Samsung has started rolling out the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for unlocked Galaxy S3 handsets in the UK, per reports.

Earlier in September this year, Samsung began pushing out the Jelly Bean update to Galaxy S3 users in Europe, beginning with Poland. In October, the update started rolling out in the UK for the network operators' models. Carriers Three was the first to offer the Jelly Bean update, followed by Three and then Vodafone last week. The Jelly Bean update started rolling out on Oct. 24 for unlocked, SIM-free Galaxy S3 smartphones.

"Earlier today it was reported that users of the BTU (British Unlocked Region) version of the SIM-free Galaxy S3 were starting to receive the Jelly Bean update either over-the-air (OTA) or via Kies. It's a 248MB update and Jelly Bean will bring plenty of improvements and new features such as Google now and performance enhancements thanks to Project Butter," reported Phones Review.

Unlocked SIM-free Samsung handsets usually get Android updates after all the devices locked to phone networks get the update.

The update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, which is the latest Google software for phones and tablets, is now available for download as an over-the-air (OTA) update. The firmware "JRO03C.I9300XXDLJ4" is 284.36MB and, therefore, for a faster download it would be better to download it over Wi-Fi rather than over 3G.

If a user has not received an automatic notification for a software update, then they can check manually. The procedure to check manually is as follows:

1. Go to the 'Settings' menu and Scroll to the bottom, then tap 'About device'.
2. Next, tap 'Software update'. (It is advisable to ensure that a user is connected to Wi-Fi for faster download speed and to save data.)
3. Next, tap 'Update' and wait. If the update is available for the handset it will initiate and install automatically.
4. If the handset does not install anything try later.

Additionally, reports also indicate that the Jelly Bean update is also available for the U.S. owners of the international unlocked version of the Galaxy S3 smartphone.

"Android Central sourced to the Android Central Forums for this and we note that the thread there states that the Jelly Bean update is available to US owners of the international unlocked version, which some may be pleased to hear," reported Phones Review.

While the U.S. Galaxy S3 owners on carriers may have to wait for the update a little longer, it seems that the unlocked smartphone users can finally get a taste of the Jelly Bean OS.