14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday, reports on Android 4.4 KitKat breaking the compatibility with a series of third-party accessories for the Galaxy Note 3 emerged, and Samsung was quick to offer an official comment on the matter.
Said platform version is not available for all Galaxy Note 3 devices out there, at least not officially, but some users did venture and installed leaked builds on their handsets.
However, soon after that, many discovered that the third-party cases they bought for the device no longer work after updating to Android 4.4 KitKat, and they started to express their frustration online.
Apparently, the update was not intended to break said compatibility with accessories that haven’t been officially certified for the smartphone, at least this is what Samsung claims.
In fact, the company told AllAboutSamsung that, although only its own accessories would deliver a great experience, users can still rely on third-party products.
“To ensure a pleasant and smooth user experience with Samsung products for our customers, we recommend that only original accessories from Samsung to use,” the translation of Samsung’s official response reads.
“Of course, customers can continue to rely on third-party accessories. The full functionality of our devices and accessories, however, can only be ensured with genuine Samsung components, since only in this way it is ensured that equipment and accessories are perfectly matched.”
Moreover, the company continued by stating that there was no connection between the Android 4.4 KitKat update and the incompatibility between Galaxy Note 3 and third-party accessories for it.
As SamMobile notes, it is possible that some of the changes that the company has included in the update did result in the unintentional broken compatibility with uncertified products, despite Samsung’s statement.
In the meantime, however, users are left with non-working cases, such as the Spigen’s S-View flip cover and others.
Apparently, a workaround for this issue has already emerged online, in the form of a module for the Xposed framework, allowing users to bypass the cover security check and continue to enjoy their accessories, as detailed in this thread on the XDA-Developers Forum.
Soon, Samsung will start pushing the official Android 4.4 KitKat platform upgrade to more Galaxy Note 3 users out there, and it remains to be seen whether more of them will experience the same broken compatibility.