Just a few weeks after the 4.4.3 update was released by Google to bring a number of bug fixes including a new look dialer, the mothership has unexpectedly come out with another update straightaway. Android 4.4.4 Kitkat has dropped for most of Google’s Nexus gadgets, with the OTA slowly trickling in.
So what’s the big deal with this update? Well firstly, there was a huge build-up to the 4.4.3 update – numerous rumors, leaks and non-leaks – until it was finally released. In fact, that update just barely finished being rolled out via OTA and then Google makes this surprising move. It stands to logic that there is an urgent reason for the update, even as it was released without any fanfare at all. But as of now, this is still unclear. What may give a bit of clarity is that the folks at Funky Androidhave listed down a seemingly complete change log, and you can head over there to take a look at the list. For those of you curious, the build number for this update is KTU84P.
As of writing, the devices that are listed to have this update include the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7 and the 2013 version, and the Nexus 10. If you are comfortable in updating via a factory image, you can head over to the official list of factory images available with the 4.4.4 update embedded. If you’re the type who wants to work on custom ROMs, the binaries are also available. And while the OTA for this update is slow in arriving, the guys over at the XDA developers forum have confirmed that there is an incremental OTA update available now for the Nexus 5, Google’s flagship phone.
The last question really is what major changes to the operating system the update brings. There were rumors that this was Google’s immediate reaction to geohot’s Towelroot app, but most developers who have tried the update are saying that the app still works on 4.4.4. There are also whispers that the imminent dropping of the Dalvik runtime has finally come upon us, but that doesn’t seem to be the case either. But according to Android Police, a Googler has just confirmed that this is mainly a security update, mainly dealing with a serious OpenSSL bug called CVE-2014-0224.
