Samsung Galaxy S4 Lollipop Update Begins

In another surprise move, Samsung’s begun rolling out the Galaxy S4 Lollipop update today just a few days after it started rolling out the Galaxy Note 3 Lollipop update and weeks after it started rolling out the Samsung Galaxy S5 Android 5.0 update.

Several weeks ago, Samsung announced that it would be rolling out several new Lollipop updates in early 2015. The company confirmed Android 5.0 upgrades for the Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S5 LTE-A, Galaxy Note 4, and the Samsung Galaxy S4. Earlier this week, Samsung started rolling out the Galaxy Note 3 Lollipop update and today, the company’s rolling out another Lollipop surprise.

While the Galaxy Note 4, one of the company’s flagship devices, still lingers on Android 4.4 KitKat, the Galaxy S4 is today starting to get its update to Android 5.0 Lollipop. The Samsung Galaxy S4 Lollipop roll out has begun though it appears that the update is limited to just one specific variant in one very specific region of the world.

According to SamMobile, a site that tracks Samsung’s Galaxy Android updates, the Galaxy S4 Lollipop update is rolling out to the GT-I9500 in Russia. The GT-I9500 is the international version of the Samsung Galaxy S4. The update is reportedly rolling out Over-the-Air though it does not appear to be available through Samsung Kies 3 just yet. It’s not clear if or when Samsung will make it available as a manual download.

Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Lollipop update is massive, so massive that the company apparently stripped out several pre-loaded features to ensure that there is enough room for the new operating system. The update is apparently around 1GB in size which is enormous for a Galaxy update.

The update is version Android 5.0.1 Lollipop, a newer version of Lollipop that rolled out to Nexus users at the tail end of last year. What this means is that the update likely contains numerous bug fixes for Android 5.0 Lollipop problems, fixes that should help stabilize the software on the Samsung Galaxy S4. Galaxy S4 owners have complained about numerous Android 4.4 problems in recent months and there’s a chance that Android 5.0 will solve at least a few of them.

This roll out is indicative of what Samsung’s doing with Android 5.0 Lollipop. The company’s Galaxy Note 3 is also limited to just one variant in Russia and it’s clear that this serves as a sort of beta test for the update ahead of a wider push later on this year. Samsung still hasn’t confirmed any release dates, for the U.S. or otherwise, which means that Galaxy S4 users will have to wait in the dark as Samsung, and its carrier partners, work behind the scenes to prepare the software.

The arrival of the Galaxy S4 Lollipop update comes on the heels of new Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop release news. The Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update is reportedly delayed due to the Gear VR accessory though its still expected to start pushing out in the near future. French carrier SFR claims that both updates will push out next month.

The Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S4, and Galaxy Note 4 are just a few of the Lollipop updates that Samsung’s got on tap for 2015. Samsung’s also scheduled to roll out Android 5.0 Lollipop updates to the Galaxy Note Edge, Galaxy Alpha, and Galaxy S5 mini at some point down the road. Samsung could also opt to roll the update out to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, a device that’s now more than two years old and one that continues to see Android 4.4 KitKat updates.

It’s clear that the Galaxy Note 4 is probably next in line to Android 5.0 Lollipop though the company could, perhaps, surprise Galaxy users again with another update for a non-flagship device. Only time will tell.