Galaxy S4 Android 5.0 Lollipop Release Gaining Steam

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Android 5.0 Lollipop release is gaining steam as the highly anticipated Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update is now spreading in one of Samsung’s major markets.

A short time ago, Samsung started rolling out a number of Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrades for its Galaxy line of smartphones. Included in the initial roll out are the Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 3 and the aging Samsung Galaxy S4, the company’s flagship from 2013. All three updates continue to make progress behind the scenes though roll outs are still fairly scarce in the early part of the year.

Samsung’s moving very slowly to new Android 5.0 Lollipop updates though the release continues to gain ground. Today, the Galaxy S4 Android 5.0 Lollipop update is pushing to another device, a sign that the company is comfortable with the results of its initial Android 5.0.1 Lollipop push and that a much wider roll out is in the cards for the near future.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Lollipop update is now rolling out to GT-I9500 users in India. Owners of the international model in that region can now check in settings to see if the substantial upgrade is available. We’re hearing that the Galaxy S4 Lollipop for Indian users is a massive one, checking in at close to 1GB in size, and that it requires a huge chunk of storage (3GB) to install.

Unsurprisingly, the update is version Android 5.0.1 Lollipop, the same version of software that’s hit other Galaxy models in recent days. Android 5.0.1 Lollipop brings all of the changes that come with the Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system though it also includes a number of bug fixes that aim to stabilize the software on Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones.

For now, the Galaxy S4 Lollipop update is hunkered down in just a few regions though with the emergence of this update, it’s clear that Samsung’s poised to make a strong push early in the year. Carrier-specific Galaxy S4 Android 5.0 Lollipop updates remain out of reach but should follow the international roll out in the weeks ahead.

Samsung’s new Galaxy S4 Android 5.0 release follows in the footsteps of several others. In the past two weeks alone, we’ve seen several new Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Lollipop updates push out. That roll out now includes the United States where Verizon and Sprint have both rolled out their own version of the Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 Lollipop update.

The company is also pushing out its Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrade though like the Galaxy S4 update, it remains very limited in the early part of the year. Thanks to leaked details, we know that Samsung and its carrier partners are planning a strong push sometime this year, perhaps in the very near future.

We’re also expecting a number of other Galaxy Android 5.0 Lollipop updates to start rolling out in the first half of the year. Samsung’s confirmed “early 2015” upgrades for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and the Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE-A. The Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update appears to be imminent though Samsung still hasn’t confirmed any specific timing.

French carrier SFR says that it will start rolling the Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update out in February while Canadian carrier Rogers claims that its release date is “To Be Determined.” These carriers are among a select few that have chosen to relay Android 5.0 Lollipop release details early. And while the information is certainly nice to have, Android update release dates can change very quickly based on the testing process.

Samsung is also expected to roll out Android 5.0 Lollipop updates to the Galaxy S5 mini, Galaxy S5 Active Galaxy Note Edge, Galaxy Alpha, and the aging Samsung Galaxy Note 2. It’s not clear when any of those updates might roll out though it’s safe to assume that they will start pushing after Samsung gets its flagship Android 5.0 Lollipop updates pushing en masse.