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Make sure you are firmly seated on your chair or sofa before you start reading this post. Verizon, known for delaying Android OS updates for devices on its network, has officially started rolling out the Android 4.4 KitKat update for the Moto X. Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you.
The official update comes hot on the the heels of the soak test that started just yesterday. According to the official blog post from Motorola, the update is being rolled out in phases so it won’t be available instantly to everyone in the United States.
The KitKat update will bring quite a lot of goodies to the Moto X, including an updated Camera app. The partial change-log highlighting the major changes are below:
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An improved phone dialer. Now you can search for contacts directly from the dial-pad and easily see and tap on those you contact frequently.
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More gallery goodies. KitKat packs in some cool, new gallery effects—such as Posterize, Highlights, and Edges. You can even use the Draw feature to annotate your photos freehand with your finger.
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New Hangouts app. All of your conversations now in one place—texts, video calls, and other chats all together in one app. Plus, you can now send animated gifs and share your location.
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Color emojis. For when words aren’t enough, the Google Keyboard now includes colorful characters to send in text messages and other communications.
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Drag to focus and expose. An updated camera app lets you control both the focus and exposure of your photos. Simply drag your finger to set just the right exposure and focus point.
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And more… Restyled status and navigation bars, new full-screen mode, and enhancements to Motorola features like Touchless Control.
Not only did Motorola and Verizon manage to beat every other OEM in updating its flagship handset to KitKat, but also a Nexus device – the Nexus 4 – and the Google Play editions Galaxy S4 and HTC One.
Hopefully, Motorola will continue with its pace and release the KitKat update for the developer and carrier variants of the Moto X over the next couple of weeks.
The full change-log for the update can be found here.
