Samsung has been forced to withdraw the Android 4.3 update for its Galaxy S3 smartphone following a barrage of complaints from users since it dropped two weeks ago.
Problems ranging from the battery draining faster than normal to phones crashing and freezing have been reported to the South Korean phone giant since its started rolling out the Android 4.3 update. Samsung said it is investigating.
"As we are currently investigating the reported issues with Galaxy S3 4.3 Jelly Bean update, the upgrading service has been temporarily suspended," Samsung said 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."
Angry users have flooded Samsung's Facebook page to criticise the botched update. Users have not only complained about random freezing and a huge battery drain, but have also flagged problems with Bluetooth Audio during playback in cars, stuttering music playback with the stock Samsung music app and wireless issues.
Galaxy S3 users have been waiting a long time for an update to their phones. The device was still running a version of Android (4.1.2) for about a year. Samsung missed out an upgrade to Android 4.2 before heading for 4.3.
Android fan blog AndroidPolice has also reported that US mobile operator AT&T has pulled an Android 4.3 update for the Samsung Galaxy S4 while it investigates other issues that have arisen with the code. Although the operator is yet to say what problems these were and when a fix would be available.
The update was supposed to bring support for Samsung's Galaxy Gear smartwatch to the device.
