Samsung's Galaxy S4 started receiving the Android 5.0.1 Lollipop OS update in India and Russia. While there is no date yet as to when U.S.-based users will receive the update, it's likely that the firmware will arrive soon.
According to Android Geeks, the latest Android operating system has been pushed for the I9500 Galaxy S4 model in India and Russia and will be released to other international Galaxy S4 models with Exynos CPUs worldwide.
The Galaxy S4 beats the Galaxy S5 that is currently receiving the 5.0 version of Android. The S4's software update does not really come as a surprise as the firmware update has been spotted late last month at a Chinese forum.
XDA developers and other Android developers were quick to pick up the firmware and, although it is not the first ROM build for the handset, it is one of the most stable. The ROM works in GT-I9500, GT-9502, GT-9508, GT-9508v models. This serves as a clue that the update is heading to other S4 variants pretty soon.
However, just like other Android updates, the Lollipop OS will be rolled out in phases, which means that some handsets will receive it earlier than others.
The 5.0.1 version delivers a wide array of changes, including:
- Material Design UI
- TouchWiz improvements
- New Battery Power Saver software
- Improved notifications
- Lock screen notifications control
- Priority Mode
- Intelligent notifications ranking
- Android Smart lock
- Multiple Users support
- Guest User
- Screen Pinning
- New toggles for the Quick Settings menu
The notification for the new software update will only appear on devices running with Android OS. Smartphones running with custom ROM will not receive the new firmware.
Samsung remains mum about the timeline and when the new Android OS will head to its devices, especially in the U.S. All users can really do is wait until the South Korean tech giant announces the release of the OS update.
