After initially denying that the Android 4.4 KitKat update recently released for the Galaxy Note 3 caused any issues with third-party accessories for the device, Samsung has come clean to ArsTechnica and admitted that the software is to blame for the broken functionality of those accessories. Specifically, unofficial Note 3 cases similar to Samsung’s S-View Flip Cover do not work after updating the smartphone to KitKat, users have discovered. It turns out that Samsung’s cases contain a special chip that has been suddenly enabled via KitKat — the S-View feature allows users to access a portion of the display and interact with it without removing the cover.
Samsung has provided a statement to German website AllAbout Samsung a few days ago, in which it said that the KitKat update was not at fault, while advising users to always buy original accessories.
“To ensure a pleasant and smooth user experience with Samsung products for our customers, we recommend that only original accessories from Samsung should be used,” a translated version of the statement says. “Of course, customers can continue to rely on third-party accessories. The full functionality of our devices and accessories, however, can only be ensured with genuine Samsung components, since only in this way is it ensured that equipment and accessories are perfectly matched. A correlation between the Android version 4.4 and the supposed incompatibility of third-party accessories does not exist.”
However, Samsung on Monday sent a different statement to Ars Techinca, acknowledging the issue and promising a fix.
“We have currently identified a software compatibility issue with the Galaxy Note 3 update to Android 4.4 (KitKat) and select 3rd party accessories,” Samsung said. “A software update will be available shortly. We are committed to offering a diverse and reliable mobile experience for all customers, providing continued support and solutions for any issues that arise with product updates for both Samsung manufactured and third-party accessories.”
Recently, other Samsung Android updates caused problems to handset owners, including Android 4.3 Jelly Bean updates in the U.K. and U.S.
