Help How do I update to a newer Android?

[treeroy]

My phone is Android 4.1.2 and I can't figure out how to get 4.2/4.3/4.4.

When I click the Software Update button in the settings, it says the phone software is up to date, but this clearly isn't true.

What do I need to do?

 

[funkylogik]

Hey welcome to the community :beer:
It depends on where you are and who your carrier is?
4.3 has been pushed out to most s3s now i think.
You could try downloading Samsung Kies to your pc and plug the phone in to see if theres an update.
Not many people got the 4.2 update and it kinda got bypassed until 4.3 and even that has been a bit of a disaster as youll see by reading all the 4.3 threads in this forum lol. 4.4 hasnt even been released for the s3 :thumbup:

 

[treeroy]

Hey welcome to the community :beer:
It depends on where you are and who your carrier is?
4.3 has been pushed out to most s3s now i think.
You could try downloading Samsung Kies to your pc and plug the phone in to see if theres an update.
Not many people got the 4.2 update and it kinda got bypassed until 4.3 and even that has been a bit of a disaster as youll see by reading all the 4.3 threads in this forum lol. 4.4 hasnt even been released for the s3 :thumbup:

I am in the UK and my provider is O2.

I'll try what you suggested, thanks.

Edit: No I won't try that, just realised I have no cable that connects from my phone to USB. Not sure what to do now!

 

[h4x0rj3ff]

I am in the UK and my provider is O2.

I'll try what you suggested, thanks.

Edit: No I won't try that, just realised I have no cable that connects from my phone to USB. Not sure what to do now!

your charger doesnt have a usb adapter on it? (not sure how over seas chargers work tbh) your probably on the i9300? which was pushed the 4.3 update but it was a disaster (so i heard) you can goto settings > about phone > and under model number your model number will be displayed. what does it say?

 

[funkylogik]

Yeah its the gt-i9300 and our chargers are one-piece here (didnt you get another cable in the box though)
as ^ says, the 4.3 update in UK was horrible so they stopped pushing it until it was fixed.
I think(?) theyve fixed it and you should get it soon

 

[ScoobyWRX]

Me and the wifes gt-i9300 both have charging plugs with removable usb cables?

 

[funkylogik]

Hmm. When did you get them Scoob? I got mine around launch time with the one-piece one with horrible skinny cable that falls apart in a few months

 

[ScoobyWRX]

Got mine when they first came out funky, 3UK shop, the wifes came from CPW on EE 5 months ago? Seems strange?

 

[struckn]

My phone is Android 4.1.2 and I can't figure out how to get 4.2/4.3/4.4.

When I click the Software Update button in the settings, it says the phone software is up to date, but this clearly isn't true.

What do I need to do?

My personal recommendation is always to root and then enjoy the benefits but that isn't for everyone, especially those who don't want to void their warranty. I am in the U.S. and on Virgin Mobile, so I own my phone outright and want to do with it as I please. Plenty of good info on the forums as well as on XDA if you choose the rooting route.

 

[treeroy]

your charger doesnt have a usb adapter on it? (not sure how over seas chargers work tbh) your probably on the i9300? which was pushed the 4.3 update but it was a disaster (so i heard) you can goto settings > about phone > and under model number your model number will be displayed. what does it say?

Yeah, it looks like it's the GT-I9300.

My personal recommendation is always to root and then enjoy the benefits but that isn't for everyone, especially those who don't want to void their warranty. I am in the U.S. and on Virgin Mobile, so I own my phone outright and want to do with it as I please. Plenty of good info on the forums as well as on XDA if you choose the rooting route.

Sorry for sounding stupid but what's rooting? I haven't heard of this.

And my charger is just a mains-to-phone charger. I got the phone a couple of months ago.

 

[cmichael258]

My personal recommendation is always to root and then enjoy the benefits but that isn't for everyone, especially those who don't want to void their warranty. I am in the U.S. and on Virgin Mobile, so I own my phone outright and want to do with it as I please. Plenty of good info on the forums as well as on XDA if you choose the rooting route.

struckn:
What custom ROM are you running?

 

[BynoUK]

Me and the wifes gt-i9300 both have charging plugs with removable usb cables?

Same, got mine a few months after it released.

 

[struckn]

struckn:
What custom ROM are you running?

Currently the first official Cyanogen 11 nightly and loving it! I swear by Carbon ROM though, used their 4.3.1 for about two months straight which is a lot for a flashaholic like me; I am looking forward to their upcoming 4.4.x releases.

 

[struckn]

Sorry for sounding stupid but what's rooting? I haven't heard of this.

And my charger is just a mains-to-phone charger. I got the phone a couple of months ago.

Not sounding stupid and nothing to apologize for! Rooting gives you full access to your phone and the ability to customize at will, including running whatever Android build number you want. That is the short answer. You absolutely must research as much as possible before even thinking about rooting, as there are risks that come with the rewards, it is not something to jump into blindly.