A Sony SmartWatch 3 and a Sony Xperia Z3
A Sony SmartWatch 3 and a Sony Xperia Z3 are seen on display during the IFA Electronics show in Berlin September 4, 2014. REUTERS Reuters

Sony has released the much-awaited Android 4.4.4 KitKat for a range of its devices including the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperial Tablet Z and the Xperia ZR. The rollout has been confirmed through the twitter post of Sony Mobile global PR team. According to the tweet: "#android 4.4.4 rolls for #Xperia Z, ZL, ZR & Tablet Z - brings fixes, battery, wifi & email improvements and more #SonyXperia." The company has not issued a detailed schedule or changelog of the release yet. Access may vary depending on the network provider and region.

According to the Xperia Blog, the update has started rolling out last week to Vodafone subsrcibers in Europe specifically to the Xperia Tablet Z (SGP321) LTE version. The blog also noted that French Xperia Z users have also started getting access to the firmware. GSM Arena reported that the Sony Xperia Z has been operating with Android 4.4.2 from May. The company skipped the 4.4.3 firmware and decided to go for the release of the Android 4.4.4 KitKat. The software offers a range of bug fixes incorporating resolutions from the 4.4.3 offering.

Sony began the Android 4.4 KitKat roll out last May. It has been working on providing the firmware for the following devices: Xperia Z, Xperia ZR, Xperia ZL and Xperia Tablet Z. The initial KitKat firmware brought over enhancements for the following components: Battery Stamina Mode, Smart Social Camera, Email and Messaging. The company's pre-IFA 2014 event, on other hand, confirmed new devices coming such as the Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3 Compact as well as the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact.

As the updates are still available only in selected regions, people have to wait for official announcements from their network providers. According to Android Geeks, regions that have started receiving the update apart from those in Europe include Middle East and Thailand. People so far has reported an overall smooth experience from the firmware.