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Android 4.4.3 reportedly enters dogfooding stage, expected to launch soon

Android 4.4.3 reportedly enters dogfooding stage, expected to launch soon

By Ketan Pratap | Updated: 22 April 2014 17:04 IST

A new report claims that Google has started dogfooding Android's next build, believed to be dubbed version 4.4.3 (codenamed KitKat MR2), outside Android's core team.

Android Police, citing sources suggests that Android 4.4.3 is now rolling out to 1 percent of Google employees and is limited to the Nexus line of devices - namely the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7 2012, Nexus 7 2013 and Nexus 10 - while the update is also expected to soon roll-out to Google Play Edition devices from HTC, Samsung, LG, Sony and Motorola.

If the report is to be believed and Android 4.4.3 has entered dogfooding, an official release might be imminent in the coming weeks.

Notably, dogfooding, also known as eating your own dog food, is a term used to refer to a stage in the development cycle in which a company (like Google) tests the product on its employees to check quality and capabilities.

An earlier report, citing a leaked changelog of the rumoured Android 4.4.3 update, claimed that the build is primarily for bug fixes.

One of the major fixes that the next Android 4.4.3 update is expected to bring is one for the 'mm-qcamera-daemon' crash. Earlier, the Nexus 5 smartphone was noted to be affected by a new battery drain issue, which Google claimed was due to high CPU usage of the 'mm-qcamera-daemon' process that led to the battery dying sooner than expected. It's worth pointing out that the 'mm-qcamera-daemon' issue was said to be affecting all Android 4.4 KitKat-based and Qualcomm-powered devices.

Other fixes expected include frequent data connection dropout fix; camera focus in regular and HDR modes fix; power manager display wake lock fix; multiple Bluetooth fixes; random boot fix; USB debugging security fix; app shortcuts security fix; Wi-Fi auto-connect fix; more camera fixes; missed call LED fix; and data usage graph fix. Other fixes include those for MMS, email/exchange, calendar, people/dialler/contacts, DSP, IPv6, VPN, and more.

Earlier on Thursday, a report indicated that Google's next major Android update would unify user interface across its mobile devices (including Chrome OS) was real. The unifying update is believed to be codenamed Project Hera. Google is also said to be testing its Calendar app with new user-interface and features, similar to the Gmail revamp spotted earlier, once again indicating a wide change.

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Further reading: Android, Android 4.4.3, Android KitKat, Google, Mobiles, Tablets, Project Hera

Ketan Pratap

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Ketan Pratap is the editor at Gadgets 360 - with over 12 years of experience covering the technology domain. With a breadth and depth of knowledge in the field, he's done extensive work across news, features, reviews, and opinion pieces. But what's truly inspiring about Ketan is how he spends his free time. He's often found gazing at snow-capped mountains from over 20,000 feet while sitting on the hood of his car, taking in the breathtaking beauty of nature. His passion for the great ...More