Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop Update: What You Need to Know

The new Samsung Galaxy Note 4 arrived with Android 4.4.4 KitKat on board though it won’t stay on Google’s aging operating system forever. The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.0 Lollipop update could start rolling out in a matter of weeks and that’s why we want to take a look at everything we know so far about the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update and its highly anticipated release date.

For a number of weeks, we heard rumors about Samsung’s Android 5.0 Lollipop update release plans. We heard that the company was hard at work on several Lollipop updates including upgrades for the Samsung Galaxy S5, Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Samsung Galaxy S4, and Samsung Galaxy Note 3. These four devices represent four of its newest smartphones so the leaks, rumors and details did not come as a complete surprise.

Earlier this month, Samsung made good on those rumors as it started rolling out the heralded Samsung Galaxy S5 Lollipop update. The Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Lollipop update is the first of many updates that Samsung has planned for its Galaxy-branded devices including the Galaxy Note 4, Samsung’s brand new Galaxy Note flagship.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 arrived back in October with Android 4.4.4 KitKat on board and it’s one of the only devices in Samsung’s arsenal touting the latest version of Android 4.4 KitKat. It won’t be on Android 4.4.4 much longer. Soon, the Galaxy Note 4 will receive its first major Android update in the form of Android 5.0 Lollipop.

While we haven’t seen a ton of details emerge, we have seen a few and those details help us to paint an initial picture of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update and release. This roundup ropes in all of the key details that we’ve seen over the past few weeks and it should help to paint a clearer picture for those that are tuning into the upcoming roll out for the first time.

This is What the Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.0 Update Will Look Like

Samsung hasn’t officially shown off the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update but that doesn’t mean that we don’t know what it will look like. Thanks to the folks at SamMobile, we have a very good idea about how the Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.0 Lollipop update will look when it arrives at some point in the near future.

What you see here is not likely going to be the final version that Samsung rolls out. Instead, it’s a test build that the company will probably improve on before the software’s release. That said, it still gives us a very good look at what the software will look like ahead of its release. And unsurprisingly, it’s similar to what we saw emerge for the Galaxy S5 a few days ago.

Samsung’s version of Android 5.0 Lollipop brings a number of big time changes though the biggest changes pertain to the TouchWiz apps that have been rebuilt to fit in with Google’s new Material Design.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.0 Lollipop Update Confirmed

The second thing the Galaxy Note 4 users need to know is that the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.0 Lollipop update is confirmed. Samsung confirmed it in a flurry of vague details for several Galaxy branded devices including the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 3. The company did not say much beyond the fact that it will be coming and that it will be arriving alongside several other Galaxy Android 5.0 Lollipop updates.

The fact that Samsung’s confirmed the update means that it will most likely be among the first Android 5.0 Lollipop updates to hit Samsung-branded devices. The Galaxy S5 was the first and the Galaxy Note 4 should follow close behind it.

Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop Release Date

Samsung also confirmed a vague Galaxy Note 4 release date. The company’s confirmed the Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.0 Lollipop release date for early 2015. The company did not offer a specific window for the update’s arrival and it will likely keep users in the dark as it prepares the update in its labs behind the scenes. Everything is dependent on the testing process.

It’s important to note that the company is referring to the Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update for the international version of the device and not the models found in the United States.

Most Carriers Silent

We’ve seen international carriers confirm a few Galaxy Android 5.0 Lollipop updates for the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4 but we haven’t seen much for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 or any of the older devices.

French carrier SFR is the only carrier that’s confirmed a Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.0 update. It has confirmed that update for January though that is an ETA and not a concrete date.

Recent Android update details from Vodafone, Rogers Canada, and Telstra don’t reveal anything about their plans for the Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.0 Lollipop update. These international carriers typically confirm updates well in advance and with a Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update confirmed for the early part of next year, we will almost certainly see some of these carriers release details ahead of time. Perhaps as soon as this month.

U.S. carriers still aren’t saying about the Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.0 Lollipop update. And if they stick to the standard protocol, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 users will be in the dark up until the actual release dates. U.S. carriers, unlike international carriers, usually remain silent in the build up to a major Android update release and there’s no reason to believe that that will change this year with the Galaxy Note 4’s update.

The Android roll outs themselves tend to serve as the announcements. Samsung’s roll outs differ from region to region, carrier to carrier, so Galaxy Note 4 users will want to keep an eye out for information that comes directly from carriers themselves.

Android 5.0.1 Lollipop

Several days ago, Google rolled out the first bug fix update for its new operating system. This Android 5.0.1 bug fix update tackles some of the initial issues that popped up in the days and weeks after the Android 5.0 update’s initial release. And while the Android 5.0.1 update is limited for the moment, we’ve seen Android 5.0.1 land for some non-Nexus devices.

Samsung’s first Lollipop-powered smartphones, the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition, both got Android 5.0 Lollipop instead of Android 5.0.1 so it’s not clear if the company plans to get Google’s new update out to its flagships. Samsung moved quickly to Android 4.4.2 KitKat last year so it’s possible that we’ll see the company roll out the updated version of Lollipop to some of its Galaxy Note 4 variants.

What We Expect

Finally, you need to know that we’ve taken a deep dive into what we expect from the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update in general. Samsung and its carrier partners typically don’t like to set expectations, so we’ve done the hard work for them. If you’re curious about the future of the update, we suggest checking those details and predictions out.