Sprint Begins Rolling Out Android 4.1 Update to Samsung Galaxy S III

Sprint has beaten everyone to the Jelly Bean punch, becoming the first carrier to offer an update to Android 4.1.1 to its Samsung Galaxy S III customers.

The update to the latest version of Google's mobile operating system began rolling out this morning, and with it comes a handful of new features, including Google Now, expandable notifications, Android Beam (letting you share media with other users), and new widget capabilities.

A number of Samsung additions are coming with the update as well, including camera enhancements, new capabilities for the Pop Up Play picture-in-picture video window, Easy Mode for first-time smartphone users, Blocking Mode to disable all incoming calls or notifications for a set period of time, and new keyboard options, including Swype.

The upgrade to Android 4.1.4 is being released over the air, so Sprint Samsung Galaxy S III customers should be able to download it automatically once their phones are eligible for the update.

The First of Many

While Sprint is the first U.S. carrier to get the upgrade, it will hardly be the only one. Samsung has promised that every version of its flagship smartphone available in this country will get a taste of Jelly Bean. This specifically includes AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular.