Android 4.3 pops up on Nexus 4 bought from Craigslist

The build running on a Google+ user's phone has been deemed legitimate by folks who have extracted a system dump from the man's phone.

A Google+ user who bought a Nexus 4 off Craigslist discovered that the device was actually running the long-rumored, but as-yet-announced Android 4.3.

Jeff Williams, who claims to have purchased the Nexus 4 a couple of weeks ago from a Google employee, posted a screen shot of his Android version to Google+. That image shows Android version 4.3 and build number JWR66N.

Not long after he discovered that Android 4.3 was running on the device, a backup of the operating system cropped up on the XDA Developers site. Other Android users who were able to extract a system dump from Williams' backup were able to confirm that it was indeed Android 4.3, and not some Photoshop trickery on his part.

Android 4.3 has been cropping up on several devices over the last few weeks. In June, in fact, Android 4.3 was spotted on Google Play on a Samsung Galaxy S4. It also popped up just before Google I/O in May.

Given the sheer number of places Android 4.3 has cropped up, it's quite possible that Google will announce the new operating system next week at a special press event it's holding with Android chief Sundar Pichai. As always, CNET will be there to cover every last second of that event.

(Via Engadget)