Samsung Galaxy S4 Update Release Date: Android 4.3 Jelly Bean Finally Rolling Out to the S4

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is getting an Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update in October.

Samsung sure had Galaxy S4 owners waiting for a while to find out if or when they would be getting the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update. But Samsung finally spilled the (jelly) beans Wednesday during its unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, saying that there would be operating system updates coming for the Galaxy S4 (and other Samsung smartphones) in order to allow the devices to work with the new Galaxy Gear.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 will be getting the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update from Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean sometime in October, according to PhoneArena.

Of course, over the past couple of months, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Editions have already gotten the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update (one advantage of getting a stripped-down phone without Samsung's custom UI is that you get Android updates as if your phone is a Nexus). Along with that update, HTC One Google Play Edition handsets also got the new Android operating system. And HTC has even already told its customers that Android 4.3 was coming to their handsets with the Sense UI on top. But Samsung Galaxy S4 owners were left in the dark as to when they'd be getting the update - until now.

The Android 4.3 operating system comes with a few nice features, like restricted profiles on the operating system's multiple accounts (great for small businesses that have to share devices from one shift to the next, or for parents). Other improvements include OpenGL 3.0 support, which should improve graphics performance in both video playback and video gaming. There are also some other system performance enhancements in store for Samsung Galaxy S4 users.

And then there's the Galaxy Gear support. If you're willing to shell out $300 for a Galaxy Gear, by the time it gets to stores (in mid to late October), your Samsung Galaxy S4 will probably be updated and ready to link.