Moto X KitKat Update Android 4.4.4 OTA Rollout Begins in the UK

Now that Motorola have finished pushing out the Android 4.4.4 KitKat update to users in the United States, they are starting to focus on other parts of the world. Today, we’ve received word that users in the UK, with the Moto X, have started to update to Android 4.4.4 KitKat.



If you have a Motorola Moto X with the model number XT1052, then you should expect to see an Android 4.4.4 update notification very soon. This update should be like most, so you should expect to see the OTA update sent out in batches. You could wait for the automated OTA update notification or you can go into the Settings of your Moto X and manually check for yourself. We recommend checking once per day since updates are only sent out in daily batches. If you aren’t eligible for the update right now, you can try again tomorrow.

We can tell from the official changelog that this update is the standard update that’s been going around. You can expect to see the latest patches from the Android 4.4.4 KitKat update along with some various changes. Motorola has improved the image quality for your camera. This includes better consistency of exposure, more realistic flash coloring, and better looking photos in low light conditions (for the front-facing camera). You also have the ability to pause and resume video recordings, and there’s even an updated phone dialer app with a new design. The last thing in the changelog talks about the ability to download the Motorola Alert application from the Google Play Store.

If you have received this update on your XT1052 Moto X, then please tell us in the comment section below. We would love to hear what country you’re in and what carrier you use so we can keep track of who has the update right now.

The New Moto X: 5 Things I Want to See

There are some specific things we would love to see Motorola address in order to make the next Moto X an amazing phone. Here are five of them.

A Better Camera

I used the original Moto X more than any other phone released last year. Loved almost every moment with it. I can also tell you that I went through a period where I took very few pictures and was scared to share anything on Instagram. The camera on the Moto X really is as bad as Ron makes it sound regularly on the DL Show. Motorola may have built in a handy wrist-twisting gesture to quickly access the phone’s shooter, but the lack of detail, consistency, and quality in the photos taken were a major disappointment, even after a handful of supposed software fixes were issued.

In the new Moto X, Motorola better get the camera right. I can’t tell you the last time that Motorola put a good camera in one of their phones, but now is the time to change that. Almost anyone who has used a Moto X loves it, except anyone who has used it will also tell you how terrible its camera is. Fix that, Moto, and you may yet again have the best phone on the planet.



A Better Display

I can live with a sub-par display for the most part. Hell, I’m using an LG G3 and love it. But the 720p AMOLED panel used in the original Moto X just wasn’t very good. Clearly, Motorola went with AMOLED technology so that their Active Display could be used without draining battery, but the quality needs to be stepped up this year. Last year’s panel was often too yellow, too warm, and lacked the crispness seen in the 1080p panels used by HTC and Samsung. I’m not saying that Motorola needs to match the best-in-class AMOLED used by Samsung in the Galaxy S5, but let’s see if we can’t get close.

The new Moto X is rumored to have a 5.2-inch 1080p display, which is pushing the limits in terms of being a manageable one-handed phone like last year’s Moto X. However, if the quality and color accuracy can step up a notch, you won’t see me complain about the added size.

Bring Back a Bunch of the Same

While Motorola needs to improve the camera and display of the new Moto X, the rest should go mostly unchanged. In the new version, I want it to feel as good in hand as the original. The general design also shouldn’t change, as it was one of the most attractive phones of the past couple of years. There was something special to the original Moto X in terms of size and appearance. Motorola wanted to make a phone that fit perfectly in the palm of your hand that was also capable of being used with that same single hand. Moto avoided the bigger-is-better-so-lets-make-this-next-phone-massive trend that all other manufacturers bought into starting last year, and we appreciated them for it.

I also want to see Motorola continue to focus on making their phones tell me information or let me access it without much work. Features like Active Display, Touchless Control, and the twisting camera shortcut better all return. These three features helped shape the Moto X into the best phone of last year, so if Motorola can bring them all back with slight improvements here or there, we may even be able to overlook a potentially sub-par camera. OK, that might be a lie.



No Exclusives

Last year, Motorola screwed up big time by exclusively releasing one of the most important features of the Moto X for two months to AT&T. I am talking about MotoMaker, Motorola’s customization process for the Moto X that allowed you and I to make a phone that was all ours. With the new Moto X, Motorola better open up MotoMaker to all carrier variants from day one. We aren’t exactly sure how MotoMaker is going to work going forward, since they closed the Texas plant that pumped out custom devices, but since Motorola assured us that MotoMaker is here to stay, this needs to happen.

On the day that the new Moto X becomes available, I want to order a custom-made device that day, off-contract, on my carrier of choice. Waiting two months again would only hurt the launch, annoy loyal Motorola customers, and give customers from carriers who aren’t a part of the exclusive to look elsewhere, at devices like the LG G3.

Make My Life Even Easier

When Motorola showed me Active Display, Touchless Control, and quick action camera at least year’s press unveiling, I’ll stop short of saying that my mind was blown, but it was close. After playing with any of these three options for any amount of time, you could tell that your life with a smartphone was going to be easier. Information was there when you needed it, yet you didn’t have to press a button. You could ask it commands without ever even having to wake your phone. You could even launch your camera from sleep-to-camera-open in a matter of seconds, again, without ever pressing a button.

While I don’t know what Motorola can do to add to this suite and make my life even easier, I want them to. Make it even easier, please, Motorola. Whether that be through some sort of combination of the phone talking through the Moto 360 to new Bluetooth accessories teased in your press invite to showing more information through Active Display, impress me again.

Motorola's Digital Tattoo Unlocks the Moto X With a Tap

That blotch on the man's arm there isn't a bruise from where he was restrained by the police last night, it's a digital tattoo. A thin electronic film that sticks on and lets you securely unlock your phone with a tap of your arm, neck or wherever you stick it, using NFC.



The tattoos have gone on sale in the US, with Moto X users able to buy a pack of 10 of these digital tattoos for $9.99. They're supposed to last for five days each, until your hectic gym/sports routine wears them away. If you mostly stay at home on the internet, they might survive a little longer.

Android L confirmed for Moto X and Moto G

Android L confirmed for Moto X and Moto G

That will take time though as Android L is still only available for developer preview. Motorola is rolling out the Android 4.4.4 KitKat update for all its phones right now.

Yesterday we reported that all Motorola phones in the country would be getting the Android 4.4.4 KitKat update. The company is reportedly also going to bring the Android L update to its Moto X and Moto G smartphones. While the Moto X is the company’s flagship product, Moto G was the first Motorola phone launched in the country.

The information was first published by Android Origin, which got screenshots of conversations with the company’s customer care. The customer care representative though mentioned that information about the Moto E wasn’t available at the moment. “For the Moto E, we do not have any information as of today,” said the executive.

Google though has unveiled only the developer preview of Android L till now. This means that there may still be changes and the information may turn out to be incorrect. Motorola though has often promised an update to the ‘next major Android version’ for its smartphones.

Motorola rolls out Android 4.4.4 KitKat update for Moto E, Moto G and Moto X in India

Moto G

In the latest version of Android, Motorola offers more security for browsing web content on your phone. According to the company officials, the Motorola customers can upgrade their smartphones for free of cost. All they need to pay is for the usual data connection charges.

The users of the three smartphone models will receive notifications to update their Operating System. They can also get the updates manually by scrolling through the settings menu.

Motorola starts rolling out Android 4.4.4 for Moto X, E and G in India

Motorola India @MotorolaIndia

Follow

We've begun rolling out Android, KitKat, 4.4.4 for Moto E, Moto G & Moto X this week in India! Expect an update on your #Moto soon!

9:47 AM - 5 Jul 2014

401 RETWEETS 290 FAVORITES

Motorola has announced via Twitter that it has started rolling out Android 4.4.4 update for the Moto X, Moto G and Moto E smartphones in the Indian market.

The update is being released in phases, so not everyone will get the update right-away but it should reach your Motorola phone in the coming days. As soon as the update is available for your phone, you will get a notification, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the update.

You can also manually check for the update by going to Settings > About Phone < Software update.

As Motorola did not roll-out Android 4.4.3 for any of the phones in India, the latest update will skip Android 4.4.3 and will directly take Moto X, E and G to Android 4.4.4. The update size is said to be between 50-75MB depending on whether it is Moto E, G or X.

According to Motorola, the update will include several stability, framework and security fixes as well as new phone dialler and OpenSSL-related fixes.

If you have already updated your Motorola smartphone, do let us know about the experience in comments.