When the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 updated to Android 4.4, reports circulated claiming that the update blocked some third party accessories from working. Though Samsung denied the update blocked any accessories from working at the time, they’ve now done an about-face. While accepting responsibility, they didn’t quite admit they were wrong.
In a statement, Samsung says they have identified a software issue, and that a fix is on the way. Chalking it up to a bug of sorts, Samsung at least accepts the reality of the situation:
We have currently identified a software compatibility issue with the Galaxy Note 3 update to Android 4.4 (KitKat) and select 3rd party accessories. A software update will be available shortly. We are committed to offering a diverse and reliable mobile experience for all customers, providing continued support and solutions for any issues that arise with product updates for both Samsung manufactured and third-party accessories.
We’ll stop short of saying Samsung purposefully blocked the accessories from working, because there really isn’t anything to gain there. We do wonder if it was simply something they’re working on that mistakenly made its way into the update. There have been reports of Samsung working to block accessories prior to this.
Skepticism abounds, but we’ll take solace in the fact that Samsung is working on a fix. Though they issued a bit of a stone-faced response to this issue, and didn’t quite accept blame, a fix will likely solve all this time around. No timetable was offered for the update, and they will undoubtedly run into a carrier wall in the process, so don’t expect this to end swiftly.
Samsung blocking 3rd party accessories is a major concern for me with the S5. More so with charging cable. If the Moto X had a better camera I’d probably consider.