Android 5.0 Lollipop Update Release Date: Samsung Galaxy S5, Galaxy S4 on AT&T Delayed, But That Might Be for the Best
While the Samsung Galaxy S5 on Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, and internationally have seen their release date come for OTA Android Lollipop 5.0 updates that are rolling out and available for download now, AT&T customers have had to wait. Bad news: Now they, and possibly Galaxy S4 owners across carriers, will have to wait even longer.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 Android Lollipop 5.0 update has already hit Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint customers OTA and through Samsung KIES, as we previously reported. And there have been rumors, screenshots, and confirmed international Lollipop updates (and unofficial custom ROMS) for Samsung's 2013 flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Bad News from Scandinavia for Samsung Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S4?
But one bit of international news, mixed with a tweet from AT&T, indicates that AT&T Galaxy S5 customers -- and possibly Samsung Galaxy S4 owners across most carriers in the U.S. (and elsewhere) -- will have to wait much longer than usual for their Lollipop.
According to GSMArena this week, Samsung has put the Android 5.0 Lollipop update for the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S4 "on-hold," at least locally in Scandinavia.
Why does that matter to eager Samsung Galaxy S4 and S5 owners in the U.S.? Because in the same time frame, AT&T's official Twitter account responded to an impatient customer who owns a Galaxy S5 with the following message:
The key words are, "To avoid any bugs." AT&T, which is (seemingly unabashedly) the slowest to roll out Android updates so far, may actually be in the right this time: According to SamMobile, ever since Android 5.0 Lollipop rolled out to Scandinavian customers beginning in early January, there have been several -- some very important -- bugs with the new operating system running on Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S4 devices.
Particularly, the Phone and Contact applications can crash or even freeze, essentially bricking the phone until users hard restart. The bug conflict, however, seems to happen randomly, so there's always a possibility of Lollipop stopping in its tracks at any moment. A few other bugs, like the Alarm app failing sporadically, have also been reported (undoubtedly by some upset customers who slept through something important).
It may be difficult -- especially considering Galaxy S5 owners on practically every other carrier in the U.S. likely is running Android 5.0 Lollipop while AT&T users are stuck with Android 4.4.4 KitKat -- but it may be worth the wait to have an Android L variant that doesn't crash when you're on the phone or asleep.
Stick with Latin Post Tech for more updates, especially for when OTA updates begin rolling out to those infinitely patient Samsung owners on AT&T.