Sure, most of the world is still running older versions of Android, but upgrades to Jelly Bean are in high demand, and it now seems that Samsung Galaxy S3s on AT&T's network are finally receiving Android 4.1 over the air.
The AT&T Samsung Galaxy S3 Jelly Bean update, which released December of last year, was previously only available through Samsung KIES. To grab the update, users had to utilize Samsung's software and a PC - not exactly the most consumer-friendly and obvious option. So for those who don't want to fiddle with KIES, or simply weren't aware of the update, AT&T has now started rolling out Jelly Bean OTA, according to a report from Engadget iin which the carrier confirms the rollout.
All AT&T Galaxy S3 owners have to do is go to Settings > About > and then simply check for an update. Bear in mind the update is rather large, so be sure to have your handset charged, and set aside a time slot when you can afford to not be constantly connected to the world.
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean isn't a radical departure from Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but still manages to squeeze in some incredibly useful improvements. Jelly Bean introduces Google Now, a voice assistant that can tell you everything from the weather to how long your morning commute will take. Many even prefer it to Apple's Siri. Jelly Bean's Project Butter improves system performance and interface fluidity with higher frame rates and better resource allocation. The usual bug fixes and more customization options applies.
Android upgrade often take longer than usual to reach U.S. smartphone owners with carrier-tied handsets since the firmware has to be developed by Samsung and then modified by the carrier before distribution. As a result, the update can take months longer to reach U.S. variants compared to their unlocked and international Android brethren.