Samsung Galaxy S3 Jelly Bean Update: Sprint Still Only U.S. Carrier Offering Upgrade

While Google is already moving forward, planning on releasing Android 4.2 in the coming weeks, millions of Samsung Galaxy S3 owners are still waiting for their upgrade to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The update has already hit more than 30 countries worldwide, but here in the United States, Sprint users are still the ones who have received Jelly Bean. 

Sprint launched its Galaxy S3 Jelly Bean update almost a week ago, on October 25. If you haven't already done so as a Sprint Galaxy S3 user, upgrade your phone to Jelly Bean. The smoother interface and Google Now voice-assistant should alone be worth it. 

As for those with AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular, there sadly hasn't been any good news concerning a Jelly Bean release recently. Jelly Bean for all four carriers is still listed as "Coming Soon!" on Samsung's official update page. 

In case you're wondering why the staggered release across carriers, or why the United States is one of the slowest countries to receive Android updates, it has to do with our carrier system. A vast majority of U.S. consumers are tied to a carrier. When Google releases a new Android version, manufacturers, such as Samsung, then tailor the operating system to a specific device, such as the Galaxy S3. The upgrade is then sent over to each individual carrier for approval and distribution (which often involves filling the operating system with some bloatware as well). 

All we can count on is that the four carriers will certainly try to have their Galaxy S3s upgraded to Jelly Bean by the end of the year, most likely in time for the holiday shopping season to offer customers an appealing alternative to Apple's iPhone 5 and iOS operating system. 

If you're an international customer and wish to see if your country has already began receiving a Galaxy S3 Jelly Bean update, website YouMobile keeps a great updated list of where the upgrade is available so far. Over 30 countries seem to have received it, including most major European, Asian, and Middle Eastern markets.