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Verizon surprises everyone by updating its Moto X to KitKat first

The worst carrier for Android updates turns the trend on its ear.

The AT&T Moto X is still waiting for 4.4, but Verizon buyers are getting it now.
Andrew Cunningham

Of the big US carriers, Verizon is rarely the most punctual when it comes to Android updates. This is especially true for OEM phones from the likes of Samsung and HTC, but even the Verizon Galaxy Nexus is still waiting for its Android 4.3 update. That's why it was particularly surprising when Google and Motorola announced that the Verizon version of the Moto X would be receiving its Android 4.4 KitKat update beginning today, just a week after older Nexus phones and tablets began to get the new software.

While Motorola has been owned by Google for around two years now, its phones to date haven't really benefitted from being made by the same company that develops Android. Most Droids and other phones have continued to ship with slightly older versions of Android, and updates typically jump through the normal carrier approval hoops. It's impossible to say from this isolated example that Motorola's access to Android updates (or Verizon's approach to approving them) is changing, but it's an encouraging example at the very least.

Aside from KitKat's UI and under-the-hood features, Google and Motorola have added a few new Moto X-specific features to the phone. The camera app's touch-to-focus function has apparently been enhanced, and those of you with the touchless voice controls enabled will now be able to shout "OK Google Now, find my phone" to make the Moto X you lost in the couch cushions ring loudly and identify itself. You can see an itemized list of additions in the release notes.

As for non-Verizon phones, Google and Motorola "will have more KitKat for Moto X news to share on other carriers and countries very soon." While a variety of other Motorola phones have also been promised KitKat updates (including the recent Droid Ultra, Droid Maxx, and Droid Mini), there isn't any additional news on that front at this time.


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