Verizon HTC One owners, your Android 4.4 KitKat ship has come in.
Mo Versi, HTC product manager, announced on Twitter that Verizon has approved a KitKat over-the-air update for the One that will begin rolling out shortly. Coming with the update is a slew of Sense 5.5 improvements to the phone.
Sense 5.5 already made its way to the HTC One on with the Android 4.3 update, but it was curiously left out for Verizon customers.
One of the more notable Sense 5.5 changes is an off switch for BlinkFeed. Shutting off this unified news and social network feed will return the device to a standard widget- and app-filled Android homescreen.
For those who would rather keep it on, the update will also allow BlinkFeed to finally source posts from Google+, international news and RSS feeds. To help users sort through all the content, HTC added a sideswipe filters menu and improved search.
All new and shiny
Other improvements include some camera adjustments with a new dual shot mode for taking a picture with the back sensor and simultaneously capturing your reaction with the front snapper. Another camera upgrade is Zoe's new-found ability to make GIFs on top of short movie clips.
On the some more basic level UI improvements, HTC has revamped the notifications area to be a customizable space for 12 different options. It's also added a few new options for this pull down menu such as Do Not Disturb and a data roaming toggle.
Up until now, only the global GSM, Developer Edition and Sprint's versions of the outgoing HTC flagship have received the Android KitKat update. Hopefully the other carriers will follow suit and quickly break off a piece of that KitKat bar for the HTC One.
Verizon also announced that the Android 4.4 is now being pushed out in stages to the HTC One, so keep clutching that metal clad handset for the latest.
- Want a phone that already has Android 4.4? Check out our review of the Motorola Moto G.
