Samsung Galaxy Android 5.1 Update Rumors Emerge

Samsung is still rolling out Android 5.0.1 and Android 5.0.2 Lollipop updates and rumors suggest that it hasn’t begun work on Galaxy Android 5.1 updates. That said, a new round of Samsung Galaxy Android 5.1 Lollipop update rumors reveals some potential Galaxy Android 5.1 update details for some of Samsung’s biggest names.

In December, Samsung started rolling out its first Android 5.0 Lollipop update to the Galaxy S5. In the weeks since the initial release, the Galaxy S5 Lollipop update has spread to new Galaxy S5 variants all over the world, including here in the United States. Samsung’s Galaxy Android 5.0 release has also pushed to several other devices including the Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note Edge, Galaxy Note 3, and Galaxy S4.

Samsung’s Android 5.0 Lollipop, Android 5.0.1 Lollipop and Android 5.0.2 Lollipop updates (yes, it’s rolling out all three) deliver a ton of changes including Google’s new Material Design, changes to the lock screen, enhancements, bug fixes, and more. It appears that Samsung might have plans beyond these initial updates though.

A few days ago, we saw a partial Samsung Galaxy Lollipop update roadmap leak. The roadmap, from SamMobile, stated that Samsung hadn’t yet started development on Android 5.1 Lollipop, Google’s new Lollipop update that offers feature enhancements and a laundry list of bug fixes for Android 5.0 Lollipop problems.

While that might be the case, a user on Reddit has outlined potential plans for Samsung’s Galaxy Android 5.1 Lollipop update. The user cites information gleaned from a Samsung representative in Europe. We aren’t familiar with the source but he appears to be armed with credible information about the Galaxy S6 and about Android 5.1 Lollipop.

He states that Samsung might use Android 5.1 Lollipop to deliver a TouchWiz experience similar to the one found on the Samsung Galaxy S6. The Galaxy S6 comes with less bloatware and it also allows users to uninstall Samsung applications to free up space and perhaps, improve performance. Samsung is well known for bringing new features to older devices and it could be that Android 5.1 is the update that brings some Galaxy S6 features to older devices like the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy S5.

He claims that the slimming down of TouchWiz will come to other devices “in the long run” though he doesn’t outline any specific release details for specific devices.

In response to a question about software turnaround (the speed at which Samsung is able to deploy these updates), he says that Samsung “concluded that they punched themselves in the gut with the L update for the S5.” He also goes on to say that “they will test the software over a much longer period internally, but will mean more stable and generally better software on end-users devices.”

The Samsung Galaxy S5 Lollipop update has been plagued with issues including serious battery life problems that have extended to users in the United States. Samsung Norway was recently forced to halt the Galaxy S5 Lollipop release on account of bugs and problems.

Samsung’s Lollipop updates for the Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy S4, and Galaxy Note 3 are also exhibiting problems and the company has been forced to roll out several bug fixes to alleviate these issues.

For now, Google’s Android 5.1 Lollipop update is limited to select Nexus smartphones and tablets though we now know that it will spread to non-Nexus devices in the future. The Motorola Droid Turbo, for instance, is expected to get bumped straight to Android 5.1 in the future.

Samsung typically stays silent about its Android update plans which means that those hoping for Android 5.1, Galaxy S6 features, and bug fixes for Android 5.0 problems will have to wait and see if these rumors pan out. Look for more Android 5.1 Lollipop details to emerge if and when the company starts testing it behind the scenes.