Android L 5.0 Lollipop Release Date & Download: Samsung Galaxy S4 GPE Gets Update

The much-awaited Android L 5.0 Lollipop update has finally rolled out to the Samsung Galaxy S4.

Arstechnica, citing Android Police, reported that the Google Play edition of Samsung's Galaxy S4 has already started getting the new Lollipop update.

Get the Over-The-Air file here.

To all those planning to download the OTA, keep this reminder from Android Police in mind: "This is a 5.0 build, not 5.0.1. The update screen actually goes an extra decimal place to 5.0.0 to make that clear.

"As such, there might be a few bugs until another OTA comes through later. Although, The GS4 is getting old, and I wouldn't expect much more update support, even for the GPE. The update is about 500MB, so find yourself some WiFi."

According to Android Police, Samsung Galaxy S4 GPe users can expect "a bold new visual style," improved performance, and additional features. Some of which are notifications on the lock screen, a battery saving mode, notification management with "automatic interruption controls" and the Smart Lock feature for amped up privacy.

Arstechnica said that since the Samsung Galaxy S4 has already gotten the new update, then this might indicate that other Google Play Edition devices, which still don't have the latest Android update, will also soon get the latest operating system.

It also noted that the Samsung Galaxy S4 is the last of the GPE phones that got the new update. Phones that have earlier received the update are Moto G, HTC One M7, HTC One M8, Sony Z Ultra, and LG G Pad 8.3.

Earlier, we saw Samsung Galaxy S5 users in Europe, particularly in Poland, getting the new update. Sam Mobile even said that the availability of the new OS on the device was quite a milestone as it was the "first time the Korean giant has delivered a major Android software upgrade in such a short period of time." Specifically, the Lollipop update was delivered only 31 days after Google released the Lollipop code to AOSP.

It is believed that other neighboring European countries will soon be the next ones to get the update right after Poland. CNET, meanwhile, believes that S5 users in South Korea will probably be the next ones to get the Lollipop update.

However, Samsung Galaxy S5 users in the US might have to wait until next year as it is still unsure when the update will hit the smartphones. The delay, Sam Mobile noted, might have been caused by the "usual" carrier certification.

A report from Android Origin, on the other hand, said that at least four of the "biggest" Samsung smartphones -- Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note 3, and Galaxy S5 LTE-A -- are expected to get the new Android update by 2015. It has never been confirmed by the Korean electronics giant.

The source of the report was a "Reuters tech industry correspondent" named Vincent Se Young Lee who posted on Twitter, "#Samsung says #Lollipop updates for other devices like the Note 4, Galaxy S5 LTE-A, Note 3 and Galaxy S4 coming in early 2015."

Some of the new features included in the new Lollipop update are the new user interface Material Design, new fonts, new lockscreen, improved notifications, priority mode, and Smart Lock, Christian Today noted. Other phones that have previously received the Lollipop update include Moto X, Moto G, Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10.