T-Mobile is on a roll, pardon the pun. It has just released firmware updates for the Samsung Galaxy S4, the HTC One (M7) and the HTC One M8. Though these updates aren’t exactly earth-shattering, they do bring in much needed security fixes, particularly from Android 4.4.4, and one potentially interesting new feature.
Of the three, the update for the Galaxy S4 is probably the most notable as it bumps the version number from Android 4.4.2 to 4.4.4. The changes from 4.4.2 to 4.4.3 were very minimal, with the most noticeable being the new dialer look. The 4.4.4 release is even less, considering it was a “surprise” release that was designed only to address OpenSSL bugs. Galaxy S4 owners can opt to have their updates delivered and installed via the usual OTA method or do it through a PC using the Samsung Kies software.
The HTC One (M7) also gets updated but only up to Android 4.4.3. That said, like what some other OEMs do, HTC seems to have just backported, that is, made available, the fixes from 4.4.4 to the earlier version, considering the changes are quite small. The HTC One M8, which got its own Android 4.4.3 update from T-Mobile just last month, didn’t even get a version bump. It did, however, get one new feature that is common to all three updates: Free In-flight Texting.
Just yesterday, T-Mobile announced a partnership with Gogo that would allow subscribers to receive and send text messages or even voicemail while in air. Names of participating airlines are still unknown at this time. T-Mobile promised that all their new phones will be compatible with this new feature, but it is certainly welcome news that they are including the feature in older, even 2013, models as well.
SOURCE: T-Mobile (1), (2), (3)
VIA: AndroidBeat
