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Samsung taps past Android versions to fix Galaxy S4 storage issues with new update

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The Galaxy S4 may be on its way to selling 20 million units faster than any other Android device, but it’s not without its issues.

One of the major out-of-box problems with Samsung’s new flagship is something users may not notice until it’s too late: of the 16GB advertised storage, only 9.15GB is available to the user. The rest is used for high-resolution assets, system files and other Samsung necessities, all but ensuring that extra expenditure for a microSD slot.

An upcoming software update, rolling out to users in Germany starting today, addresses that issue by harkening back to Android 2.2 Froyo, adding a “Move to SD Card” button in the App Settings menu. The system update also reclaims 800MB or so for users, bringing the default free space to 9.23GB, but having that option to move individual apps to the SD card could be the difference between playing that big-time 3D game or not.

The main issue here is that Samsung seems unapologetic about its misleading advertising, preferring to resurrect a feature that was a security concern to developers and an annoyance to users rather than releasing a high-end phone with enough storage to satisfy the needs of its buyers.

The update to build I9505XXUBMEA also fixes many performance issues present on the release build, including a graphics bug that made the screen appear like it was tearing when the user scrolled through an app.

The camera app adds a new firmware and the ability to take HDR video, a net positive for users trying to eke that extra bit of dynamic range from uncertain lighting conditions. Users can  also toggle Smart Pause in the Expanded Settings portion of the notification shade, but we’ve yet to see whether the software improves the feature itself; it was woefully broken when we reviewed the phone.

It may take a few weeks to a couple of months for carriers to roll out this update to users, especially in North America, as it is targeting Qualcomm-enabled GS4’s in Europe at the moment. At 365MB, it’s a significant bump from previous versions, and we hope that Samsung continues to swiftly improve its flagship in the months ahead.

Source: SamMobile

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