Google has posted Android 4.4.4 binaries for all eligible Nexus devices, including the Nexus 4, 5, 7 (both 2012 and 2013), and 10. The move comes two weeks after Google began pushing out Android 4.4.3 to the above lot, and indicates that there were some lingering issues with the minor update.
It’s possible that the build, KTU84P, was issued to counteract Towelroot, an exploit uncovered by famed Apple and Sony hacker, geohot. Towelroot allows users to easily root any KitKat-powered device across all manufacturers and carriers. Initially released to root the Verizon and AT&T Samsung Galaxy S5, its functionality was expanded to include dozens of devices, the only prerequisite being that they run KitKat.
It’s unclear whether Google will begin an OTA rollout in the coming days — Google I/O is next week — but it’s possible Google merely patched the bug in AOSP and decided to give its Nexus devices similar treatment.
Update: Google has begun rolling out the OTA update for the Nexus 5, and will follow shortly with other devices. It turns out that Towelroot was not the main issue with this release, but in fact a lingering OpenSSL vulnerability topped the list of concerns.
Here’s the OTA update for the Nexus 5 that you’ll need to put in the base directory of your internal storage, head to stock recovery and flash. The update is a tiny 2.5MB, so seriously nothing much changed here.
[source]Google[/source][via]Droid-life[/via]
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