Samsung has announced a new software update for the Galaxy S4 that will see some of the major issues that Samsung has recently been experiencing with its flagship handset fixed, including the internal storage fiasco which hit the headlines in recent months.
First up, the update will allow users to install apps to their microSD card, which was previously not possible and thus left users of the handset with only 8.5GB of useable space out of of the advertised 16GB internal memory, which of course soon fills up when you install apps.
The update will also increase this available space to 9.2GB, which along with the ability to install apps on a microSD card should help with limited storage issues a lot. A few other tweaks will also be introduced, such as the ability to record high dynamic range (HDR) video, new camera firmware, a toggle for the Smart Pause feature and interface tweaks such as a semi-transparent status bar and some new icons in Settings.
Samsung got a bit of a public beat down after it was revealed that around half of the advertised 16GB memory was usable, with the BBC’s Watchdog show exposing the problem on prime time TV.
A full list of the changes brought about by the update is as follows;
- New Camera firmware
- Smearing issue has been fixed (Purple effect while scrolling)
- Smart Pause Toggle
- Move Apps to SD Card
- HDR Video (Can record HDR video)
- Semi-transparent status bar
- New Icons in Settings
- Secure boot status (About Phone)
- Increase legibility (Display) (New feature)
The update is 365.67 MB in size and will be downloadable via the Samsung Kies PC and Mac software or via the FOTA system (Firmware-Over-The-Air) setups when it’s released. It will be rolled out today in Germany with other countries following in the coming weeks.