A few weeks ago, Samsung started rolling out the Android 5.0 update for the Galaxy S5. As usual, the company was keen to prioritize the European market. Poland and a number of other East European countries saw the update first, and enjoyed first-hand the
features of Google’s latest mobile operating system. The delay for the US market might have something to do with more stringent regulation by the federal government, but not even that could keep you from Google’s latest mobile software.Currently, US-based users are receiving the Android 5.0 Lollipop update for the Galaxy S5. Sprint, Verizon and now T-Mobile customers are already experiencing the best that Android has had to offer, with the 5.0 Lollipop OTA update spreading like bushfire, far and wide. Unless you’re an AT&T customer, you should be able to roll on to Android Lollipop on your Samsung Galaxy S5. This post features precise instructions on how to go about updating to Lollipop on your device.
Verizon Galaxy S5 Lollipop Update
The Android 5.0 Lollipop update is already available on Verizon (SM-G900V). This apparently came in 2 bundles, updating the device firmware to build number VRU1BNLC. From what we can see so far, everything looks great, and Verizon users can leverage the best new features of Lollipop.
T-Mobile Android Update for the Galaxy S5
Owners of the Samsung Galaxy S5 on the T-Mobile network are already getting the Android 5.0 Lollipop update. The entire update seems to be quite sizeable, about 940 MB so you need to make sure you’ve got Wi-Fi before you start downloading it. By now, most users have seen the update notification on their devices. But if you haven’t yet, simply navigate to Settings>About Phone> Software Update and see whether you can pull it down to your device yet.
Sprint Galaxy S5 Update
Sprint has also not been left behind when it comes to issuing an update for the Galaxy S5. US owners of the Sprint-branded Galaxy S5 (SM-G900P) are already receiving the OTA update. If you haven’t gotten the notification yet, navigate to Settings>About Phone>Software Update. You won’t see a lot of changes. Plainly, the changelog just involves the OS update to V5.0 Lollipop, an enhanced VoWifi UI, and the removal of the Lumen tool bar.
Galaxy S5 Update for AT&T
AT&T is the only major US carrier that has been left in the woods. AT&T still have to wait a lot longer before they can get a taste of the Android 5.0 Lollipop. But as far as we are concerned, this network was also the last carrier to deliver an update for the Android 4.4.4 KitKat.
Global Galaxy S5 Android Update
In other news, despite the fact that the S5 LTE-A is not available globally, Sammy decided to update the device to the latest version of Android (Android 5.0.1 Lollipop). They are working on the final build now. You might have noted that Android already graduated from 5.0 to 5.0.1. The 0.1 portion includes small bug fixes that have been witnessed with the first version of Lollipop. This fixes some definite issues such as the automatic factory reset problem, and the video playback issues that some Android gadgets were having.With Android 5.0.1 Lollipop, the LTE-A looks like what other Galaxy S5 devices will do when they get the same update.
Unofficial Galaxy S5 Firmware
As usual, some folks at
XDA Developers forum have been very busy trying to avail an unofficial Galaxy S5 Android update firmware. Currently, they already have a working version of the Android 5.0 Lollipop update, although it’s still ‘under development’. Although it’s still an early build, most of its features are working well (the camera and NFC seem to be the only 2 things that aren’t). If you’re keen and eager to get an idea how Lollipop will be when it hits your device, you might as well get over to XDA Forum and download the ROM.From what we can figure, Samsung has been keen to release the Android 5.0 Lollipop update for a significant number of users (including US-based ones). The company probably wants as many people as possible to have the feel of Lollipop before the launch of their next flagship, the Galaxy S6, in the coming few weeks.
