just select, "Signature", and you can enter in the signature box the details of your phone, i.e. - "Galaxy S4 i9505". This ensures that your device details are shown in every post you make. You can update this as often as you like and will help other users immediately identify your phone and firmware.
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