Android KitKat: It’s not so sweet for Nexus 4 users

NEW DELHI: After waiting several weeks, most of the Nexus 4 users have received an update for their phones that installs Android 4.4 aka KitKat on their devices. But these users are finding that the KitKat experience differs significantly on their phones compared to what Nexus 5 users get even though Nexus 4 is just one-year-old device and is supposed to run the 'pure' version of Android. 

In terms of user interface, KitKat offers several small but useful improvements over Android Jelly Bean. Nexus 5, which is the launch device for KitKat, features a transparent notification and navigation bars. Also, the app drawer on the phone has translucent effect, through which a user can see the default wallpaper in the background. 

On Jelly Bean, notification and navigation bars are solid black. Similarly, the background in app drawer is also solid black. 

On Nexus 4 the same user interface has been retained even when the device has been updated to Android KitKat. 

The bigger and cleaner looking icons, which are part of Android KitKat on nexus 5, are also not available on Nexus 4. 

Compared to Android Jelly Bean, Android KitKat is not a major change in terms of user interface, even on Nexus 5. It looks cleaner and adds a few user interface elements, but most of the improvements are under the hood. 

With virtually none of these new elements available on Nexus 4, in terms of looks it is hardly different from Android Jelly Bean. 

"I used KitKat on my brother's Nexus 4. It's very boring," said Shamal Harkison, an Android enthusiast. 

Other than the lack of user interface elements, new wallpapers and bigger icons, KitKat on Nexus 4 also lacks the deep integration with Google search found on Nexus 5. For example, option to access Google Now through a swipe from left to right on the home screen on Nexus 5 is not available on nexus 4. On Nexus 4, users still have to swipe up from the home button. 

The "OK Google" command, which is available on Nexus 5, to perform search through voice commands is not part of Android KitKat ton Nexus 4. 

But, the integrated phone launcher, which searches not only the local contacts but also publicly available phone numbers, is available on KitKat in Nexus. The new Hangout app, which integrates SMS and Google Talk is available, but it is not set as the default option. 

The KitKat user interface on the older Nexus 7 tablet is similar to the one on Nexus 4. 

Though they miss out on the user interface changes, users of older Nexus devices get other benefits that are part of Android KitKat. For example, the under-the-hood changes in the OS make Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 feel a bit faster with KitKat compared to the same devices running Jelly Bean. 

For some users, battery life has improved with the KitKat while a few others report a decrease in it. 

Install the KitKat user interface manually
To get the similar user interface, including Google Now on the left most screen and "OK Google" feature, Android users can manually install Google Experience Launcher (GEL) which is available as APK file on various websites. However, Harkison said the "side-loaded GEL lags badly". 

User can also try third-party launchers like Nova and Go to get KitKat user interface on their older Nexus devices. 

While it is not new for companies to not offer all features of an updated operating system on an older device - many features available in iOS 7 are not available on iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S - it is surprising to see Nexus 4, which has very capable hardware, getting a different version of KitKat compared to the one used on Nexus 5.