It was HTC who bravely announced that they were planning to get Android 5.0 Lollipop out with customers inside ninety days of the source code being released. This was a gutsy call for a couple of reasons: firstly, Android Lollipop was the single most significant and extensive change in the Android operating system, and second HTC were aware that their carrier partners would need to put the software through their own tests before approving and releasing it. Some carriers out there take their time testing and approving updates, such as Verizon; as it happens, HTC had to announce to the world that some devices on some carriers would miss the deadline. They carried the can for the networks here, but it seems that it wasn’t just HTC working to a similar timescale of 90 days, give or take. Today I’m bringing you news that the Indian Samsung Galaxy S4 is receiving the over-the-air update to Android 5.0.1 Lollipop. The file is a little under 1 GB in size and is also available via the desktop KIES application for a cable upgrade, if customers would prefer.
The upgrade to Android Lollipop brings about several improvements to the Galaxy S4. There’s an updated version of Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface, which takes its design cues from Google’s Material Design. The S4 also includes a number of improvements to the Android notifications system including the lock screen. Overall device performance has been sharpened thanks to Android switching from the Dalvik RunTime to the new Android RunTime, which compiles applications for your device when they are installed rather than every time they are launched. Another significant change is under the skin and that’s the inclusion of a network scheduler, which should result in improved battery efficiency. The network scheduler works by Android interrogating applications to ask them when they wish to connect with the network. The applications must be coded accordingly but may then provide a connection window to the operating system, for example, it’ll want a connection any time from ten to eighteen minutes. Android collates all application requests and determines when the best time to go online is, so that all Internet activity is conducted at the same time. The network scheduler will save battery time as it avoids the device keeping the network in a high power state unnecessarily.
Do you have the Indian, Exynos-powered Samsung Galaxy S4? If you, has your device already received the update notification, or did you go into Settings to pick it up? How did the installation go? How is your device now? Let us know in the comments below.