Android
Samsung Galaxy S4 Lollipop Update Breakdown (Pt. 2)
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Lollipop update continues to make progress in the weeks after its initial release. With that in mind, we want to take a look at what Galaxy S4 users need to know this week about the Galaxy S4 Android 5.0 Lollipop update and its release.
At the end of last year, a few weeks after the start of Google’s initial push, Samsung delivered its first Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrade. The upgrade unsurprisingly went to the Samsung Galaxy S5, the company’s former Galaxy S flagship. In late January, Samsung started pushing out the Galaxy S4 Lollipop update for the first time. The update came as a bit of a surprise because it beat out the Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop upgrade.
In the weeks since the first Galaxy S4 Lollipop update rolled out, we’ve seen updates and information flow. The Samsung Galaxy S4 Lollipop update has hit a number of different devices in a number of different regions. There’s a solid foundation, sure, but there is still a long way to go until Samsung completes its Galaxy S4 Lollipop roll out.
With so much going on, we want to breakdown everything we think you need to know about the Galaxy S4 Android 5.0 Lollipop release this week. This breakdown includes a look at the progress the Galaxy S4 Lollipop update has made recently and a look at what we know about its future. There is a long road ahead but Samsung is working very hard to get its Galaxy S4 Android 5.0 upgrade out to as many people as possible in as little time as possible.
Galaxy S4 Update Still Missing in US
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Lollipop update is still missing in the United States. The update hasn’t rolled out to any US carriers and we haven’t seen any US carriers confirm the update’s arrival.
Even more disheartening for Galaxy S4 users is the fact that T-Mobile’s Android update page doesn’t even list the Galaxy S4 Lollipop update. The Android upgrade page lists upcoming updates for several older phones including the LG G2 but the Galaxy S4 Lollipop update is still nowhere to be found. Given the terminology that T-Mobile users on the page, Galaxy S4 users could be waiting awhile for this update to roll out.
T-Mobile’s updates go thru three stages. The first, Manufacturer Development. This is the step wherein the carrier and the manufacturer agree to roll out an update. The T-Mobile Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update is currently in this stage. The other two steps are carrier testing (which usually takes several weeks) and finally the roll out.
T-Mobile is just one US carrier but its lack of an update could be indicative of the broader US release. The Galaxy S4 is an old device, nearly two years old, and US carrier might not be putting energy into its Lollipop update. At least not yet.
Galaxy S4 Lollipop Update Poised for Big Push
The Galaxy S4 Lollipop update may not be making progress in the United States but it’s poised for a big push in other parts of the world.
Earlier this week, Galaxy Club discovered updated user manuals for the Galaxy S4 GT-I9505 that now include the Lollipop update. The manuals don’t confirm a release date but they do point to progress behind the scenes.
The Galaxy S4 GT-I9505 Lollipop update has shown up numerous times since the start of the Galaxy S4 Android 5.0 roll out. Last week, the highly anticipated Galaxy S4 GT-I9505 Lollipop update 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.
A release date hasn’t been confirmed but all signs point to the start of the Galaxy S4 LTE Lollipop update starting soon. This is a good sign for owners in the United States. All US Galaxy S4 variants are LTE models.
Galaxy S4 Lollipop Problems Mount
Samsung Galaxy S4 Lollipop problems have been a problem for some Galaxy S4 users and it appears that they were enough to halt an international Galaxy S4 Lollipop release.
According to SamMobile, Samsung has halted two of its Galaxy Android 5.0 Lollipop roll outs. Samsung Norway has stopped pushing out its Galaxy S5 Lollipop update and its Galaxy S4 Lollipop update due to issues. The bugs have impacted the performance on the Galaxy S4 and it appears that Samsung’s gone back to the drawing board in an effort to fix these Lollipop problems.
Android 5.0 Lollipop problems have been a problem for both Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S4 users and complaints have ranged from poor performance to awful battery drain after making the move up from Android 4.4 KitKat. While there are temporary fixes out there, many Galaxy users are looking for bug fix updates from Samsung and its carrier partners.
It’s not clear when this update will start rolling out again or if Samsung will do something similar with its other Galaxy S4 Lollipop updates. This could be the reason why the Galaxy S4 Lollipop release has been so slow.
Time to Prepare
Carriers (US and otherwise) haven’t confirmed the Galaxy S4 Lollipop release but with a roll out for the LTE model imminent, now is a great time for Galaxy S4 users in the US and around the world to start preparing for the Galaxy S4 Lollipop release.
We’ve put together a number of steps that we think Galaxy S4 users should take ahead of the Galaxy S4 Lollipop roll out. These will help stave off Lollipop problems and they will help users prepare themselves, and their device, for the big change from Android 4.4 to Android 5.0.
Linda Albera
03/15/2015 at 11:38 am
Just wish they would hurry up with these updates. My Samsung Galaxy S4 Active 4.4 has been nothing but a headache since I have purchased it. One thing after another I can’t even keep my contacts on my phone if I don’t want that android process acore.com notice to pop up and stop my phone from doing anything and I mean anything. It doesn’t even allow me to get to my contact storage to delete the data so my phone will start working. This phone has been a headache since I have had it. It continues to turn off while I am in the middle of something it could be anything. Those are only a few problems from the many I have with this phone. I am waiting for my upgrade with AT&T so I can rid myself of this phone. Unhappy Customer
kunalm83
03/15/2015 at 11:01 pm
People in India and elsewhere are all facing lots and lots of issues with Galaxy S4 Lollipop update.
I have updated my Galaxy S4 (I9500) to lollipop just a couple of days back and am HIGHLY disappointed by the outcome.
Some of the issues I am facing are as follows:
1. The phone drains battery very quickly now (especially if it is using Mobile data), and gets heated up very quickly,
3. applications crash very frequently and sometimes the phone itself restarts,
4. apps open very slowly,
5. the Contacts app keeps crashing all the time with the popup “Unfortunately, contacts has stopped”,
6. wallpaper changes automatically,
7. keyboard keeps disappearing while I am typing something, etc.
8. sometimes after I exit from an app, the app drawer shows a blank and takes some time before the apps are visible.
Basically almost everything that can go wrong has gone wrong. The phone is almost totally unusable now. I have cleared the cache at startup, but the problems creep back in one or two days. The device was working perfectly fine with Android Kitkat and I really wish I could go back to that.
Just waiting for Samsung to release a fix to at least make the device usable.
Carl Williams
03/17/2015 at 9:52 am
I am having the same problems with the update apps crashing and things not working as they should. After talking on Facebook with Samsung UK they suggested a factory reset to help optimise the os. Personal I can’t see how this would help.
popdeecee
04/02/2015 at 7:31 pm
you dont see how factory reset could help a phone? i guess you dont see how reinstall windows on a freshly formatted drive could help a windows pc either.
lvirden
04/28/2015 at 4:19 am
My family’s US Samsung Galaxy S4 and Note 3 devices all received our lollipop updates in the past two weeks