Surprise: Android 4.4.1 shows up in server logs

BY Stefan Constantinescu

Published 4 Dec 2013

Google, Apple, Microsoft, they’re always working on the next big thing. Part of developing new hardware, software, and services, is testing them to make sure they actually work. So it’s with little surprise to anyone that some websites have started noticing that devices running Android 4.4.1 are accessing their content. Specifically the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, and the Nexus 7.

What’s new in Android 4.4.1? No one really knows. Scratch that, Google employees working on Android know, but they’re not going to tell you until the big unveil. You’ll probably hear about bug fixes, performance tweaks, and maybe a new integrated application or two, but don’t expect anything radical. You’re not going to see the real “next” version of Android until Google I/O in half a year.

The bigger question here is when will you get Android 4.4.1? If you have a Nexus device or a Google Play Edition phone, you’re going to be first in line and you know it. If on the hand you have a phone with a layer of software customization so thick that you can’t even tell Android is underneath, well, you know what you got yourself into. The wait will probably be months.

And if you bought your phone from an operator, you’re screwed.