Moto G Android 4.4.2 KitKat upgrade surprise release today
Motorola has released Android 4.4.2 KitKat for the Moto G, surprising users with an early upgrade for the mid-range smartphone. The company had previously promised to begin its KitKat update program sometime by early 2014, but got in on the game early with the surprise best-seller Moto G.
The update, which begins rolling out today, is initially for unlocked Moto G handsets bought either on Amazon or through Motorola's own webstore in the US. Those who bought a Moto G through a carrier, or in a different region – whether through a carrier or not – will get the update "soon" Motorola promises, though there's no public timeline as yet.
It's not the only Motorola device which has been getting some delicious KitKat today. Verizon began distributing an update for the DROID Ultra, the DROID Maxx, and the DROID Mini earlier, part of Motorola's earlier commitment to release more timely updates.
The update for the DROID Ultra, the DROID Maxx, and the DROID Mini also started to roll out in Brazil for retail handsets, Motorola confirmed, with more carriers and regions set to follow soon.
Android has been broadly criticized for the breadth of OS versions handsets launch running, with many existing users still languishing one or more versions behind, and new devices still on sale with out-of-date software preinstalled. It's in marked contrast, many have observed, to Apple's iOS update process; over 70% of iOS devices now run the latest iOS 7 recent figures suggested.