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Android Lollipop Updates: Which phones are getting it, and when?

Android Lollipop Statue
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Android 5.0 Lollipop is here, and that means a mad scramble is on as manufacturers rush to update their existing phones to the new version of Google’s operating system. Well, “scramble” and “rush” may be relative terms here, since bringing out an update can be a plodding affair, sometimes taking months for it to show up.

To make sure you’re fully informed, we’ve pulled together all the official news, and the rumors, concerning 5.0 Lollipop’s arrival on your smartphone or tablet of choice. Check it out below.

Google Nexus and Play Edition devices

Since Google sends updates directly to its devices, most users should have gotten Lollipop almost immediately.

Available for the following Nexus devices:

  • Nexus 6
  • Nexus 9
  • Nexus 5
  • Nexus 4
  • Nexus 7 (both versions)
  • Nexus 10

Available for Google Play Edition devices:

  • Xperia Z Ultra GPE
  • LG G Pad 8.3 GPE
  • Moto G GPE
  • HTC One M7 GPE
  • HTC One M8 GPE
  • Samsung Galaxy S4 GPE

Samsung

T-Mobile AT&T Verizon Sprint Europe
 Galaxy S5  Yes  Yes  Yes  Yes
 Galaxy S5 Active  Yes
 Galaxy S4  Yes  Yes
 Galaxy Note 4  Yes  Yes  Yes
 Galaxy Note Edge  Yes  Yes  Yes
 Galaxy Note 3  Yes
Galaxy Alpha Yes

The first phone to get Lollipop in the U.S. was the Galaxy S5 sold through Verizon. The carrier announced the update in early February, along with an explanation of the software’s new look and features. Verizon’s Galaxy Note 3 also received the update.

Galaxy S5 owners on T-Mobile’s network started receiving the upgrade to 5.0 in mid-February, according to TmoNews. The new software is available as an over-the-air update that’s about 1GB in size. Around the end of April, the Galaxy Note 4 on the Uncarrier’s network also got Lollipop 5.0. T-Mobile followed up on that release with the update for the Galaxy Note Edge in early May

AT&T owners of the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S4 received Lollipop on April 7. That release was quickly followed by the Galaxy S5 Active and the Galaxy Alpha. Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge owners, get ready, because the Android 5.0 update for your phone has started to arrive. It’s now rolling out on the AT&T and Sprint versions of the Galaxy Note 4. Only some AT&T users are seeing the update, so stay patient as it makes its way to you.

Galaxy S5 owners throughout Europe are also slowly but surely receiving the Lollipop update, with the remaining U.S. phones close behind. The release will be dependent on the speed with which networks approve the new firmware.

One German user of the Galaxy S4 actually received the Lollipop update after he sent it in with a broken screen to get repaired by Samsung. Of course, the update isn’t available to most users, but this story is an indication it may hit Galaxy S4 handsets in Europe soon. The news was first spotted and translated into English by SamMobile.

In addition, some Galaxy Note Edge owners in Australia have spotted the Lollipop 5.0 update download available on their phones via an over the air update, reports SamMobile. So if you live in Australia, and you’ve got an Edge, you may indeed have an edge over other consumers. Check out your software update options to see if it’s come your way yet.

SamMobile states Samsung has given its own Android user interface a visual makeover to bring it in line with Google’s Material Design, introduced with 5.0 Lollipop, plus a selection of new features.

LG

 T-Mobile  AT&T Verizon Sprint Europe
 LG G3  Yes  Yes  Yes  Yes
LG G2  Yes  Yes
LG G Pro 2 Yes

LG’s Lollipop updates have finally made it to the four major U.S. carriers on its 2014 flagship device, the G3. The first update came from AT&T for the LG G3, reported Android Authority. The over the air update is 689.53MB in size and rolled out to G3 owners as of February 10. AT&T also made the update available for the LG G2.

Sprint also announced that the LG G3 is primed and ready to receive Android 5.0. According to the carrier, Lollipop will be delivered as an over-the-air update to all G3 owners, though odds are the update will be staggered instead of delivered all at once.

T-Mobile promised the LG G3 will get Lollipop around April 7, though some users will see it earlier than others. Now, the Uncarrier is also sending the update to the LG G2. However, the rollout could span from April 14 to May 22, T-Mobile warns.

Verizon finally joined the party in April, and added the LG G3 to the list of devices that can now download the Android 5.0 Lollipop update.

Reports of Android 5.0 arriving on the LG G Pro 2 in parts of Europe also started to spread in February, following its launch in South Korea at the beginning of the month.

LG was a little behind schedule with its updates. In October 2014, the firm sent out a tweet regarding the G3 smartphone from the LG Electronics UK Twitter account, saying that the G3 would get its Lollipop update before the end of the year.

LG said G3 owners in Poland would be first on the list, with the process expected to start from November 10. According to LG’s blog, “other key markets will follow in the near future.” On December 8, a French network published its software update schedule, and the LG G3 was listed as being underway. As always, the update will be a staggered release which will depend on network cooperation.

A list of European countries where the G3 would receive Android 5.0 was leaked in mid-December. The U.K., Austria, Germany, Italy, and Spain were among those mentioned, with December 12 down as the start date. Subsequently, reports gathered that G3 phones in India would get an Android 5.0 update before the end of the month.

Updates from HTC, Sony, and Motorola

HTC

T-Mobile AT&T Verizon Sprint Europe
HTC One M9
HTC One M8 Yes Yes Yes Yes
HTC One M7 Yes
HTC One Max

HTC was Google’s other Android 5.0 hardware partner alongside Motorola, producing the Nexus 9 tablet. Head over to the official HTC software update page, and it’s confirmed the HTC One and the HTC One M8 will be updated. Although the company aimed to issue the update within 90 days of the team receiving the final version from Google, it missed the deadline.

HTC stated that it plans to introduce those updates very soon, though. Now it’s officially confirmed that the HTC One M7 from AT&T will start getting the Lollipop update on March 31, while the HTC One M8 from AT&T will be updated on April 8. The HTC One M8 from Verizon also has the update available. Other versions will presumably get the update soon, too, though nothing’s official yet.

However, some people in Europe already have Lollipop on their One M8 phones. HTC’s Jeff Gordon confirmed the rollout on Twitter. And recently, some owners of unlocked and Google Play Edition versions of the HTC One M7 started receiving the update, reports PhoneArena.

As of February 10, T-Mobile introduced the Lollipop update to users with the HTC One M8 phone. The over the air update is 630MB, and can be found by going to Settings>About>Software update.

Having already worked on Android 5.0 Lollipop, this could mean HTC’s flagship phones will be brought right up to date this side of 2015. However, while HTC is busy replying to questions on this very subject through its official Twitter account, it’s staying quiet on the anticipated arrival, outside of the timeframe stated above. One reply says it doesn’t have any set dates, but it will come “in the next couple of months.”

Interestingly, the latest source has it on good authority that Lollipop will come to most of HTC’s lineup in the coming months. The HTC One M7 and M8 Google Play Editions will reportedly be the first to receive Lollipop, sometime in late November to December. The Sense-based versions will follow, receiving the update sometime in January or February.

The January to March timeframe, meanwhile, looks to be a very busy time for other HTC handsets. According to the source, Lollipop should make its way to the Desire Eye, One M8 Dual-Sim, One E8, One E8 Dual-Sim, and the Butterfly 2. The One Mini 2 and Desire 816 should receive Lollipop sometime in March or April, while the One Max, One Mini, and Butterfly S are slated for the update sometime between March and May. Interestingly, there is no mention of the 64-bit Desire 820. In addition, HTC’s Mediatek-powered handsets are still under evaluation, so it’s up in the air whether they will receive the Lollipop update.

HTC’s official statement on the subject of these other phones is that the company will “be announcing more devices in the near future.”

Sony

T-Mobile AT&T Verizon Sprint Europe
Sony Xperia Z2
Sony Xperia Z3 Yes
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact Yes

In December, Sony confirmed its intention to start a wider Android 5.0 update soon. A tweet from the official Xperia account reiterated the company’s plan to bring Android 5.0 to the Xperia Z3 and the Xperia Z2 in early 2015. Sony quickly followed up on its promise with the announcement that Android 5.0 Lollipop is on its way first to Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact phones in Europe, starting on March 16.

The update will initially reach the Nordic and Baltic countries, and will then head out to all other Z3 owners. Sony also stated that the Xperia Z2 and other devices will get the update very soon now. You can check Sony’s Twitter account for updates.

Sony has previously said that many of its premium models will eventually be updated to Android 5.0 Lollipop. It confirmed the following phones will be getting the new software: The Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia Z1, Xperia Z1S, Xperia Z Ultra, Xperia Z1 Compact, Xperia Z2, Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3V, and the Xperia Z3 Compact.

The company is not avoiding its tablet duties either, and will bring Android 5.0 to the Xperia Tablet Z, the Xperia Z2 Tablet, and the new Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact. The Google Play Edition of the Xperia Z Ultra has already been updated.

Motorola

T-Mobile AT&T Verizon Sprint Europe
Motorola Moto X
Motorola Moto G Yes Yes
Motorola Droid Turbo
Motorola Moto E
Motorola Droid Ultra/Maxx/Mini

Motorola partnered up with Google to produce the Nexus 6, so it makes sense it’s already familiar enough with the OS to quickly update its most recent phones. Through its official blog, we’re told that both first and second generation Moto X and the Moto G phones will get Android 5.0 Lollipop, along with the 4G LTE version of the Moto G, plus the Moto E.

Older Motorola phones won’t miss out, and the Droid Ultra, Droid Maxx, and the Droid Mini are also in line for an update.

On November 12, Motorola released Android 5.0 Lollipop for the second generation Moto X, plus the U.S. and the international second generation Moto G. At the end of the month, second gen Moto G owners connected to the Verizon network were also treated to an update.

At the beginning of December, owners of the original Moto G in India started to report the arrival of Android 5.0, which was subsequently confirmed on Motorola’s own software update page. According to French network SFR, its Moto G phones would see the update during December, however it’s not stated to which generation of Moto G this applies. SFR’s announcement suggests other European Moto G phones should also receive the new update soon.

Motorola promises other devices will be updated to Android 5.0, and they will be announced at a later date.

Updates from Asus, OnePlus, Android One, and Nvidia

Asus

A post made on Asus’ own official support forums has provided a vague schedule for its Android 5.0 update plans. Don’t get too excited though, it’s not pushing them out very quickly. There are six devices on the list so far, starting out with the ZenFone 4, ZenFone 5, and ZenFone 6 smartphones, plus the LTE variant of the ZenFone 5. Asus expects to have the new software ready by April 2015 for these four devices.

Also expected in April is the update for thePadFone S, while the A86 version of the PadFone Infinity tablet will get its own Lollipop upgrade in June.

OnePlus

Android 5.0 Lollipop is finally headed to all OnePlus One phones, including the CyanogenMod ROM and OxygenOS versions. According to OnePlus, the CM 12S over-the-air update for the OnePlus One will hit on March 30, 2015, while the OxygenOS version will arrive on March 27, 2015. OnePlus promised that if it misses these dates, it will give away five 64GB OnePlus One devices to fans who reply to the blog announcement thread.

After confirming back in July that the OnePlus One will receive Lollipop within three months of Google releasing the final version, OnePlus delivered on its promise and made the Lollipop ROM available for installation on the handset. Interestingly, the update was only for OnePlus’ non-CyanogenMod ROM phones, so those with CM had to wait longer. It was also only an alpha release.

As such, quite a number of issues, such as unstable Wi-Fi connectivity, uneven camera performance, and issues with the capacitive keys, among other issues. OnePlus even said that, since this is such an early release, you’d get the barebones and not much more, as far as customizations are concerned.

For those of you who are brave enough, OnePlus already posted the download links and installation procedure on its website. One more thing to keep in mind: While the One’s warranty does cover flashing custom ROMs, any issues discovered after the fact are not covered by OnePlus.

Android One

With Android One essentially existing as a cheap alternative to Google’s Nexus program, it only stands to reason that the search giant would push updates in a timely fashion. Thankfully, that appears to be the case with Lollipop.

The Karbonn Sparkle V, Micromax Canvas A1, and Spice Dream Uno, the current crop of Android One handsets, will all receive Lollipop “soon” after its launch in November.

Nvidia

On November 18, Nvidia updated its Shield Tablet with Lollipop, making it the first non-Nexus device to get updated to the latest version of Android. Nvidia threw in a few extras with the update, such as support for 4K video output while in console mode and for USB Y-cables, as well as a few general improvements and fixes. The Lollipop update is currently available for Wi-Fi-only models, with the update “coming soon,” to LTE models.

Meanwhile, in response to several inquiries, Nvidia confirmed that the Shield portable, as well as the Tegra Note 7, will also receive Lollipop, and is telling people to “stay tuned for more information.”

Article originally published on 10-16-2014. Updated on 05-22-2015 by Andy Boxall: Reformatted list into grids.

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Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
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