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Since our last LineageOS post, the project has continued to add new features and support new devices. In addition to new Quick Settings tiles and changes to included apps, the ROM now supports 16 additional devices.
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- It looks like the Xiaomi Redmi 2, oddly labelled as the WT88047, is also getting CM13 nightlies.
The Galaxy Note II and its tablet big brother the Galaxy Note 10.1 were both released in 2012. That being the case, the odds of them getting an Android 6.0 update are about as good as the Chicago Cubs winning the Super Bowl. Of course, a lack of updates (even for hardware that might not meet the minimum requirements) is a big part of what makes custom ROMs so popular. So it is that the CyanogenMod ROM's version 13, based on AOSP code for Marshmallow, has come to a handful of older Samsung devices.
Sprint is rolling out an over-the-air update to customers who own a Galaxy Note II that applies a security patch or two from Google. What vulnerability this update addresses isn't detailed, but it's the first OTA Sprint has sent out since the big KitKat update last May.
Updates are not only for the latest and greatest phones, but they usually are. It's actually quite unusual to see a phone from a few years ago on a US carrier getting an update, but that's what's happening with the Samsung Galaxy Note II on Sprint. Rather, it will happen on January 6th.
Update, 7-25-14: It looks like this over-the-air update was delayed for some reason. Samsung says it's coming in now.
Update: Samsung has shared a little bit more information on this update. The approximate file size is 246.5 MB. Click on the image below to read up on the details.
Samsung leaves no phone behind. Well okay, it does, but not all the time. I mean, certainly not a flagship device... usually. At any rate, the Galaxy Note II on Sprint is getting bumped up to Android 4.4 as we speak. Isn't that nice?
KitKat has started to come to the international variant of the Galaxy Note II. As SamMobile has reported, the update is currently available to users in France. It's an official build available through Kies, with no word yet on when an OTA is scheduled to go out. When it does, it should hit other regions as well. The update bumps the software version up to N7100XXUFND3.
Only a couple of days after coming to the Galaxy S III, Samsung's Android 4.3 update is now rolling out to Verizon customers wielding Galaxy Note IIs. This is the update that has been going around the block for a while now, having already made its way to Sprint and T-Mobile versions of the handset. It comes with the same goodies, including Galaxy Gear support.
AT&T's Galaxy Note II Gets Android 4.3 And Galaxy Gear Compatibility Via OTA Update (I317UCUBMK6)
AT&T's Galaxy Note II Gets Android 4.3 And Galaxy Gear Compatibility Via OTA Update (I317UCUBMK6)
Samsung has been rolling out Galaxy Gear support to additional devices since the end of October, lumping the functionality in with updates to Android 4.3. A leaked schedule provided a timeline of when to expect various Galaxy handsets across the big four American carriers to get updated, and many OTAs started rolling out right on schedule. Others have not. The AT&T Galaxy Note II's update has been somewhat of a tortoise, but it may soon cross the finish line, as the long-awaited OTA is finally inbound.
T-Mobile customers with the Galaxy Note II, your day has finally arrived: the Jelly Bean 4.3 over-the-air update is finally rolling out, according to this XDA thread. Samsung's Galaxy S4, S III, and the Note II have been getting the same update on other American carriers, but T-Mobile is behind the leaked release schedule (though not by much). The Note II is the last Samsung phone on T-Mobile scheduled to get the update, at least for the moment.
Minus a couple of hiccups, Samsung is reliably updating its later models to the last version of Jelly Bean. Sprint's branded version of the Galaxy Note II is the latest phone to get the Android 4.3 magic, complete with updated compatibility with Samsung's Galaxy Gear smartwatch. Gotta sell those $300 add-ons, eh Sprint?
The Galaxy Note II came out over a year ago rocking Android 4.1.1. That was great at the time, but now that a giant KitKat statue is standing up in front of the Googleplex, it's time to move things along. Samsung never bothered with bringing 4.2.2 to the Note 2, but customers will likely forgive them now that 4.3 is rolling out to devices across the globe. It's moving in phases, though, so for the time being the only models to start receiving the update have been the GT-N7100 and the GT-N7105.
Samsung To Extend Galaxy Gear Support To The S4, S III, Note II, And Other Devices Starting At The End Of October
Samsung To Extend Galaxy Gear Support To The S4, S III, Note II
Out of the gate, the Samsung Galaxy Gear has made for the tough sell. It's hard enough to justify dropping $299 on a watch, but it's even more difficult to shell out that much on one that only pairs with a single device. Customers who don't want the Galaxy Note 3 or aren't ready to cut the cord on their current handsets have thus far been out of luck. Of course, Samsung has been upfront from the beginning that it planned to release support for slightly older Galaxy devices down the road. Now the company has supplied more of a timeframe.
The Galaxy Note II is getting an OTA update. Hooray, right?! Eh, kind of. The update clocks in at 165MB, but it doesn't bump the Android version or even add new features. What you're getting is 165MB of updates to Google and AT&T preloaded apps.
Samsung KNOX separates data and apps into containers, making it difficult for malware or intruders to gain access or cause damage where they aren't wanted, and it is integrated to a device's hardware and each individual level of the Android framework, making it a full-coverage solution. The software has been available to enterprises for some time now, alleviating concerns that Android isn't secure enough to protect corporate data and communications. KNOX is trusted enough to have been approved for use on the US Department of Defense's networks, and now Samsung is giving access to such security directly to consumers.
If you're running a stock, rooted Galaxy Note II or Galaxy S 4 and want easy access to some things that normally require manually editing system files, we've got the app for you. It's called Note 2 Hidden Settings, and does exactly what you'd expect: offers access to otherwise hidden system settings.
Rumors have been flying around the net for the past few days that Samsung is going to skip updating the Note II to 4.2.2 for [presumably] Android 4.3. Up until now there hasn't been much that backed this rumor, but Australia's Telstra network has all but confirmed this to be the case on its device update page.
If you're reading this on a later GSM-only Samsung device, pay attention. After clarifying their continuing support for Tegra 2 devices earlier this week, the CyanogenMod ROM team wants to let you know about their position vis-à-vis Samsung's Exynos 4 series of chipsets. In a nutshell: devices based on the Exynos 4 will be getting CyanogenMod 10.1 (Android 4.2) nightly builds, and not much else. These phones and tablets will not be getting stable releases of the latest CyanogenMod builds for the time being.
[Deal Alert] T-Mobile's Galaxy S4 Is Now Just $99 Down ($50 Discount), Where It Probably Should Have Started
Just over a month since T-Mobile began selling the Galaxy S4, the company is knocking $50 off the price of Samsung's latest flagship handset. Customers
Just over a month since T-Mobile began selling the Galaxy S4, the company is knocking $50 off the price of Samsung's latest flagship handset. Customers can now pick up the phone for $99.99 down along with 24 months of $20 payments. To save you the math, that's an additional $480 over the course of two years. T-Mobile is also selling the phone for the complete upfront price of $579.99, a tad cheaper than buying an unlocked version off Amazon (and with the bonus of LTE). This deal will last from June 12 to July 13, offering a fair bit of time for shoppers to decide if this feature-packed behemoth is the phone for them. Just hit up T-Mobile's site to find the phone in both black and white.