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Android 4.4.4. available for the Nexus 5 and other Nexus devices

• Steve Freeman
• June 20th, 2014

The Android 4.4.3 update is still rolling out for many devices, but that did not stop Google to release a new update for its Nexus devices, the Android 4.4.4 KitKat. With Google’s annual I/O event approaching rapidly, no one expected Google to make any changes. Today however, they posted the factory images and binaries of Android 4.4.4 for many recent Nexus devices. Namely, the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7, Nexus 7 (2013) and the Nexus 10 will receive the new KitKat update.

With the Android 4.4.3 update being only a couple of weeks old, this update is most likely a small, bug fixing and security update so don’t expect anything major or groundbreaking. The recent 4.4.3 KitKat update was meant as a patch for many issues plaguing the Nexus devices. This wasn’t successful with all devices however, as users began complaining about persistent old bugs like the fast battery drain or Wi-Fi connectivity issues. Android 4.4.4. will most likely bring security changes and will fix the newly discovered OpenSSL vulnerability. According to Sascha Prueter, an Android program manager at Google, the update is “primarily addressing CVE-2014-0224”. The CVE-2014-0224 is the tracking number in the CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) database for a major security flaw found in OpenSSL. This is one of the most used libraries for supporting the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) secure communications protocols. OpenSSL library is used by the Google Chrome browser and other apps on the Android platform.

The Android 4.4.4 update will be rolled out in batches, but we have no exact details on when users can expect it to arrive for their Nexus devices. It’s safe to assume that it will be coming in a few days or weeks via the usual software update notifications. For now we know that Sprint confirmed the Android 4.4.4. KitKat updated for the Nexus 5 and states that it’s only a security update.