Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 2 owners are getting a treat from the nation's largest carrier: Android 4.1.2. Complete with some ground-breaking features, the upgrade revitalizes the phablet, even if it is a bit late.
Verizon is currently pushing the Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.1.2 update out over the air. If you haven't yet received it, don't worry, as Android upgrades are typically rolled out in batches, meaning it shouldn't be long before it's made available to everybody.
Downloading the new update will recalibrate the Galaxy Note 2 to build JZO54K.I605VRAMC3 and baseband I605VRAMC3. The update weighs a hefty 246MB, and can take 10 minutes to install, so it's best to have your device tethered to Wi-Fi and a power source before downloading.
Perhaps the biggest new feature users will take note of will be Multi-Window. This option allows users to run two apps simultaneously, side-by-side, at once. Multi-Window isn't functional with every single app, but big ones like YouTube, Gmail, Facebook, and Twitter are all supported. There are also improvements to ISIS Mobile Wallet, VZ Navigator, Backup Assistant Plus, Exchange Active Sync email, SMS texting, and Wi-Fi connectivity. Notifications and the calendar have also been tweaked.
Android 4.1.2 and Multi-Window have been available to most Galaxy Note 2s around the world for quite some time now, but as usual, U.S. carriers (especially Verizon) are late to the party. This is because after Samsung releases its Android builds, the carriers then take time to further tailor the upgrade and fill it with carrier-sponsored bloatware. Luckily, it's always better late than never.
Let us know if you've had a chance to upgrade your Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 2 to Android 4.1.2, where you are located in the United States, and what your experience with it is like in the comments below.