Samsung Android 5.1.1 Release: 5 Things to Expect in August

mardi 4 août 2015

Samsung Android 5.1.1 Release: 5 Things to Expect in August is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

The Samsung Galaxy Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update continues to make progress though it’s still limited to a few regions and a few devices. With that in mind, we want to take a look at a few things we expect from the Samsung Galaxy Android 5.1.1 release in August.

Its been several months since Google released its Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update. It has taken awhile but we’re slowly starting to see manufacturers like Samsung get Google’s latest Lollipop update out to smartphones in need. Samsung in particular has been pretty active over the past few weeks and just yesterday we saw a big Samsung Android 5.1.1 release emerge.

Samsung is currently rolling the Android 5.1.1 update out to the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S5 and now the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy E5. On the tablet side, it’s rolling the Android 5.1.1 update out to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 8.0.

Android 5.1.1 is a big deal for these Galaxy smartphones and tablets because it brings security patches, fixes and enhancements along with it. Several of these devices were struggling on Lollipop and Android 5.1.1 has the potential to help stabilize them as we push towards the inevitable Samsung Android M release for Galaxy phones and tablets.

The Android 5.1.1 roll out has been gaining a lot of steam. And as it progresses, more Galaxy users are starting to pay attention. We’ve been getting tons of questions about the Android 5.1.1 release and how we see it playing out. Today, we want to help set your expectations as we press deeper into the month of August.

Here are a few things you should, and shouldn’t, expect from the Samsung Galaxy Android 5.1.1 release during the month of August.

New Pre-Release Details

You shouldn’t expect Samsung or its carrier partners to be in constant communication about the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop release but we do expect to see new details emerge this month for devices still lingering on Android 5.0.2 and below.

In July, we saw numerous pre-release details emerge for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note series and we expect to see carriers expand on those details in August as Samsung continues work behind the scenes. Here are a few examples.

Australian carriers Optus and Vodafone recently confirmed that their Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge Android 5.1.1 release plans changed due to problems with the software. It seems the software needed some additional testing in Samsung’s labs.

We’re still not sure what we wrong but our hunch is that Samsung pulled those releases so that it could issue a fix for battery life problems. T-Mobile recently rolled out new Android 5.1.1 updates to its Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge addressing that very issue.

It also could be that Samsung pushed these upgrades so that it could include a security fix for the Stagefright vulnerability. Sprint included the fix in its Android 5.1.1 update and Samsung will likely be including it in its other upcoming software updates.

These two carriers update their software upgrade pages with regularity and so we’d expect to see new details (good or bad) emerge there. We’d also expect to see new details emerge for other carriers like Telstra, Rogers in Canada, and more.

We would not, however, expect to learn much about the U.S. Galaxy Android 5.1.1 release ahead of time. U.S. carriers have been reluctant to divulge Lollipop update information and Samsung hasn’t helped. So while we do expect to see new details emerge, expect the pre-release details to be limited.

More Android 5.1.1 Updates

You can also expect Samsung and its carrier partners to issue more Galaxy Android 5.1.1 Lollipop updates in the month of August.

We’d expect to see more Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.1.1 releases emerge now that Sprint’s jumpstarted the roll out with a release. We haven’t seen any carriers detail their plans for the Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.1.1 release but we’re confident that we’ll see more than the Sprint Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.1.1 update in August. It’s a long month.

We also expect to see more Galaxy Note Edge Android 5.1.1 Lollipop updates (Rogers has one confirmed) and several Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge Android 5.1.1 releases. We’ve seen some delays but T-Mobile’s roll out is, again, a sign that we should see some movement this month.

Finally, expect Samsung’s upcoming Android 5.1.1 updates to bring change logs similar to Sprint’s change log for the Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.1.1 update. Here’s what Sprint’s recent update includes:

OS upgrade to Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop)
Security Enhancements
Device stability improvements, bug fixes
New and / or enhanced features
Further improvements to performance
Security fix (Stagefright)

The focus of Android 5.1.1 is not on features but on security and patches for bugs. We’d expect most, if not all of Samsung’s Android 5.1.1 to be modeled after Sprint’s release.

Limited Roll Out

Don’t expect the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop to land for every Galaxy S6 or Galaxy Note 4 in August. It’s clear that Samsung is taking its time (the update has been rolling out since June) and Samsung’s not known for its roll out speed. Updates can take several months to complete.

We also wouldn’t expect every single big name device to get Android 5.1.1 Lollipop in August. We haven’t heard a single thing about a Galaxy Note 3 Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update or a Galaxy S4 Android 5.1.1 update. They could come but maybe not in August as Samsung focuses on flagships and newer devices like the Galaxy E5.

More Android 5.1.1 Problems

We’d expect more Android 5.1.1 problems to emerge as Samsung rolls out more updates and as more and more people install Android 5.1.1.

Thanks to Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge and Galaxy S5 users, we know that Android 5.1.1 isn’t perfect. We’ve heard about battery life issues, connectivity problems, problems with certain apps and performance, and more. No Android update is perfect.

We haven’t seen Sprint Galaxy Note 4 users complain just yet but the update is less than 24 hours old. Give it some time. We expect Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.1.1 Lollipop problems to emerge in the days and weeks ahead.

If you own a Galaxy Note 4 or another device that’s expected to get Android 5.1.1, you’ll want to take a look at our list of potential fixes for common Android 5.1.1 problems. They’re a good place to start.

New Version of Samsung’s Android 5.1.1 Lollipop

Finally, we expect Samsung to debut a new version of Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with its Samsung Galaxy Note 5 later this month.

The Galaxy Note 5 is expected to arrive on August 13th and rumors point to it running an Android 5.1.1 base rather than an Android M base. This makes sense given that Google still hasn’t released the third developer preview of its Android M release.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5 is rumored to have some new TouchWiz features on board including a new menu for Air Command. The rest of the Galaxy Note 5’s Android 5.1.1 w/ TouchWiz software remains a mystery but it’s clear that we’ll see Samsung make some additions.

While it would be great to see Samsung push these features to older devices like the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note 3 in August, we wouldn’t expect upcoming Android 5.1.1 updates to come with the Samsung Galaxy Note 5’s new feature set.

If Samsung does push some of the Galaxy Note 5’s features, we’d expect it to do so with Android M update later in the year or in 2016.

Galaxy Note 5 Release (U.S.): 10 Important Details

Samsung Note 5 Launch Date Confirmed

1 / 10

If you're thinking about buying a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 in the United States, the first thing you need to know is that the Galaxy Note 5 launch date is all but confirmed for August. As we mentioned, this is much earlier than IFA 2015.

Samsung is reportedly worried about the impact the iPhone could have on the Galaxy Note 5's success so it's launching it a little earlier this year. How early? August 13th early.

The company recently sent out invites for an Unpacked launch event for August 13th in New York City. The company hasn't outlined what it will be announcing there but it saves Unpacked events for its biggest launches. And that means that we'll probably see the Galaxy Note 5, and all of its details, arrive there.

With less than two weeks to go, we expect Galaxy Note 5 rumors to continue as Samsung's plans for the phone's release firm up behind the scenes.