Samsung Galaxy S3 owners everywhere are anxiously waiting for their Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update ever since they started rolling out a few weeks ago. Those in the United Kingdom were promised the update in October by Samsung, and now it looks like carriers Vodafone and O2 are the first to upgrade their handsets.
In a rare occurrence, it seems like a carrier has beat Samsung to the punch. Both Vodafone and O2 begin releasing Jelly Bean today, Monday October 22.
"Great news, the Android 4.1 JellyBean update will be made available for Samsung Galaxy S3 handsets purchased from Vodafone on Monday. The update will be a staggered release, meaning customers will be notified in batches that it's available for over the air download over the course of several days," said Vodafone in a statement.
Samsung UK recently confirmed the release of Jelly Bean to U.K. Galaxy S3 owners in a Facebook post, saying, "we can confirm that the Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system will be available on the Galaxy S III this month. Details regarding availability across network channels will be announced in due course."
Samsung UK also confirmed to TheInquirer that Android 4.1 Jelly Bean will make its way to Galaxy S3s pending "software testing and approvals.
Interestingly enough, this means that the unlocked Galaxy S3 is yet to receive its official update from Samsung. Usually carriers take longer to release Android versions because they tailor it to their networks and often times fill the operating system with bloatware.
No word on when U.S. Galaxy S3 owners can expect their Galaxy S3 updates, although the Samsung update page simply states that it's "Coming Soon!"