Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop Release: 5 Things to Expect Now

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop release came a little later than expected but it’s now starting to make progress, so much progress in fact, that we continue to get tons of questions about the update and its roll out. With those questions in mind, we want to fill you in on a few thing we think you should expect now from the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.0 Lollipop update and its release in the U.S. and around the globe.

The pace of Samsung’s Android 5.0 Lollipop release is finally starting to pick and the company’s now rolling the update out to several top devices including the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S4, Galaxy S5, and the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.0 Lollipop release was the company’s fourth major Lollipop release and while it rolled out a bit late, it’s starting to make a solid push as we move on through February and deeper into 2015. That said, there’s still a long way to go before every Galaxy Note 4 user has access to the new operating system.

The Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update represents the Galaxy Note 4’s first major Android update and as such, it delivers a host of new features, enhancements and fixes to owners of the current Galaxy Note flagship.

As the Lollipop roll out’s pushed on, we’ve started to get a better read on Samsung’s plans. We’ve outlined many of these Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop details though we continue to get questions about the roll out and the update itself. While we don’t have all of the answers, we’re armed with enough information and enough history to offer another look at what we expect going forward from the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update and its roll out.

Today, we want to share an updated look at what we expect from the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop in the days and weeks ahead, something that should provide some insight to those that are still stuck on Android 4.4 KitKat.

International Roll Out to Continue in Silence

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update is currently rolling out though it remains extremely limited in the days after its initial release. We expect the international Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop release to continue to move forward in the next few weeks though Galaxy Note 4 owners shouldn’t be checking their device or social media every five to ten minutes for news. Don’t expect to hear much ahead of time.

Samsung is notorious for its random and unpredictable roll outs for international variants. It’s also well known for its silence. Very rarely does the company announce international roll outs, or any roll outs for that matter, ahead of time. It lets the roll outs themselves do the talking. That’s exactly what we expect from the Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.0 release.

To get a sense of what we’re talking about, we suggest taking a look at SamMobile’s firmware section. There, you’ll notice that Samsung’s made recent progress with the Galaxy S5 Lollipop release, Galaxy Note 3 Lollipop release and even the Galaxy S4 Lollipop release. The company didn’t send out a press release to announce the roll outs. Instead, these updates moved out quietly and efficiently.

We’re expecting March to be a busy month for Samsung. It’s clear that we’re on the cusp of a few massive Galaxy S and Galaxy Note Android 5.0 Lollipop roll outs and we expect to see a number of new updates push out next month. Just don’t expect Samsung to clear things up for you ahead of time.

U.S. Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.0 Lollipop Release

Finally, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.0 Lollipop release has been confirmed. Yesterday, T-Mobile confirmed that it will be offering the Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update at some point in the future. This all but confirms an arrival for other U.S. carriers so Galaxy Note 4 users on AT&T, Sprint, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon can expect a Lollipop release down the road. Not like one was in any doubt.

T-Mobile’s update is currently in a stage the carrier calls “Manufacturer Development.” The carrier says that this means that “T-Mobile and the device manufacturer have agreed to support a new software update.” It’s currently not in T-Mobile’s hands for testing which means that the T-Mobile Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop release could still be weeks away. Carrier testing usually takes a couple of weeks and that’s if everything goes according to plan.

We’re not sure how far along carriers like AT&T and Verizon are with this upgrade though with T-Mobile still waiting for the software, it’s hard to expect a widespread roll out taking place in the near future.

Best case scenario, in our eyes, we’ll see the update hit the United States in March. Worse case scenario, we’d say April. Samsung won’t want to let its flagship model linger, not with a Galaxy S6 on the way and not with the Galaxy Note 4 facing stiff opposition from Android devices like the HTC One M9.

Most Roll Outs Weeks/Months Away

Rogers Canada says that it will also roll out a Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update. However, unlike the February/March time frame that’s attached to the Galaxy S5’s update, Rogers’ Galaxy Note 4 update features a “TBD” time frame. In our eyes, that means that its at least a few weeks away from touching down for Canadian carriers.

We expect it to be weeks or months away for most people though. French carrier SFR is currently the only carrier with a specific ETA (February) and it’s probably not going to be able to deliver. There’s hope for March but even then, that’s not guaranteed.

Typically, we get our first confirmations a few weeks and sometimes a few months ahead of time. So the fact that we’ve only seen a few confirmations with vague release dates doesn’t bode well for anybody.

How far out are these updates? It’s hard to say but we’d be shocked if we saw a ton of updates roll out in the next few weeks. We’ll probably see a few but this update is going to take a long time to complete and you should expect most upgrades, particularly those for devices in smaller regions, to be pretty far off.

Galaxy S5-Style Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop Release

When the U.S. Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.0 update release finally does begin, we expect the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update to mirror what Samsung and its U.S. carrier partners are doing with the Galaxy S5 Lollipop release. For those that haven’t been following the Galaxy S5 Lollipop release, here’s what that means:

• U.S. to be one of the first regions to roll out the Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update
• Sprint to be one of the first to the Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update
• Release date details under wraps until the roll out begins
• Staggered release dates with releases taking place over several weeks
• Silent Mode included

Could we see some surprises? Absolutely. The Verizon Galaxy S5 Lollipop release came as a complete surprise to us and to others who track Samsung’s Android update progress. However, we do expect the overall structure of the roll out to mimic what they’ve done with the Galaxy S5 Lollipop release inside the United States.

Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop Problems

We know a lot of you Galaxy Note 4 users are eager to make the move from Android 4.4 KitKat to Android 5.0 Lollipop. It’s hard to blame you. This is a massive update for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 bringing new features, fixes and more. However, you shouldn’t expect your update to be perfect. Expect Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.0 problems to be a problem.

As we’ve pointed out, the Samsung Galaxy S5 Lollipop roll out has been hampered by complaints in the United States and elsewhere and we doubt that the Galaxy Note 4 will be able to come out unscathed. Android update’s are never perfect and updates that deliver widespread changes (like Android 5.0) typically come with a new collection of issues.

Samsung and its Galaxy Note 4 carriers will do their best behind the scenes but even with their best efforts, we expect to see problems slip through the cracks. That’s we recommend taking a look at our fixes for Samsung Galaxy Note 3 problems now so that you can commit them to memory before your Android 5.0 Lollipop update arrives. And it will arrive. Samsung won’t leave any Galaxy Note 4 models behind. That goes for the U.S. and the international community.

We also recommend doing some prep work before your Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop release arrives. Those instructions are for the Galaxy S5 but they apply to the Galaxy Note 4 as well.