There were reports last week stating that the Samsung Galaxy S5, the Korean tech giant’s flagship smartphone of 2014, which are distributed in the US by four major carriers, namely, AT&T, US Cellular, Verizon, and Sprint, will soon be receiving the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update soon.
The Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update on the Samsung Galaxy S5 units under T-Mobile has already been rolled out by T-Mobile as early as July ahead of the four US carriers.
The update is expected to finally happen soon on the Galaxy S5 units under the four carriers as the Android 6.0 Marshmallow is about to be rolled out by Google very soon.
Neurogadget just reported that the Samsung Galaxy S5 mini will be among the Samsung smartphones which will be receiving the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop too. However, it is only the Samsung Galaxy S5 mini units under US Cellular will be receiving the update initially. It is not clear if the four other US carriers will follow suit.
Thus far, Samsung has confirmed that the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop will roll out via over-the-air (OTA) update to a number of Samsung devices including the Samsung Galaxy Mega 2, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, the Samsung Galaxy Core Prime, the Samsung Galaxy S6, the Samsung Galaxy J1, and the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge.
These devices are also expected to receive the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update once Google released it in a few weeks time.
Samsung Galaxy S5 mini owners can see the availability of the update on their phone’s settings and they will have the option to do it manually by following the instructions to complete the installation process. They are also advised to ensure that there is enough space on their device to be able to complete the installation of the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update, details Ubergizmo.
What it brings
In addition to the many improvements and features, the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update on the Samsung Galaxy S5 mini will also upgrade the user interface and also provide fix for the Stagefright security issue, which has been affecting a lot of Android devices as of late.
Stagefright is an MMS bug that allows hackers to gain control of the hacked Android devices. While some other Android devices needed a different security patch to address the Stagefright bug, the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop is already enough to extinguish the threat that the bug poses on Samsung devices.
The Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, the latest and likely the last firmware update from Google before it officially rolls out the Android 6.0 Marshmallow in the next few weeks, has already made it to the Samsung Galaxy S5 in July.
Due to insistent Galaxy S5 owners’ clamor
Unfortunately, the firmware update only made it to Samsung Galaxy S5 units that is under T-Mobile in the US, much to the chagrin of other users of the Korean tech giant’s flagship smartphone of 2014.
The situation expectedly drew numerous clamors from other Samsung Galaxy S5 users under different US carriers to have the firmware update rolled out to their handsets as well.
Samsung needed no convincing as the clamors certainly have a leg to stand on. Latest reports indicate that four other US carriers including Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and US Cellular are now preparing the groundwork for the rollout of the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop to Samsung Galaxy S5 under their respective folds.
It was actually the numerous feedbacks and demand of Samsung Galaxy S5 owners on community forums that prompted Samsung and partner mobile carriers to immediately buckle down to work and ensure the release of the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop very soon.
It is possible that the new firmware update will come out in the next few weeks because it really has to before Google officially unveils the Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
While most Samsung Galaxy S5 users all over the world have Android 5.0 Lollipop running on their devices, the need to upgrade to Android 5.1.1 Lollipop has become imperative given the impending release of the Android 6.0 Marshmallow. If users don’t upgrade their OS, they would not be able to enjoy the latest tweaks and apps that shall come with the latest OS.