The HTC One Google Play Edition has finally got Google's approval for its KitKat code, and users have started getting the latest Android 4.4 update on their skinned, unlocked and contract free smartphones.
While most high-end smartphones are waiting to get Google's latest Android 4.4 KitKat update, HTC has announced the roll-out for its Google Play Edition (GPE). HTC had sent the KitKat code for Google's approval over a week ago and following the verification process, the update finally hit the GPE HTC One smartphones. This also means that an official over-the-air (OTA) update is on the cards.
The Google Play Edition is a new initiative by Google in producing a flagship smartphone with all the skinned software removed. These phones are unlocked, contract free and are sold through Play Store for about $600. Besides the HTC One, Google has several other GPE smartphones including Samsung Galaxy S4. Lucky for all the Galaxy S4 GPE users, the Android 4.4 KitKat update is being rolled out starting today, according to a latest Google+ post.
The Android 4.4 KitKat update followed a trail of high-end smartphones before arriving on HTC One GPE. The update debuted alongside Nexus 5 in October and flavored other Nexus smartphones, including Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 tablets two weeks later. Moto X smarphones were quick enough to join the list following the Nexus lineup, according to a timeline chart by ARS Technica.
The update is slowly being rolled out to all the HTC One GPE users, who will get the update soon enough. But if patience is just not your thing then you can manually update your phone through a link posted on XDA-Developers. This link downloads as a Zip File and you should be looking for "adb sideload [OTA filename]" once the download completes.
UPDATE: Added information about Android 4.4 KitKat being rolled out for Samsung Galaxy S4 GPE.
