As the Linux kernel is the very heart of the Android system, replacing is not as simple as updating an app or even something like Google Play Services. The process gets even trickier considering Google applies its own set of patches and tweaks to the source code. Although Google tries to keep the kernel updated as much as possible, there hasn’t been any major change ever since Android 4.2 was released with Linux kernel 3.4 in tow. There were some talk of the Linux kernel being bumped to version 3.10 back in August, when the next Android version was still thought to be Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie. Now that we know Android 4.4 will be coming soon, when exactly that will happen is anyone’s guess.