Google, HTC, Samsung and Sony
It’s been a while since Android Lollipop was unveiled, but a lot of your handsets still don’t have it, as it’s down to individual manufacturers to bring it to their devices.
That takes time, but we’re finally seeing it trickle out to ever more phones, and many manufacturers have also revealed when they plan to roll out the update.
We’re constantly updating this article as new information emerges so read on for details about your specific device and manufacturer and remember to check back regularly.
The good news though is that if you don’t have Lollipop for your phone yet you probably will soon. And the even better news: it’s worth the wait, as it includes a smorgasbord of new features, a visual overhaul and numerous under-the-hood improvements to make if faster, more efficient and lighter on your battery.
- Read our hands on: Android 5.0 Lollipop review
Latest update: Sony has begun rolling out Android 5.0 Lollipop to its more obscure and older Xperia devices, such as the Xperia Z3 Dual and the Xperia Z1 Compact .
One of the best things about buying a Nexus device is that they’re first in line for software updates. As such not only did the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 ship with Android 5.0 Lollipop, but it’s since been rolled out to the Nexus 5, Nexus 4, Nexus 7 Wi-Fi (both the 2012 and 2013 versions) and the Nexus 10.
That’s most of the remotely recent Nexus devices accounted for, but it does leave a big question mark against the cellular versions of the Nexus 7 2012 and 2013. Those tablets should see an update at some time, though Google has not indicated when this will be.
Any Nexus devices older than the ones we’ve already mentioned are all but guaranteed not to get it, meaning that Nexus S owners are plum out of luck. Google has also confirmed that the Galaxy Nexus will not receive the update.
HTC
HTC has been more forthcoming with its update plans than some manufacturers and it’s no surprise given how quickly it’s started bringing the update to users. In a statement the company originally said:
“We will begin rolling out updates to the HTC One M8 and HTC One M7 in regions worldwide within 90 days of receiving final software from Google, followed shortly thereafter by other One family members and select devices.”
HTC has made good on its promise for some users, but not for others. The Google Play Edition of the HTC One M7 has got the update, while unlocked and developer versions of the HTC One M8 worldwide and the HTC One M7 in the US have now been given a lick of Lollipop too.
But owners who have a device that’s tied to a specific mobile network or those with a One M7 outside the US may have to hold on for a little while longer.
We’re going to assume that most other HTC handsets released in the last 12-18 months will also get Lollipop at some point given HTC’s commitment to the upgrade cause.
As a general rule the more recent and high profile a device is the more likely it is to get an update. Indeed according to LlabTooFeR the HTC Desire Eye and HTC One E8 will both get updated.
Another leak states the HTC One Mini 2 and Desire 816 will get Lollipop sometime in March or April, while the HTC One Max, HTC One Mini and Butterfly S have an expected Android 5.0 rollout of March-May.
Samsung
Samsung started rolling out Android 5.0 to the Galaxy S5 in mid-January, so most if not all S5 handsets should have it by now.
The Android 5.0 update for Samsung’s Galaxy S4 handset is now live for owners in India, so we should expect S4 smartphones in other parts of the world to get the update soon. You’ll be able to download the 1GB update OTA (over the air) or through the Samsung Kies desktop software.
Russian users of the Galaxy S4 should also be able to grab the update, while various European countries are seeing the update land on the Galaxy S4 LTE-A.
The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is now also getting the update to Android 5.0 Lollipop, though it’s heading to lucky owners in Australia first. The update will be 1.02GB large, so make sure you’re on Wi-Fi when you download, and Samsung notes you’ll need 3GB of free space.
Hopefully owners of the Galaxy Note Edge in other parts of the world won’t have long to wait to get the update.
Owners of unlocked Note 4s in South Korea and Poland are now able to get the update by connecting to a Wi-Fi network, opening up Settings, selecting ‘About Device’ and tapping on ‘Update Now’ under the Software Update option.
It’s also now started rolling out to the Galaxy Note 3 already according to SamMobile, but only in Russia so far.
To whet your appetite before it lands it looks like photos of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 running Android 5.0 Lollipop have leaked on to the internet.
The Galaxy Alpha is also likely to get the update soon, according to Danny Dorresteijn, the co-founder of respected fan site SamMobile.
Other Samsung handsets may have to wait a little longer, although we’d expect that most high profile devices released in the last 18 months to 2 years will get the update, including the Galaxy S4 Mini and the Galaxy S5 Mini.
We doubt that the Samsung Galaxy S3 or anything older will get Android Lollipop. It’s a device that’s already over two years old and some versions of it didn’t even get Android 4.4.
Samsung doesn’t seem great at updating its tablets either. There’s a good chance recent slates like its Note Pro and Tab S ranges and even the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 will get Android Lollipop, but anything older or low end is probably not going to happen.
Sony
Sony has openly declared that it will be “bringing Android 5.0 Lollipop to the entire Xperia Z Series.”
It’s even published a full list of handsets which are in line for Android Lollipop, and the Sony Xperia Z Ultra Google Play Edition has already received the update.
Sony started rolling out the Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrade for the Xperia Z3 and the Xperia Z3 Compact on March 16. Owners in the Nordics and Baltics regions will be the first to see the update, with other markets getting it soon after.
Sony also announced that the rest of the Xperia Z series will get the update, and sure enough a new blog post on April 16 claimed that the Xperia Z3 Dual, Xperia Z1, Xperia Z1 Compact and Xperia Z Ultra will be getting Android 5.0 Lollipop in the next few days.
The Xperia T2 Ultra and Xperia C3 are scheduled to follow in a few more weeks, with Xperia devices from 2013, including Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR and the Xperia Tablet Z, also due for an upgrade sometime in the future.
LG, Motorola, OnePlus, Huawei, Asus and ZTE
LG
If you have an LG G3 then depending on your network you may already have got the upgrade to Android 5.0 Lollipop, as Vodafone in the UK has brought Android 5.0 to all of its branded LG G3 handsets.
By now many LG G3 users across Europe should have Lollipop, but the US is still waiting. On January 23 LG teased on Twitter that the update is coming soon, but it’s not got more specific than that.
Next up seems to be the LG G Pro 2, which has already got Lollipop in South Korea and is now starting to get it in Hungary according to Phone Arena, so keep an eye on your phone, especially if you’re a European user.
LG G2 users might not have long to wait for it either, as LG has indicated that it has scheduled the Android 5.0 Lollipop update for it in the future and indeed it’s already in testing according to Italian siteTutto Android, but we haven’t heard anything about LG’s other handsets.
We imagine that in time the LG G2 Mini will probably get updated too and the LG G3 Beat and LG G3 S are both bound to get updated.
Motorola
Motorola has confirmed that Android 5.0 Lollipop will be coming to a number of its handsets in a post on the official Motorola blog.
According to the post Android Lollipop will come to both the first and second generation Moto X, the Moto G, the Moto G 4G and the Moto E.
If you have a first generation Moto G then you might have received a message from Motorola saying that it is “preparing the Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrade for your device…in the upcoming weeks”.
If you have got this message make sure you click ‘More info’, which will allow Motorola to check if your device has the latest version of Motorola Update Services installed. You’ll need that before you can download Android 5.0 Lollipop, so follow the instructions to make sure your device is ready.
The update has begun rolling out to Canadian 3G-only Moto G handsets in a limited soak test. If successful the update, which is actually the most up to date version (Android 5.0.2), will then be rolled out to other handsets, so keep an eye out.
It has also been officially announced that the Android 5.0 Lollipop update is being rolled out to Moto E and Moto Maxx devices, though for the moment only in Mexico and Brazil.
Android 5.0 Lollipop has begun rolling out to second generation Moto X and Moto G devices in the US, however it seems like the update could be delayed while Motorola finishes testing the update.
There are also reports from Android Geeks that some first generation Moto G’s have received the update. But apparently these early updates are just a limited soak test roll out.
Users who missed out on that shouldn’t have to wait long though, as on January 13 Luciano Carvalho, a software engineer at Motorola, confirmed that the Android 5.0 Lollipop is coming to Motorola smartphones “really soon.”
Motorola has launched a helpful website where you can track when your handset will get updated to Android 5.0, which is being constantly updated with information about the upgrade process.
Motorola’s UI is very close to stock Android as well so it shouldn’t be as much work to get new versions up and running and back when the company was owned by Google it was pretty prompt with updates, unsurprisingly.
OnePlus
The OnePlus One is still bizarrely hard to get hold of thanks to the requirement for an invitation (except on Tuesdays), but if you have managed to get your hands on one you’ll be pleased to know that the company plans to upgrade it Android Lollipop.
Want to know exactly when you’ll see Lollipop land on your One? Well good news, as the Chinese firm has confirmed the Lollipop-fuelled CM 12S (Cyanogen Mod) will arrive on or before March 30.
That’s not all though, as you’ll also have the option to download and install OnePlus’ own operating system, OxygenOS, on or before March 27 if you fancy something a bit different.
Huawei
Huawei isn’t always the quickest at updating its phones, but the company has announced on its blog that the Ascend Mate 2 will get Lollipop in the first half of the year, while the Honor 6 will also get it in early 2015 according to GizChina.
Its recent flagship, the Ascend P7, shipped with Android 4.4 and we imagine it will probably get Android Lollipop, perhaps in early to mid-2015. We’re less sure whether any of the company’s other phones will get it, but fingers crossed.
Asus
Asus has confirmed that the Asus ZenFone 5, along with the rest of the ZenFone line, will be updated to Android Lollipop in April. The Padfone S will also be updated around April.
In June Asus will update its Padfone Infinity smartphone. So far though there’s been no news about Asus’ other devices, such as the Padfone mini, and when they will be updated to Android 5.0.
ZTE
If you’re one of the relatively few with a ZTE handset you might be wondering if and when Android Lollipop will be arriving for it. Unfortunately so are we and this is one case where it’s very much an ‘if’ rather than a ‘when’.
Fairly recent phones like the ZTE Blade V and the ZTE Blade Q Mini launched with old versions of Android and they haven’t been updated, so we’re not optimistic that they’ll get Android Lollipop.
Nvidia
Nvidia might not be high on most people’s radars when it comes to Android devices, but gaming fans might be interested in knowing that the Nvidia Shield already has Android 5.0, as the update began rolling out at the end of November.
Nvidia told us that “we’ve worked hard to support every official Android release in the past, as you can see with our SHIELD portable and our software team is always working hard to bring new features and the latest updates with no delay. We try to make sure that updates come as close to their announcement as possible.”
Clearly so far it’s achieving that, so if you own an Nvidia Shield tablet you should be able to update to Android 5.0 Lollipop right now.
