It is always nice to be surprised by an update heading out to a device. Especially when it is Android 4.4 KitKat. It is even more surprising to find out that it is for the Moto X for Verizon customers. Not exactly anything that many of us ever expected to see so quickly. Verizon has been one of the slowest carriers to update any devices over the year. Kudos to them for getting this worked out so quickly.
Here are some of the things you can expect as a Verizon Moto X owner
- An improved phone dialer. Now you can search for contacts directly from the dial-pad and easily see and tap on those you contact frequently.
- More gallery goodies. KitKat packs in some cool, new gallery effects—such as Posterize, Highlights, and Edges. You can even use the Draw feature to annotate your photos freehand with your finger.
- New Hangouts app. All of your conversations now in one place—texts, video calls, and other chats all together in one app. Plus, you can now send animated gifs and share your location.
- Color emojis. For when words aren’t enough, the Google Keyboard now includes colorful characters to send in text messages and other communications.
- Drag to focus and expose. An updated camera app lets you control both the focus and exposure of your photos. Simply drag your finger to set just the right exposure and focus point.
- And more… Restyled status and navigation bars, new full-screen mode, and enhancements to Motorola features like Touchless Control.
This update moves the Moto X from Android 4.2 straight to 4.4. Skipping 4.3 all together. This news is very exciting, but is also rather irritating for many Nexus 4 owners out there that still don’t have the latest OTA update for Android 4.4. Mixed in there is the Play Store edition of the Galaxy S4 and HTC One.
In typical fashion, the OTA update for the Verizon Moto X is rolling out in phases. The first wave is underway as we write this news. If you happen to be the proud owner of this device, head into the device settings and check for the update. Make sure you have plenty of battery life and a strong Wi-Fi connection for best results.
Where is the update for the other carriers though? They are on the way say Motorola. With more carrier and county announcements soon. We doubt Motorola will be dragging their feet to get approved version of the update rolling quickly globally.
Via MotorolaÂ
