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Sprint Galaxy S4 Lollipop Update: 5 Things You Need to Know

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The Samsung Galaxy S4 Lollipop update is finally moving again in the United States and today, the update is pushing out to users on Sprint. With a Sprint Galaxy S4 Lollipop release upon us, we take a look at what Sprint users need to know about their bump from Android 4.4 KitKat to Android 5.0 Lollipop.

In late January, Samsung rolled out its first Galaxy S4 Lollipop update. In the weeks since its first update, Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Lollipop update has made tremendous progress. The update has rolled out to many users in the international community and in the United States, the update has landed for users on AT&T and Verizon. There is still a long way to go but we’re starting to see pickup as we move deeper into the month of May.

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Today, Sprint became the third major US carrier to push out the Galaxy S4 Lollipop update. The update, which arrived without any warning, takes the device from Android 4.4 KitKat to Google’s brand new operating system. As many Galaxy S4 users know, Android 5.0 Lollipop is a big jump up from KitKat. It brings new features and a brand new look to the aging former flagship.

With a Sprint Galaxy S4 Lollipop release at hand, we take a look at everything Sprint users need to know about their latest update, an update that could potentially be the Galaxy S4’s last major upgrade.

Prepare Your Sprint Galaxy S4 for Lollipop

Right now, ahead of the carrier’s OTA, is a great time for Sprint Galaxy S4 users to prepare for the major changes coming with the Galaxy S4 Android 5.0 Lollipop update.

We’ve outlined a number of steps to take before installing the Sprint Galaxy S4 Lollipop update and we’ve also prepared some Galaxy S4 Android 5.0 release date tips that will help Sprint Galaxy S4 users with today’s release.

Sprint Galaxy S4 users don’t need to follow all of these steps but we suggest taking a look at them before making the move from Android 4.4 KitKat to Android 5.0 Lollipop. This is a big update, arguably the biggest ever for the Sprint Galaxy S4, a device that started on Google’s Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update.

Sprint Galaxy S4 Lollipop Release Date

The Sprint Galaxy S4 Lollipop release date is today for both of Sprint’s models. The carrier offers a regular variant and a Galaxy S4 Spark variant. Both will be receiving Lollipop starting today. That doesn’t mean that the update will hit everybody today though.

Sprint says that the updates will be rolling out in phases which means that while some users will see the update in the early part of the roll out, others will likely be waiting a few days for the Galaxy S4 Lollipop update to show up.

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Galaxy S4 users interested in making the move from Android 4.4 KitKat to Android Lollipop will want to head into the device’s settings to manually check for the software. At some point, a download prompt will appear and the installation process will begin. We recommend checking a couple of times a day but no more than that.

Samsung says that its Android 5.0 upgrades can take upwards of 30 minutes. Sprint Galaxy S4 users will also need a ton of free space to install Android 5.0 Lollipop OTA. The file should be in and around 1GB in size.

Sprint Galaxy S4 Lollipop Features

Sprint’s Lollipop change logs for both Galaxy S4 models are short. They only list Android 5.0 Lollipop and factory reset protection as features. That’s it.

Thanks to Samsung’s other Galaxy S4 Lollipop updates we know that they will bring Google’s Material Design, changes to the lock screen, and more.

Galaxy S4 users unfamiliar with Lollipop and its changes will want to take a look at the slideshow below. It outlines some of the key differences between Android 4.4 KitKat and Google’s new Android 5.0 Lollipop update.

Android 5.0 vs Android 4.4 Walkthrough: What’s New in Lollipop

Android 5.0 vs Android 4.4 - Lockscreen

Android 5.0 vs Android 4.4 - Lockscreen

 With Android 5.0 Lollipop Google has slightly improved the lockscreen. There's now a shortcut to the dialer by swiping left to right, and notifications are more useful and interactive. Shown right on the lockscreen they can be swiped away, slide down to expand, or double tap to instantly unlock right into that app or notification. Everything is simple and smooth, and we still have full-screen album artwork on the lockscreen while playing music.

The quick shortcuts and improved notifications will come in handy for all users.

Galaxy S4 Lollipop Problems

Before installing the Sprint Galaxy S4 Lollipop update, users need to know that there are a number of Galaxy S4 Lollipop problems plaguing users in the United States and around the world.

We’ve put together a list of Galaxy S4 problems that Galaxy S4 users should take note of before installing. There’s always some risk involved when installing a major Android update like Android 5.0 Lollipop and those that familiarize with potential issues and gather feedback from fellow Galaxy S4 users will come out of the upgrade process in much better shape.

For some users, it might even be worth it to wait a few days for the smoke to settle before installing this major Galaxy S4 Android update.

Sprint’s community forums are a good place to start though Sprint Galaxy S4 users will want to branch out to social media and other forums as we push away from the release.

Fixes for Sprint Galaxy S4 Lollipop Problems

Now that the update is starting to roll out to users, we recommend getting familiar with fixes for Galaxy S4 Lollipop problems. We’ve tracked down some of the more common Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop problems and surfaced some possible fixes for those issues.

Incipio DualPro Shine Samsung Galaxy S4 Case Review - 3

Battery life problems are among the most common Galaxy S4 Android 5.0 issues impacting device owners. In response, we’ve also put together an extensive set of fixes for Galaxy S4 Lollipop battery life problems that Sprint users should take note of.

Those of you looking to make the move to Android 5.0 Lollipop would be wise to consult those fixes both before and after the Sprint Galaxy S4 Lollipop upgrade.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Joseph Hicks

    05/16/2015 at 6:36 am

    So, I have an S4 as well for Sprint-Spark, I knew about the lollipop update before hand, but I’ve been waiting a while now. I don’t know what I should do, and I hope I don’t have to wait a month.

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