Samsung halts shambolic Galaxy S3 Android 4.3 update

Samsung has stopped sending out the Android 4.3 update to its Galaxy S3, after two weeks of complaints from aggravated users. Since the update first appeared on 4 November, the Korean company has been deluged with complaints, ranging from battery drain to the phone freezing.

"As we are currently investigating the reported issues with Galaxy S3 4.3 Jelly Bean update, the upgrading service has been temporarily suspended," Samsung told me in a statement. "We are committed to providing customers with the best possible mobile experience, and will ensure to resume the upgrading service at the earliest possibility."

US network AT&T has apparently pulled the 4.3 update for this year's flagship, the Galaxy S4, according to the Android Police blog.

The Galaxy S3 had been running on the elderly Android 4.1 for over a year, and skipped the relatively major 4.2 update. All three were different flavours of Jelly Bean, and have since been usurped by 4.4 KitKat as Google's most cutting-edge software.

4.3 was supposed to bring richer notifications, better S-Voice voice control, other tweaks to Samsung's TouchWiz interface and support for the Galaxy Gear smart watch. What it got was worse multi-tasking, juddery music, Wi-Fi wobbles and random freezes, according to users on Samsung's UK Facebook page.

In the wake of the rollout CNET UK readers reported "sluggishness" and "lag".

The Galaxy Note 2 is due to be updated to 4.3 imminently, we reported yesterday, with leaked versions of the new firmware appearing online. It's not clear if that rollout will be delayed, but you may wish to hold off updating your gigantophone until plenty of other people have checked that everything's tickety-boo.

Have you had trouble with your S3? What exactly has gone wrong? Update your status in the comments below, or over on our smoothly functioning Facebook page.