T-Mobile Note 3: Do NOT download the Android 4.4 KitKat update!

[llfloyd79]

I guess I have that "one in a million" phone that's working perfect. I got the OTA notification on my device and upgraded. After it rebooted and everything was running, I rebooted into recovery and did a factory wipe. Rebooted, re-installed apps and accounts and it's been working fine. No battery issues, no lag.

Same thing I did as well. No issues here either. Phone has been great before and after the Kitkat update.


Posted via my Samsung Galaxy Note? 3

 

[sloan31]

KitKat sucks... Mobile data randomly stops working since the update.

Sent from my SM-N900T using AC Forums mobile app

 

[Websterw]

Please correct me. I was under the impression that you can not avoid the update, that you can delay it 3 times and the phone will push it through anyway at some point. At least that's what Samsung said...If untrue. ..How can this update be stopped?

 

[dllrogers55]

I am just not pressing the start button when it appears 5+ times a day. It downloaded by itself and I postponed the install. Now there is only "start" as a choice. I just keep backing out of that screen. Start button is only 1/4" away when I choose back and I might hit it by accident.

 

[boudicca00]

I am just not pressing the start button when it appears 5+ times a day. It downloaded by itself and I postponed the install. Now there is only "start" as a choice. I just keep backing out of that screen. Start button is only 1/4" away when I choose back and I might hit it by accident.

That's what happened to me. I never told it to download, then it spontaneously downloaded itself. It would give me that start window more and more often, until finally I just rooted it, to get rid of it. I tripped the Knox flag, but at that point, I was fed up enough to not care. I just didn't want KitKat.

 

[BoB16731]

Mine came with kitkat been super smooth

Posted via Android Central App

 

[need4spd]

Help I accidently hit the start for the installation on my kitkat that's been nagging at me for weeks.

Before I pulled the battery the phone turned off. NOw the phone is only booting to the kitkat installation screen.
How do i cancel this?!

I am afraid to let it finish so my phone will suck from here on out.

My gf's note 3 sucks with kitkat. No longer free wifi tethering, no more vpn functionality. That alone makes me hate kitkat.

 

[Deaj]

I'm out. JB works remarkably well with the Note 3. In its current form it's the single best bit of personal tech (mobile phone/PDA, etc) I have ever carried. Kitkat seems to bring a few negatives to the table and no compelling benefit to offset them. For my use Kitkat is a nonstarter.

 

[jpr]

I just bought a Note 3 a few days ago new (manufacture date in middle of March) from a T-Mobile store and it came with 4.4.2 already installed. I'm not having any of the issues mentioned in this thread at all. My phone is working great and no issues with the SD card I installed either so far.

So it makes me think it has to do with people's specific configurations and the changes between 4.3 and 4.4 that are causing people trouble when they upgrade and not the KitKat OS itself. Of course upgrades should go smoother than that, but just adding in my experience with a phone that came with KitKat factory installed before first use.

So, if anyone is thinking of buying now, I wouldn't let the problems mentioned in this thread put you off. I would actually look for a phone that was manufactured after KitKat came out. Or it still has JellyBean on it, upgrade before you do anything to configure your phone.

Others who already own the phone and have any serious problems may want to consider a factory reset and do NOT do a backup and restore and any settings and apps but manually (I know it's tedious) configure and install everything. If you do a backup and restore after a factory reset, either through Google or through a backup app or some adb script, etc, you may be restoring the same problems you are now having.

 

[sloan31]

I'm about to try a factory restore to see if it makes a difference... Will report back in a few days.

Sent from my SM-N900T using AC Forums mobile app

 

[dllrogers55]

I got so tired of seeing the update notification screen 15+ times a day that I decided to load it. T-Mobile rep told me if I had issues to call them and they could restore the old OS for me.

I wasn't watching after it finished but it booted up. Had it on the counter next to me and noticed the screen coming on every 15 seconds or so. Got worried but decided to restart and it's been fine ever since. I haven't seen any issues with battery drain like some have. Of course I did turn off a lot of the bloatware that I am not currently using. Did the same to my fianc?s Note 3 and his battery is much improved.

So far so good!

 

[sjadler724]

Re: Do NOT download the Android 4.4 KitKat update!

Battery for me is way better than before. Love the new font and notification bar. No more display on/off lag..... I heartily recommend updating to Kitkat!!!

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

I HIGHLY agree! Before KK my phone was lucky if it got 8 hours of battery life from it...now i get almost 2 days...
Everything is so much smoother too.
And my SD card can no longer get cluttered with stuff that I didn't even manually put on there.

This post seems like just a huge cry over an individual, situational gripe and ill experience with the update. Better luck to everyone else....but for me the update has been nothing more than a godsend.

 

[sjadler724]

Re: Do NOT download the Android 4.4 KitKat update!

The battery and WiFi calling are my biggest issues. And you are right the lag pressing and turning off the phone is gone. But how can you recommend an update where at least half the users are having severe issues? That isn't right...

5TH

Can you please show your source for claiming that at least half the users are having severe issues? If your just going by these forums than Im sorry, thats not plausible. Most people are only going to post on here IF/WHEN they are having problems...if half of the user base were having issues, this place would be a lot more crowded with anger, frustration and cries like this post here.

 

[anon(607340)]

Stock, T-Mobile Note 3, running official KitKat (OTA) and I have not had any major bugs/issues to speak of. I see a minor increase in banding on gradients (this happened with my Nexus 7 on previous updates, so I know updates can affect display quality/calibration) and of course the change in SD card write ability for 3rd party apps (which is by design so not a bug) but the update runs fine. No Wifi calling issues, all intended features work, hardware performing fine (gps, bluetooth, etc). I always factory reset immediately after an update, and I've pretty much never had a problem.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

 

[EricLaneLA]

This isn't just a Note 3 issue. I first noticed the data connection issues when I purchased the LG G2. I thought it was the phone itself being faulty, so I returned it and preordered the S5. Now I'm having the same exact data connection issues on this phone too, so IT HAS to be an android kitkat issue!!! Does anyone know of a fix yet?! It's driving me NUTS!!

 

[mspace81]

I am having issues with data connection and battery drain since updating to kitkat. I can have a full signal, but not have any data. This is a well known bug with kitkat and Google is said to be working on fixing it for 4.4.3. My phone was working just fine before this update. Some bugs that were there on 4.3 were fixed with the update, but it broke many other things, data being a huge one for me. It really sucks when I'm checking business emails or using needed business apps and they just stop working in the middle of use, because data connection dropped. It makes using my phone hard at times. I looked on T-Mobile support forums and this is an issue for many users. I'm not sure if others on different providers are experiencing the same issue.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[sloan31]

Yeah, my data drop issues are still there after factory reset. I never had this issue before KitKat....I hope google releases a fix soon.

 

[Websterw]

Can someone on 4.4.2 who feels the phone is running smooth give us some insight (I've read that sd card runs as before if using Samsungs My Files) as to:
1. In my files can you manipulate files and folders the way You like
2. OTG with a printers usb, usb stick plug in and total commander are you able to print
3. What office apps are you running? At present I am using Quick Office and write all my notes on the sd card save them to sd card and edit on sd card
4. What apps are working what's not working

(I didn't see a thread on this hope it's OK here)


Thanks for the info!

 

[mkaufer05]

I have the Note-3 from Tmobile as well, and what happen after i upgraded to Kitkat, my Note-3 lost the ability to utilize the high-speed USB 3.0. and i went thru the Merry-go-Round with Tmobile tech, then Samsung tech, i downloaded and install the USB drivers thats made for android phones, i bought new 3.0 cables, still no luck. even the option to select 3.0 from the pull-down menu on the phone is now missing. i did hard-resets, all that. so I know a little how you feel. so in the end i had Tmobile send me replacement with Jelly Bean install, and will not upgrade to Kitkat til they get the bugs worked out of it. oh, they claim that kitkat will automatically detect usb 3.0,...... Ha!

 

[sloan31]

KitKat will detect usb 3.0 when working properly...mine does. But I have other issues....mostly the data connection randomly stops working.