AT&T/Verizon/Sprint/T-Mobile/US Cellular pull Android 4.3 update

[ironass]

Last updated 26 Nov:

It would seem that AT&T have halted the rollout of Android 4.3 over problems with Wi-Fi, cellular data connections and other random bugs and issues.

Android 4.3 Jelly Bean Problems: Trouble Arises With The AT&T Galaxy S4 Update As Samsung Speaks Out About The Galaxy S3 Update Issues

AT&T puts Galaxy S4 Android 4.3 update on hold

Android 4.3 update for AT&T Galaxy S4 reportedly pulled because of unmentioned issues


Android 4.3 seems to be causing problems for Verizon and Sprint users as well...

Android 4.3 update for Galaxy S4 also wreaking havoc



"Here's the problems S4 owners - primarily on the Verizon network - are reporting in the US (other carriers are also affected though):

• Appalling battery life, even when charging
• Screen blackouts
• Voice recognition broken
• Wi-Fi instability problems, constant reconnecting
• Wi-Fi guest network login problems
• Constant switching between 3G/4G and Wi-Fi networks
• Text messaging contact issues
• Verizon car charger does not work
• Mobile data icon missing
• Music player self-launching
• Bluetooth audio cutting out
• Slower performance
• Widget problems, Air View not working
• Screen rotation broken"

"T-Mobile's S4 update to Android 4.3 was scheduled for today, but considering the storm brewing it seems wise to delay."

It looks as though the planned release for T-Mobile yesterday, (18 Nov: ), has been delayed. See, here.

US Cellular have also issued a statement...

Following AT&T, US Cellular Confirms That The Galaxy S4 4.3 Update Has Been Suspended


UPDATE

The good news is that Samsung have begun the roll out of a bug fix Android 4.3 firmware. See...

Android 4.3 firmware release fixes bugs

T-Mobile U.S.A., SGH-M919, release. See post #54

 

[motoracer1486]

ATT S4 with 4.3, I haven't had any issues. I don't really notice any difference (better or worse) for that matter.

 

[Money_Mark]

I updated 3 days ago, now I wish I hadnt. The most noticeable bug is the wi-fi constantly reconnecting, or giving me a unstable wi-fi signal message. My wife has the same phone, and I decided to wait to update hers, glad I did.

Another immediate problem I have noticed is that when texting and adding a contact, I used to be able to quickly start typing the name and then their name and phone number would come up for selection. Now I just get the name with a bunch of weird numbers. I have to actually leave the texting app and text from my contacts list instead. I hope they fix this quick!

 

[jejb]

At least they're pulling it and trying to fix it. Not everyone is having issues, but there are sure a ton more of them on the forums than the last couple of upgrades.

 

[Goodspike]

Odd that most of those problems haven't been mentioned here. There's been one complaint of battery life and the OP in that thread apparently tracked it down to a new calller ID app installed.

 

[GrouchoM]

Gee...I'm so glad that I'm a Verizon guinea pig.

 

[Goodspike]

Gee...I'm so glad that I'm a Verizon guinea pig.

Has there been an update in the history of smartphones that didn't have issues? My Moto D2G had the update to GB pulled much faster, and for much more severe reasons.

 

[dlphnfn]

I had the issue with starting a new text and not being able to enter M O and having 'mom' pop up.... it was resolved a couple days later. I think there might have been a caching issue there. I didn't take any more fixes and it was self resolved.
Otherwise the Sprint update has been solid for me with no reset.
One thing that drives me nuts I'd how people refuse to reset their phone. It's an OS! It gets 'dirty'. Generally speaking, you won't regret it.

 

[GrouchoM]

One thing that drives me nuts I'd how people refuse to reset their phone. It's an OS! It gets 'dirty'. Generally speaking, you won't regret it.

Soft Reset = quick & easy
Hard Reset = timeconsuming and tedious (even with Helium)
Now, if an official Android release included a way to do a FULL backup/restore including all app/widget settings the way rooted phones can, I'd be much more forgiving of these upgrade flaws.

 

[Canesfan]

I updated 3 days ago, now I wish I hadnt. The most noticeable bug is the wi-fi constantly reconnecting, or giving me a unstable wi-fi signal message. My wife has the same phone, and I decided to wait to update hers, glad I did.

Another immediate problem I have noticed is that when texting and adding a contact, I used to be able to quickly start typing the name and then their name and phone number would come up for selection. Now I just get the name with a bunch of weird numbers. I have to actually leave the texting app and text from my contacts list instead. I hope they fix this quick!

Hmmm, mine has all those problems and I haven't even been offered the update yet.

 

[Petrah]

Soft Reset = quick & easy
Hard Reset = timeconsuming and tedious (even with Helium)
Now, if an official Android release included a way to do a FULL backup/restore including all app/widget settings the way rooted phones can, I'd be much more forgiving of these upgrade flaws.

Whether or not it's wise to restore from a complete backup will be dependent on the changes in the upgrade. With small updates it's safe to restore from backups, but with huge changes you want to perform a fresh install. Experienced root/rom users already know this. This is why Google will more than likely never offer complete backups of app or OS settings. It's a whole other can of worms that they just don't want to offer up.

 

[marine one]

No problems here at all. Just did a soft reset as a precaution. Battery life is actually better than before the upgrade.

 

[GrouchoM]

Whether or not it's wise to restore from a complete backup will be dependent on the changes in the upgrade. With small updates it's safe to restore from backups, but with huge changes you want to perform a fresh install. Experienced root/rom users already know this. This is why Google will more than likely never offer complete backups of app or OS settings. It's a whole other can of worms that they just don't want to offer up.

Well, if I'm to start from scratch after this "wonderful" updating, I probably won't finish until the next "gift".

 

[ironass]

With small updates it's safe to restore from backups, but with huge changes you want to perform a fresh install. Experienced root/rom users already know this.

Couldn't agree more Petrah :thumbup:

As you say, an update within, say, Android 4.2.2... merely a bug fix, doesn't usually require a clean/vanilla install as nothing much is changing. However, a change from Android 4.2.2 to 4.3 or to 4.4, I would definitely recommend a full wipe and fresh install.

Short version... FULL wipe and vanilla install

1. Press Factory Data Reset button and Format external memory.

2. Check out your firmware for problems prior to re-installing your app's and settings.

3. Set your phone up from scratch by re-syncing to your Google account and restoring previously saved files.



Long version

When you upgrade not only is the firmware changed but all your app's and settings have to be reconfigured and integrated into the upgrade during the process. This is in an attempt by Samsung to retain everything on your phone so that you do not have to set it all up again after the change.

If you stop and think about the millions of app's and the myriad of settings that this has to take into account then maybe you can understand why there are sometimes problems with phones after new firmware is installed.

Some of these problems are caused by app's that are not suitable for the new firmware. Remember, not all app's on the Play Store may be compatible with your new firmware yet. Other app's, that work on your existing firmware, have to be updated for the new one, if possible, during the change over. No mean feat.

These problems can manifest themselves in all sorts of ways... from non compatible app's continually running and causing high battery usage and over heating not to mention eating up your storage with constant log or dump files. Settings that are giving Forced Closes or very long screen lags. High RAM usage or screen freezes and shut-downs can all occur because the user app's or data have not, or can not, be integrated successfully into the new framework automatically during the change over.

Also, the downloaded firmware update itself may have been corrupted. This can easily happen with OTA, (Over The Air), updates where an interruption has occurred with the download. This has also been reported by some who have used the Samsung PC suite, Kies. However, unless you do a Factory Data Reset... you cannot be sure. See, ***, for how to re-install an update.

So, what can you do?

Well, I would strongly recommend a Factory Data Reset prior to upgrading.

Settings > More > Accounts > Backup and reset > Factory data reset (may vary depending on model/firmware)

Yes, I know, its a lot of hassle because you have your phone set up the way you like it on your existing firmware but it's a lot more hassle if things go wrong, as we can see from this forum. Besides, this is the very reason that Android include the Factory Data Reset feature. Also, if you take your phone to a Samsung Service Point, this is usually the first thing they do.

Having said that, I always do a Factory Data Reset and clean install so that there is no old setting or data from a previous ROM/firmware.

The object of the Factory Data Reset is to return your phone's memory back to the out-of-the-box state with no user app's or data from your old firmware to cause problems. Make no mistake, if you are on, say, JB 4.3, this does not revert you back to JB 4.2.2.

You should take the time to check out your phone prior to re-installing your app's and settings to ensure that you are not experiencing any problems with the firmware itself. See, ***

You should even consider formatting your external SD card if you have moved app's to it as when you move an app part of it stays in the phone memory and part is moved to your External storage. As you can see, this can cause problems in itself.

You should also make sure that you are fully sync'd with your Google account so that Contacts and Calendar, etc; can be automatically restored after the Factory Data Reset and your subsequent sign in to your Google account.

You can also, as a safeguard, save your Google Contacts by going into Contacts > Menu > Import/Export > Export to SD card and keep a copy on your computer.

Providing your app's are all sync'd with the Play Store, they will start re-installing automatically, one-by-one after signing in with your Google account details, email/password. Your paid app's are still there as paid app's, so you do not lose them. The restore from the Play Store will take some time and should be done via Wi-Fi as there will be a lot of data downloaded. You may find that you have to, "set-up", some of your app's again or that there are updates for a number of app's or that you will need to manually re-download some again. This is no bad thing as it was probably these very things that were causing problems in the first place.

If you have any passwords or Wi-Fi codes, etc; you should make a note of these before the Factory Data Reset.

*** If, after a Factory Data Reset and prior to installing any app's, you find that your phone is still misbehaving this could be because of a corrupt installation of the firmware update originally. You can either take it to a Samsung Service Point, (recommended), or re-flash the firmware yourself using Odin and the instructions in #1.5, 23 Galaxy S4 models - know yours?.

A useful app for backups, on un-rooted phones, is, "Helium", from the Play Store. However, be warned, you may well be restoring the very app's and settings that caused the problem to begin with. A safer method is to do a fresh install and set-up of each app.

As I said, this may seem a lot of hassle but the alternatives are:-

1. Put up with your phone the way that it is.

2. Take it to a Samsung Service Point and get them to re-flash it for you... in which case you will lose everything anyway.

3. Re-install your old firmware using Odin, (not possible with the 4.3 update), which may not solve the problem anyway, and possibly lose everything.

The choice, as they say... is yours.

 

[trucky]

It also got pulled for US Cellular customers. I will say that flashing the modem only from the MJL update provided better reception and literally doubled my download speeds at home. Went from 6 asu to 24 asu on 4G/LTE. Downloads went from 6-8 Mbps to 12-14 Mbps. I live in a fringe location so your mileage may vary.

 

[Asphaltcowboy]

I did a full factory reset after installing 4.3 on my Verizon s4. I still have the Verizon car charger issue, the transition animation scale defaulting to 1x each time I open the camera, and battery life is worse than before switching to 4.3. So I don't think that a factory reset is always the cure all.

 

[speedlever]

For whatever reason, some have reported improved results after doing multiple (at least 2) FDRs. When is enough, enough?

Initially, I was looking for the 4.3 update. Now I'm glad I backed away while waiting to get my act together on recording all my app tweaks... which I have yet to do.

And when I finally do the upgrade, I think I'll do at least 2 FDRs back to back.

 

[ironass]

I did a full factory reset after installing 4.3 on my Verizon s4. I still have the Verizon car charger issue, the transition animation scale defaulting to 1x each time I open the camera, and battery life is worse than before switching to 4.3. So I don't think that a factory reset is always the cure all.

I honestly don't think anyone would be naive or stupid enough to believe that a Factory Data Reset would rewrite the Android coding for the known problems with a firmware release.

 

[GrouchoM]

I honestly don't think anyone would be naive or stupid enough to believe that a Factory Data Reset would rewrite the Android coding for the known problems with a firmware release.

It sure seems to be implied above, though...don't it?

 

[2badmice]

I am on Vodafone UK and got the update and have noticed issues with battery life, wifi disconnecting randomly and it's taking ages to charge.

I used Battery Widget Reborn and I used to get around 19 hours on average. I'm now getting 12 since this update.

Am I stuck and having to wait, as I got the update before they pulled it?

 

[ironass]

It sure seems to be implied above, though...don't it?

No, I don't believe it does imply anything of the kind to anyone who takes the time and trouble to read it through, carefully and thoroughly. It merely covers most of the common problems that are experienced by a corrupt or dirty update and certainly does not claim to re-write Android source code.

 

[james_uk]

My S4 is from Orange, UK. I updated my phone to 4.3 about 4/5 days ago, I have noticed some specific issues i am having since updating to it:

• Wifi timer isn't functioning for me, when i was on 4.2.2 i would set the timer for the wifi to come on at 6pm each night, regardless if the screen was on/off it would turn the wifi on and it would be on when i looked at it. In 4.3, everytime my wifi timer gets to the on time i just get 2 notifications, one telling me my phone has blocked an app and another notification telling me my timer has started, but when i drop the notification window down the wifi button is still off.
• 2nd issue is the security notification that tells me and app is blocked, it seems to come up a lot, and it always seems to be built in apps that trigger it, it's not even 3rd party apps.
• 3rd issue is everytime i turn on my camera, my transition animation scale option keeps defaulting to 1.

Is samsung going to be releasing an update soon to fix these issues, does anyone know?

And are my issues all part of the issues with this current rom?

Thanks

James

 

[ironass]

Is samsung going to be releasing an update soon to fix these issues, does anyone know?

Samsung. after a one week lull, have just released the 2 day old build release, MK8, for the International, GT-i9505, model, which comes with a much higher changelist, 2082040, than the MJ9 version that, say, the AT&T release was based on. Hopefully, this will include bug fixes for the Android 4.3 releases so far. Unfortunately, Samsung only publish a changelist number and not an actual changelog.

And are my issues all part of the issues with this current rom?

They certainly seem related and are known issues but without a changelog, it is difficult to be definitive where carrier branded firmware is concerned.


(For details and an explanation of firmware, see #1.8 of Warning - Knox Security on 4.3 quad core firmwares.)

 

[Goodspike]

I honestly don't think anyone would be naive or stupid enough to believe that a Factory Data Reset would rewrite the Android coding for the known problems with a firmware release.

I've been noticing (and commenting) that an FDR has been recommended here for almost any problem. I'm waiting for the post that suggests an FDR to fix a cracked screen.

 

[ironass]

I've been noticing (and commenting) that an FDR has been recommended here for almost any problem. I'm waiting for the post that suggests an FDR to fix a cracked screen.

I know... strange then, that Samsung engineers still use Factory Data Reset and re-flashing of firmware to solve update problems when you visit a Samsung service point. You'd think they'd know better!