Australian owners of Samsung’s Galaxy S III have been waiting for the Android 4.1 “Jelly Bean” update for their devices for some time.

The Galaxy S III 4G recently launched here in Australia running Android 4.1, fueling speculation that the update for the older model device was imminent.

Google originally released Android 4.1 into the Android Open Source Project repository in July. Four months later – and with Android 4.2 now on the horizon – the update is closer than ever, but it depends on your carrier.

Let’s take a look at the status of the update on major Australian carriers:

  • Vodafone has the best news – 4.1 has passed second-round testing and is now entering “final review”
  • Telstra also has good news – they expect to approve the update tomorrow and have it released by November 19
  • Optus lists 4.1 as “expected mid-November”

At the moment, it looks like either Telstra or Vodafone will be first to market with this much-anticipated update, although as always the situation can change.

It’s worth noting that unlocked, carrier-free Galaxy S III’s have reportedly been receiving the update since late October, although I know a couple of people who are yet to receive it.

Update: Telstra’s update thread was hiding. The article has been updated as mentioned in the comments.

Have you already received the Jelly Bean update for the Galaxy S III? Let us know how you feel about it – or about not getting it yet – in the comments!

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Before discovering the Nexus One, Jason thought he didn't need a smartphone. Now he can't bear to be without his Android phone. Jason hails from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane depending on his mood and how detailed a history you'd like. A web developer by day with an interest in consumer gadgets and electronics, he also enjoys reading comics and has a worryingly large collection of Transformers figures. He'd like to think he's a gamer, but his Wii has been in a box since he moved to Sydney, and his PlayStation Vita collection is quite lacking. Most mornings you'll find him tilting at various windmills on Twitter - follow @JM77 and say hi!
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Robert

My wifes red Galaxy S3 I purchased from Kogan (Hong Kong) early October updated to Jellybean on the 20th Oct….my Galaxy S3 on contract from Virgin since before the Olympics is still waiting…I agree with everyone that Samsung MUST respect all their customers equally and release updates globally regardless the zones…my wifes (HK) phone turned on and accepted Virgins protocols without having to manually load them…so what is all the fuss about??? Shame on Samsung not the suppliers for this poor customer service!

Tony

Vodafone has gone to a third round of testing, check the weekly software update wrap. It’s still not approved 🙁

Baked420

Does JB have native Screen Rotation built in for the desktop/home screens ?

BigMacchia

just for tablet

Deano

Another unbranded I9300 (XSA) owner patiently waiting for his JB update – checking daily OTA and through Kies.. one day.. one day.. 🙁

Daniel996

My unbranded SIII that I purchased from AllPhones hasn’t yet received an update 🙁

Susan Martin

And the promised update for the OLDER Samsung Galxy Note 1, if you think the S111 is old, not a mention. And of course there is the that wonderful piece of handware that Telstra hyped the Sc114g, an absolute dog some 6-7 months old which was sold as the ants pants with, back then a promised update that once again has been put back. Telstra blaming Samsung, but I have the inside word that it’s Telstras bloatware that has been the problem, from a promised date this month back to some maybe date to be confirmed!!!!!

No_Underscore

Looks like Telstra has released their weekly update and are up-ing the ante and skipping the second testing round and going straight to approval for tomorrow

Jason Murray

Thanks for the tip! I’ll update the article.

BigMacchia

Tomorrow… 18 days ago…

I’ll never never ever buy again a Telstra phone (plus samsung).
it’s ridiculous that you need to wait so long to have an update (with samsung) and it’s more ridiculous than you need to wait another month (or more) to have an update from Telstra… all the rest of the world had an update, but not in Australia… and for what? for the frequency ? (just to be sure, it’s a 3g network not a lte…this means same “phone”, almost, around the world)