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Galaxy S4 Lollipop Update: 5 Things to Know This Week

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The Samsung Galaxy Note S4 Lollipop update has finally started to make some progress and we’ve seen it make a little progress this week. With that in mind, we want to take a look at five things Galaxy S4 users in the United States and around the world should know about the Samsung Galaxy S4 Lollipop update release this week.

Back in December Samsung rolled out a Galaxy S5 Lollipop update which represented its first Android 5.0 upgrade. We, like many others, expected the Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update to be next in line but that’s not how it played out. Instead, Samsung released the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S4 Lollipop updates. Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Lollipop update is the device’s third major Android upgrade and it’s a big one.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrade is 1GB in size and it brings all sorts of changes to the table including Google’s brand new Material Design. It’s a huge leap up from Android 4.4 KitKat and that’s why so many Galaxy S4 users have their eyes fixated on Samsung’s upcoming upgrade. It very well could be the device’s last.

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Problem is, Samsung’s Android update process is extremely slow. If you’ve gone through the process before, you know that. If you haven’t, now you do. Historically, its taken months for Samsung to get all of its models in all of its different regions outfitted with the latest software and the Galaxy S4 Lollipop roll out process won’t be any different.

While Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Android 5.0 Lollipop update has made solid progress, there are still plenty of people on Android 4.4 KitKat. At some point, Samsung will finish the job but until then, people are going to be looking for new details about progress. This week, we’ve seen a little bit of progress and today we want to help fill in the blanks for you Galaxy S4 users looking for answers.

Galaxy S4 Lollipop Update Leaks Ahead of Release

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Lollipop update has come to a bit of a standstill but it won’t stay that way forever. We’ve seen signs of an impending Galaxy S4 GT-I9505 Lollipop release and this week, the update leaked ahead of its official arrival.

The highly anticipated Galaxy S4 GT-I9505 Lollipop update has leaked and it’s now available to seasoned Android users on XDA-Developers. The update is the stock version of the software and it gives veteran Galaxy S4 users a chance to use the software ahead of Samsung’s official release. It’s not clear if this will be the version that Samsung rolls out to the public but it does appear to be a very solid leak.

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As we’ve noted many times, while the leaked software appears to be stable, only those with prior experience should download this Galaxy S4 GT-I9505 Lollipop update. There is always a chance that it could have wreck performance on your phone.

With a public release in the cards, it’s not going to be worth the risk for novice users. Those who are uncomfortable with the process should back and wait for Samsung’s release. It should come this month. In fact, we expect the Galaxy S4 Lollipop update to spread to a number of other regions this month.

T-Mobile Galaxy S4 Lollipop Update

It’s worth mentioning that T-Mobile’s upgrade page still doesn’t list the Samsung Galaxy S4. The carrier rolled out the upgrade page a few days ago to give users a look at the progress its making with Android 5.0 Lollipop and surprisingly, the carrier left the aging former flagship off the list. It’s a little bit concerning given that the T-Mobile Galaxy Note 3 just got its bump to Lollipop.

T-Mobile’s updates go through three steps before release. First, they’re confirmed for arrival. This is called Manufacturer Development. Once that’s completed, Samsung sends the software in for testing at T-Mobile. The Galaxy Note 3 Lollipop update stayed there for a short while before it was released to the public. The final step is the public release.

The fact that it isn’t even listed in Manufacturer Development yet isn’t a good sign. It probably means that the update is still weeks, if not months away, from its arrival. If it even comes at all.

Other US Carriers Remain Silent

T-Mobile isn’t the only carrier that remains silent about Android 5.0 Lollipop for the Galaxy S4. US carriers continue to get hammered with questions about the arrival of the software and unfortunately, US carriers aren’t giving up any information.

AT&T, for instance, is talking a whole lot about the Galaxy S5 Lollipop update but it continues to deflect questions about the Galaxy S4 Lollipop upgrade. To us, this is a sign that it’s still pretty far off from release.

We just simply haven’t seen the same flow of information that we’ve seen for other US-bound Galaxy Lollipop updates. Not surprising given that the Galaxy S4 is nearly two years old and older devices typically take a backseat to other phones. At this point, know that there is no guarantee this roll out will hit the US this month.

Still No Confirmations

We still haven’t seen any Galaxy S4 Lollipop confirmations from international carriers either. Even French carrier SFR and Canadian carrier Rogers, two carriers that often announce updates weeks ahead of time, remain silent about their plans. Vodafone Australia and Telstra recently released updated Android update schedules as well and neither of them include Galaxy S4 Lollipop. In fact, Telstra appears to be working on Android 4.4 KitKat updates.

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Again, it’s a bit strange given the progress that the Galaxy S4 Lollipop update has made in the international community. Our hope is that we’ll see carriers start to confirm upcoming updates in March but there is no guarantee. They all remain silent in the first week of March.

Galaxy S4 Lollipop Problems

Maybe the delays are a good thing. Galaxy S4 users who have been able to move to Android 5.0 Lollipop continue to complain about the software. Here are a few complaints from Galaxy S4 users in India:

Here’s how one Galaxy S4 GT-I9500 user in India describes his problems:

  1. Battery Drain, Device Overheats -> only when phone display is on
  2. Contacts app crashes frequently -> no reason
  3. Touchwiz UI crashes too very frequently when ever touchwiz will crash my home screen wallpaper is gone,
  4. Issues with logging into device when setup a password,
  5. Keyboard disappear when we are in middle of typing a text -> happens when we use messaging app, whatsapp and hangouts
  6. Ringtone volume will decrease automatically even though the mobile is locked -> happening often when disable the mobile data/bluetooth/wifi then we reproduce the same ( set ur ringtone volume to full then enable mobile data/wifi/bluetooth/ launch games like candy crush then wait for few mins then go back and check ur ringtone volume it should have been automatically decrease the volume level to low.
    abnormal lag

Here’s how another describes his experience:

  1. Battery drainage in no time….
  2. Apps getting crash frequently
  3. Delay in opening apps etc…

The reason we point this out because it Samsung could make sizable Galaxy S4 Lollipop push in March. We’ve already seen it happen for other devices. Now is the time to start preparing for the update’s arrival, especially if you’re in the international community.

We recommend taking a look at the common Galaxy S5 Lollipop problems and the potential fixes for those problems so that you’ll be ready to address problems do occur on the Galaxy S4. Galaxy S4 Lollipop problems already mirror the complaints we’ve gotten from Galaxy S5 users so these fixes should help. At the very least, gather as much feedback as you can before installing the software when it arrives.

6 Comments

6 Comments

  1. Guillermo

    03/07/2015 at 7:46 am

    Hola quisiera saber sobre la actualización de samsung galaxy s4 Sprint sph-l720
    Cuando llegara
    Gracias

    • spik engles dude

      03/07/2015 at 12:03 pm

      Yo, article is in English, so stay with the program.

      • yo

        03/07/2015 at 3:26 pm

        Don’t be rude

  2. aliasgar

    03/10/2015 at 10:35 pm

    what about update lollypop 5.0 galaxy s4 model no. GT-i9515.

  3. Uzair

    09/03/2015 at 3:35 am

    My gt-i9500 ir blaster is not working after updating to lollipop.
    Any help please?

  4. Tahsin

    02/21/2016 at 5:14 pm

    I have updated my i9515 to android 5.0.1, now i am started to love my phone… awesome update . thanks to the developer

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