Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.4 Kitkat OS update has not arrived to the handsets yet. There is a possibility it may not happen at all.

Recent reports claimed Android 4.4. Kitkat OS update for Samsung Galaxy S3 will start rolling out in May. Users have been waiting for the Kitkat update since it was released late last year. Tech blog The Bitbag defied rumors saying three possible reasons Samsung Galaxy S3 will not have the Kitkat update.

2012 Release Date

Samsung Galaxy S3 GT-I9300 was released in May 2012 and will celebrate its second anniversary next month. Other models were also close in marking their second birthday. Google and other manufacturers were following the so-called 18-month software support on each device. This is what they call "end of life cycle" for every Android smartphone and tablet.

Ice Cream Sandwich And Jelly Bean

Technically, Samsung Galaxy S3 had two official major Android updates within its lifetime. The GT-I9300 model runs with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as factory OS then received Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Other models run with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean since it was released several months later after and later received 4.3 Jelly Bean OS update.

Although Samsung did not officially say the handset will not get the latest Kitkat update, some previous major updates were considered on deciding whether a smartphone, at least in Galaxy devices, should receive another OS upgrade.

Hardware Incompatibility

Another reason Samsung was having a difficult time in rolling out Android 4.4 Kitkat OS update was due to some hardware and software incompatibilities with the handset.

Samsung Galaxy S3 sported a Samsung designed TouchWiz UI, which could prompt issues with Kitkat OS' configuration. Also, developers could also be looking into the virtual memory of Galaxy S3, which was significantly lower than that of Galaxy S4. Although the GT-I9305 model features 2 GB RAM, expiration of software support could prevent initialization of software release.

Since hardware components such as RAM were not upgradable, manufacturers always encourage users to upgrade every 18 months or 2 years to a new device to get all perks such as software updates.