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Wi-Fi Calling gets the ax on more than a dozen T-Mobile devices
A number of classics are being made *that much* more obsolete
T-Mobile is about to turn off Wi-Fi Calling to a number of older phones. Have you been prudent enough to see the day when your phone's been made obsolete? Well, at least in one small factor.
CyanogenMod has seen better days as an organization, but the team behind the open-source Android custom ROM doesn't seem to be slowing down its prodigious output. In the last week new nightly builds have been added for no less than ten new phones and tablets, including notable models from Motorola, Samsung, OnePlus, and Amazon. All of them now have CM 14.1 (based on Android 7.1.1 AOSP code) builds available.
Got an old phone that the manufacturer or carrier has stopped pushing updates to? Chances are, there's a CyanogenMod ROM that will breathe life back into it. This week, CM maintainers have brought CyanogenMod 14.1, which is based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat, to the AT&T and T-Mobile versions of the Samsung Galaxy S III, the LTE model of the second-generation Moto E, the Moto X Play, and more.
It's no secret why CyanogenMod is the most popular custom ROM out there; not only does it support a metric crapload of Android devices, but it also keeps them going far past their primes. The latest devices to get support for CM14.1 (Android 7.1 Nougat) nightlies include two variants of the Galaxy S III, the second-generation Moto X, a few Oppo devices, two versions of the HTC One Max, two Xiaomi phones, and more.
The Galaxy S III, first released back in 2012, only has official software support up to Android 4.3. No matter: the folks at the CyanogenMod development team are keeping the device alive long after Samsung threw in the towel. Today the AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint variants of the GSIII all get their very first nightly ROM builds for CyanogenMod 13, which is based on Android 6.0. You can find them at the d2att, d2tmo, and d2spr listings on the CM download page, respectively.
A few years ago, the Samsung Galaxy S III was everywhere. It didn't have the build quality of an iPhone, but the screen was bigger, and Android apps were really coming into their own. The phone began its life running Ice Cream Sandwich, and most variants stopped at Jelly Bean with no hope of ever getting Lollipop.
If you have one of three Samsung devices on Sprint, you might just have an over-the-air update waiting for you in your Settings menu. But don't get too excited: not a one of them brings a new version of Android, or even more than one or two new visible features. The Galaxy S III and Galaxy S5 Sport (AKA the S5 Active) phones and the Galaxy Tab 4 (the 7-inch version) all have tiny additions to their software going out today.
Update: Let us not forget the Galaxy Tab S 8.4. AT&T has updated that device this week as well, bumping it up to KOT49H.T707AUCU1ANJ5 after a 32MB download. As for the changes, they're a yawn.
Samsung has been on a KitKat spree lately, and it has just about covered most of its popular devices from the last two(ish) years with the update. Today, Verizon updated its support docs for the Galaxy SIII, which indicates that the update is on its way in the coming days, as well.
Update: KitKat is also rolling out to Canadian variants of the Galaxy S III running on Bell, Rogers, and TELUS. They are joined by the Galaxy Note II on all of the country's major carriers. The goods are going out over the air, but you can get them via Samsung Kies as well.
The Galaxy S5 may be the latest thing out, but a quarter-bajillion people around the world are still walking around with the Galaxy S III, and it benefits us all if they're running current software. An update bringing KitKat to the Sprint version of the handset started rolling out earlier this month, and now it's US Cellular's turn. The carrier has announced an OTA that should bump the device up to Android 4.4.2 via version R530UVXCND4.
FreedomPop is the Sprint MVNO that's willing to provide you with free phone service, but if you really want to get much use out of it away from home, that price tag goes up rather quickly. Yet even then, the plans available aren't going to break the bank. Today the carrier has introduced a new $20 plan that comes with unlimited data. For the first time ever, FreedomPop customers can now tap into Sprint LTE (instead of WiMax), and this plan will provide up to 1GB of it a month (after which, phones are limited to 3G). Text messages and minutes are both unlimited, making this a pretty affordable way to stay connected.
The Galaxy S5 runs Android 4.4 out of the box, and most of the US and international versions of the Galaxy S4 have been given the KitKat update as well, but millions of owners of the Samsung Galaxy S III from 2012 are still sitting on an outdated version of Android. Sprint seems to be the first US carrier to alleviate that: this support page says the update for the S III is going out starting today.
Most custom ROMs require separate builds for separate carrier variants - one for an international model, one for an AT&T model, one for a Verizon model, and so on. CyanogenMod is trying to consolidate some of its most popular builds so that a single ROM ZIP file will work across several various device variants. Last month the CM team combined three HTC One builds, and today they're doing the same for Samsung's Galaxy S III, Galaxy S4, and Galaxy Note 3.
Today is a good day to be a Galaxy S III owner. Before the Verizon variant's update even had time to get cold, Cricket's is now fresh out of the oven as well. The OTA brings along the changes from Android 4.2 and 4.3, plus Galaxy Gear support and a lot of UI changes which serve to make the software look and function more like the Galaxy S4's stock ROM.
Good news, the long-awaited Android 4.3 update for the Galaxy S III is now rolling out to Verizon customers. Sure, it comes after peers received the goodies first on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint, but that's just the way the wind blows sometimes. Oftentimes, actually. This is Verizon we're talking about. But here it is, build number I535VRUCML1, complete with the last Jelly Bean release and Galaxy Gear compatibility.
C Spire's Galaxy S III Gets Android 4.3 And Galaxy Gear Support Via OTA Update To Software Version L710WWAMK4
C Spire's Galaxy S III Gets Android 4.3 And Galaxy Gear Support Via OTA Update To Software Version L710WWAMK4
Galaxy S4s running on the C Spire Wireless network started receiving OTA updates to Android 4.3 a week ago, bringing the devices up to the latest version of Jelly Bean. Now Samsung's older flagship is having its day in the sun. C Spire customers with Galaxy S IIIs are now getting the Galaxy Gear compatibility that has been rolling out to Samsung's high-end devices since the launch of the Galaxy Note 3.
Remember when T-Mobile didn't have LTE service? You know, just under two years ago? Remember when they released a version of the Galaxy S III without LTE (SGH-T999), then another with LTE (SGH-T999L), ensuring that some customers would be pissed and others would be confused? If you do, and you bought the latter LTE-enabled version of Samsung's 2012 flagship, check your status bar: you might just have a software update waiting.
Not to be left behind by the larger carriers, US Cellular is also distributing the Android 4.3 update to the Galaxy S IIIs running on its network. In addition to the goodies that come with the latest version of Jelly Bean, this release gives Samsung's 2012 flagship the ability to pair with Galaxy Gear smartwatches, a privilege that until recently was exclusively provided to the Galaxy Note 3.
An Android 4.3 OTA update has already rolled out to Galaxy S IIIs on T-Mobile and AT&T. Now the update is coming to Sprint devices. This release not only gives Galaxy S IIIs the latest version of Jelly Bean, it introduces the ability to pair the devices with Galaxy Gear smartwatches and brings in Samsung KONX compatibility. Many of those pre-installed apps will also see improvements as well.