By 
The Samsung Galaxy S3 is getting a bit of love today on Sprint and US Cellular. The aging Galaxy model received its update to Android 4.3 on both carriers. The final version of Jelly Bean reaches the handset along with a host of Premium Suite features for the handset to take advantage of, including updated multi-window support and more.
The release notes for Sprint’s version of the update detail Samsung Galaxy Gear compatibility as well as Samsung Knox support. Neither feature is mentioned in association with the US Cellular update. If you own the GS3 on either network, you can check for the update by navigating to About Device under Settings and selecting Software Update. US Cellular has also provided a link and instructions for downloading and installing the update manually.
Received the update today? Let us know in the comments below if you have uncovered anything interesting.
[via Samsung (US Cellular, Sprint)]
It’s also live on T-Mobile. Mine updated this morning to 4.3.
have you noticed any issues with the new update.?
Like what? Mine is running smoothly.
just anything that might catch your attention. i ask because i am at work and cannot update yet. but it seems that it was just the UK update for international GS3s that was buggy. seems all American updates are okay so far..thats all bro. just curious….
i didn’t received mine and am from sweden
Oh ok I received mine via T-Mobile USA.
24 hours with the update and my phones running great. I did notice that PvZ2 isn’t working but I’m not worried about it.
thanx dude. i did not know until i read your comment. i dont know you but you’ve made my day!!!
Hey, did anyone notice that the update appears to enable Apps to SD! I’ve moved a couple so far.
Skip it. Go Cyanogenmod!
yes but if we do that we lose warranty on our phone if something goes wrong… but now with the original version if Samsung will not be able to fix the problems they will have to do something abou it…
You can always restore back to stock. Either way, CM is NOT the way to go.
If something really goes wrong, they won’t be able to tell what OS you have on your phone.
And may I recommend triangle away along with downloading and flashing the stock recovery and Rom. After that the phone is back in warranty
not with knox
There was nothing Samsung on my stock Euro GS3 that worked good enough to keep Samsung’s ROM including all of their file sharing crap. Chromecast, Google Music, etc work far better. Hell, they actually work rather than burn 15% CPU on my PC. So nothing proprietary by Samsung is going to sway me.
How about I don’t use CM? I don’t really care for it. I don’t see the “awesomeness” with CM actually. To me, it’s no different than some other stock-like ROM.
This is a thread about Samsung’s bloatware ROM, not a true stock-like ROM. You can pick your ROM of choice. Any should be better than Samsung’s.
However, I challenge you to find another ROM with a Play store install assistant.
Actually, I have “CleanBean” downloaded to my phone, and it is REALLY clean! It is only stock ROM minus all of the bloatware: NO Sprint, Samsung or Google bloatware. Only the required apps to make certain programs like SMS, Wi-Fi, etc., etc. work correctly, and then I add ONLY the apps I want that are available from the Play Store.
no luck on Sprint. Checked for firmware update twice!
It’s funny that US Cellular has pulled the 4.3 update for the S4 but just updated the S3.
Please please port it to Verizon. There’s things I miss about touchwiz.
… Said no one ever.
If I said it
Wouldn’t that contradict your lame comment?
Received my 4.3 update this AM on Virgin Mobile. So far … so Good!
Wow us cellular and virgin mobile beat Verizon to the gs3 4.3 update??? Thanks Verizon!
And Sprint.
Yea, I have a hard time with smaller carriers releasing this update before one of the nation’s largest carriers though. Who else is going to release it before Verizon, which we pay a premium for… Cricket? Boost mobile? Straight talk? C’mon big red!
What time did you get you’re update? I still haven’t received mine. And if you did update your phone how did you do it?
I received it first thing Friday morning, around 9am PST.
Not fair! I wish you had update.zip so I can update it.
I was surprised to see the update so quickly… and Sprint included its pre-paid up front. The best part is it updated without a single hitch. My LTE seems better, battery life appears better, and NFC doesn’t drain me out! I’m sure yours will come soon.
Hey Jim! How is your update? Any problems yet? I would love to update mine but I don’t want to take the risk r it turns out terrible. Yalnow? Thank you.
Hi Haris! Everything is great! Absolutely no issues! Calls, text, emails, and data are all good. I have a Virgin Mobile (Sprint) configured GS3, not sure if that makes a difference considering the Verison update issues.
I have Virgin Mobile too! Which is great to hear! I’ll definitely update it! Thanks Jim!
As soon as I noticed the update I called Virgin and Emilio walked me through it. I was nervous about updating too! Takes about 15-20 minutes to update via WiFi, and several restarts.
Did you do a factory reset or any other procedure? What some noticeable changes you see? Sorry for all the questions haha.
No factory reset, however I do recommend backing up any data on your phone(just to be safe). Its a 700+ MB file. You’ll notice the “4GLTE” icon instead of simply “4G” in the Notification Area. My battery seems to last longer, even with multi-window(more supported apps), S-beam, Google’s Now, and Smart-Stay running at the same time.
I have virgin mobile s3 too how did u get it
Hi Moises! Sprint seems to be metering out the update. Once Sprint/VM pushes it through, it should show up when you go to: Settings > System Update > Update Firmware.
What state do you live in because it seems as if here in north Carolina they haven’t released it
I’m in the San Francisco Bay Area.
I got it for my AT&T GS3 yesterday. The performance improved a lot, except the annoying bug on the Notification bar keeps display the downloaded item. Doesn’t matter what I do, they just keep coming back. It’s frustrated that Samsung released a buggy product.
My update is good via T-Mobile, no bugs.
Have you tried opening the app manager and clearing the downloads cache? I’ve heard this works.
Or restarting the phone? Before I take an update I restart the phone and then reboot again afterwards.
Mine keeps doing that too…anyone know how to fix it?
am i the only one that hates knox and will be avoiding this update untill a knoxless rom is released
Verizon wireless will be receiving the update within the next couple days, we run test on updates given to us to provide you with the best experience. Be patient, kick ass update coming your way.
We all know it’s coming soon since it already missed its OTA update that was leaked, why is it then that Verizon still releases updates (vzw 4.1.2 original update that had bugs) that have bugs if they “test” so rigorously and release most updates last of all major carriers? If your going to take so much time to test the updates and release so much later, then make sure they run very well and are stable. I think this is what infuriates customers so much, if your going to take so long doing diligence, better make sure it comes with very minimal issues. It seems to happen quite a bit. So if you work for Verizon and know about the kick ass update coming our way, what is the build number? Build or kernel date? Approximate download size? What specifically about it can you tell us about it to bring some merit to your claims?
I’m basing off what a Verizon wireless agent told me, so I can’t elaborate on that.
we don’t just approve updates the day we get them like other carriers because there may be bugs, etc.
Mine is not working and I got sprint
Come on, Sprint!! I hope I don’t end up having to wait for weeks for this update!
You still haven’t got the update yet?
No. USA (Virginia), and as of RIGHT NOW, still no update. This is so aggravating.
Why the hell can’t Sprint give us 4.4 yet??
Same here in California, haven’t gotten it.
i was about to download….but i dont appreciate the almost 530mb!!!!!!! for features i dont need!!!!! i do not want Knox or Galaxy Gear function..this is BS!!!!i was so excited at first too!
are you seriously bitching about 530mb!! this update also improves your speed and makes the resolution better.
your kidding right???? take a ride in the Wahmbulance….its a great update unless your on Verizon and havent received it yet….
Can someone please tell me when will the update get to uae please
When will the galaxy s3 i9305 update be realised
Verizon wireless update coming real soon so get excited
How soon? I have a Verizon gs3 and how do you know? You work for them or what?
I Talked to a verizon wireles agent and they told me the update would be coming within the next 3-5 days due to testing the software.
Thanks!!
One more day till your “window” is hit…..Im not buying the 3-5 days thing…..Verizon is known for this…I love their coverage but loathe their software update procedure….
I know they piss me off .
How do you know?
Still waiting for my Sprint GS3 update……
Verizon is trash I’m leaving them I want the nexus 5 which they do not carry, smh
When will i be able to update my samsung victory phone to kit kat? It is a sprint phone.
As of right now, I cannot find the latest Android 4.3 update for Sprint Galaxy S3 ANYWHERE. I have tried to use Kies, went directly to the Samsung site, Sammobile, and EVERYONE lists MD4 as the “current” firmware version. I thought this was already released FROM Sprint which means Samsung SHOULD have the actual newest firmware version on their site?
DO NOT UPDATE ON S3…MULTIPLE PROBLEMS ON MINE. READ OTHER ARTICLES ON THE SUBJECT… MANY ISSUES.
https://refer.virginmobileusa.com/FHSf0r for a free Virgin Mobile Top-Up!! You must activate the link before you activate your new account.. With this update, its a great time to switch to no contract!!! And Virgin Mobile is a great great carrier
Tired of waiting and got the OTA zip package and ADB sideloaded in stock recovery. Stock / locked Sprint GS3. http://goo.gl/ac3kNA
Does anyone know when metro pcs will get update???
I’m so tired of waiting aha. I thought att would’ve got this out to most people by now.
Got my update to 4.3 last night on my GS3 through Sprint.. One annoying thing, now my camera flash blinks on incoming calls. How do I disable it?
How did u update the gs3 sprint
I simply followed the directions in the article.above look for “Update Samsung Software..” I selected that and the file started downloading… Depending on your WiFi connection speed it may take up to 1 hour to complete download.
Can u share with the kind people the DIRECTIONS!
select Settings/ System Update/ Update Samsung Software. After that the phone will take over and start downloading the upgrade file. Once it’s completely done it will say ready to upgrade.That’s all I did.
Do you have some type of way I can contact u like text or email?
I WOULDN’T UPDATE. MY S3 IS HAVING MULTIPLE PROBLEMS. RESEARCH OTHER ARTICLES BEFORE UPDATING ON S3.
Under my device then accessibility it the second from the bottom
Already tried that it did not work.. This may be a software flaw.
My boyfriend has att s3 it worked on his I’m still waiting for my update
It is possible AT&T may have caught this “flaw.” Thank you anyway.
I have AT&T as we’ll. had the same issue.
First make sure flash notification is off.
Second go to Display settings and turn off Touch key Light Duration then turn it back on. Don’t know why it woked but it did
That happened to me! Turn off your phone and turn it on again it should go away.
OK. this should not have worked but it did. thank you.
This worked for me as well. Thank you for posting this rather odd solution!
what area are you located ?
Does this sprint update include Samsung Galaxy S3l SPH-I710? because I didn’t get it yet.
There is no way in hell I am updating. Not with Crapsung forcing their KNOX bs on me. I don’t think people quite understand what the KNOX suite does to your ability to mod your phone, if that’s what you’re into. Look it up.
My wife has the S3 for Sprint and it won’t update to 4.3
Does the update go out all at once or is it based on location?
DO NOT UPDATE ON GALAXY S3…EXPERIENCING MANY PROBLEMS.
No problem with the T-Mobile S3 update (have had it for 5 days), GS3 is so much snappier and fast. Because Android 4.3 has so many under the hood improvements, it makes the GS3 feel like a new phone.
do you have the lte version of the s3?
Nothing here in kentucky yet
when will metro pcs s3 get the update?
Midnight Monday morning nothing on my sprint S3 in northern new Jersey… This is ridiculous
Metro PCs anytime soon?
I have tmobile galaxy s3 I have the update. But havnt downloaded it yet, I’m kinda nervouse because I’ve heard there’s a lot of problems with it. Should I or shouldnt I?? Can someone please help me and let me know if I should update or wait??
I heard that was the internation versions had to do with their processors but dont quote me on that.
Thanks for your response Chris, I’ve been doin some research online trying to figure out what’s going on with the update and if I should update my phone or not. I want to do it but am nervous of the outcome. If anyone else knows about this please do let me know . Thanks
They fixed just about all the problems and actually managed to make it improve your phone,so yeah go ahead.
Thanks Ari, I’m trying to get all the knowledge I can about the update before I do it. Thank u for your response
Still haven’t got the sprint s3 update. Has everybody else gotten it? I’m in Columbus, OH
Still no update in East Texas. Has anyone else still not received this update?
Since Verizon has no care on when to push the S3 4.3 update..I have a ? for those who are lucky enough to have received it on their respective carriers….Does the weather widget change to the one on the S4? Silly I know, but still nice
No
As I said earlier I was skeptical on downloading the update to my tmobile s3 , but I took the chance and im glad I did. I have absolutely no problems with it, its a great update, with great features. My phone is faster and smoother. I luv it!!!!! 4.3 rocks!!!
Sprint gs3 new hampshire…still nothing… what’s going on?
Sprint gs3. Go to app manager. Go to all. Scrool ti google services framework. Clear data then check ur update this force the update to your phone. This is what I did my phone has 4.3 now
I tried this it didnt work any other ideas
Download kies from Samsung’s website and connect your phone via USB. It worked for me.