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[Note]: We’re still trying to verify that this is actually true and will update this post with anything we hear. In the meantime you might want to call your local Best Buy to see if they’ve heard anything about being able to get Android 5.0 Lollipop loaded onto your phone before heading in.
For what it’s worth we’re hearing a lot of reports to the contrary, so you shouldn’t zoom out of the door right away. As amazing as it would be to leapfrog the carriers, it’s still currently the only known route to getting an official Lollipop upgrade for your Samsung Galaxy S5.
While Sprint and Verizon may already be dishing out the Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy S5 over the air, there are many more variants available in the United States that haven’t received it yet. Thankfully there might be a way for those folks to get it sooner than you think.
A supposed Samsung Experience Shop rep posted to Reddit with details on how to get your phone upgraded to the latest version of Android. They claim you can ask a rep to flash the firmware to your Samsung Galaxy S5 even if it hasn’t started pushing out via the carrier themselves. There are a couple of caveats:
- Samsung Experience Shops are only found at Best Buy, and not all Best Buys at that. Be sure to confirm your local Best Buy has a Samsung Experience Shop before heading in.
- The rep notes that while almost all US carriers — even the small guys like MetroPCS and Boost — are capable of getting the update, T-Mobile is not. This is due to Best Buy not having a relationship with T-Mobile outside of selling prepaid phones.
- Your phone can’t be rooted and it must be on the latest official firmware. The update will fail to apply otherwise.
This is a great alternative to potentially waiting weeks for an upgrade, or flashing a custom ROM and potentially having something go wrong. If something does go wrong, well, there’s an expert right there that will get things right.
The other positive to note is that this apparently installs Samsung’s firmware in its purest form. The rep noted that when carriers roll out software upgrades, Samsung is likely to have had the firmware ready at least a week or more. The carriers’ delays are mostly due to testing and customizing the firmware (see: adding bloatware).
So there you have it — if you aren’t on Lollipop yet then it might be worth a trip to your local Samsung Experience Shop at Best Buy today to see if you can change that.
Huh. That’s pretty cool. I don’t have a Samsung phone, but I appreciate that they are trying to help with the update process in any way that they can, however small.
well that sucks, i have t-mobile.
I wouldn’t be too down in the dumps. I have had them reflash my S5 from Tmobile before at two separate Best Buys. Now, I am going to call to see if they can do the Note 4.
Note 4 is already on lollipop.
it is?
Check my other post in the thread.
Tmobile? Unlocked?
I tried an OTA, but it says I am up to date.
5.0
Wonder why the baseband version for the NOTE4 isn’t updated to NK4 w/the official 5.0 Lollipop Update?
The T-Mobile baseband was updated a while back…….
Exactly, looks fake to me. I also thought it was going to 5.0.1 or 5.0.2. Anyways, the baseband version on the picture looks off to me. Im on NK2 right now with Android 4.4.4
Android 5.0.2 seems likely. I spoke to T-Mobile’s tech support and they say it’s scheduled for mid/late Feb because of 5.0 originally causing bugs on the Nexus 5 and 6. They also didn’t want a repeat of iOS 8 bricking people’s phones.
Are you sure the kernel version is right? It says yours is from OCT and my 4.4.4 kernel is from December. Are your running a test rom or stock OTA update?
Popcorn doesn’t have versions, only flavours. Kernels are kernels.
The only changes I made to mines was rooting it.
I didn’t even download an update when I got it. I didn’t even realize I had until the middle or end of december.
I’m thinking Samsung may have buffedled mines. I get the standard kit kat easter egg intead of 4.4 I got 5.0.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPQYMSyqueQ
That looks like Kitkat.
I know. Yet it says 5.0. Idk whats up with that.
“If something does go wrong, well, there’s an expert right there that will get things right.”
Best Buy has experts who can unbrick phones?
The Samsung reps are not Best Buy employees, they work for Samsung and are trained by Samsung.
Okay, same question. These Samsung reps are trained to unbrick phones?
No
So, they can’t “get things right” when “something does go wrong” with the update.
Typically when an update goes wrong, the phone isn’t bricked, it just refuses to complete the boot process. Meaning download/recovery mode are available to restore the device.
So they have a PC with Odin? Or do they have access to a ROM writer that can write directly?
Pretty much Odin, with a simpler interface so that they can’t screw up.
Source: I work for Bby and have seen it used, often.
That’s disappointing. I was hoping the experts had better tech than what I have at home.
Yes they are in fact, they have the official samsung software that can be used to flash the entire phone including recover/boot/system images onto corrupted phones.
Interesting, though I’m skeptical. Would love to hear of some people actually making this happen. I can’t imagine the carriers would be ok with bypassing their bloat and testing without some sort of fallout – i.e. the next OTA won’t recognize this update as “official” or something along those lines.
No this is not true
Evacuation
Got my Android 5.0 OTA on my Sprint S5 last night. The update is wonderful!
I just spoke to a SES employee at the Syracuse, NY BestBuy and he said that this is not true. I was hoping though!
This info false we cannot update your device unless the binaries have downloaded into SMART. These updates are the same as the one you receive from your carrier. The only difference is its better to do them in the Samsung Experience Shop because we have the software, OTA software updates can sometimes can cause problems when downloading.
Just 3 days ago it was offered to me, turned it down (’cause I already had it). watched him do 2 S5’s for customers and a Note 3 for another customer. So. Portland Me.
Sorry, I can’t do a status Screen-cap (NDA)
I am a Samsung Experience Consultant working at Best Buy. And it is only available for the Verizon S5 right now
no it’s not. My sprint galaxy updated at midnight, Feb 5.Thursday. And now I hate my phone. Are we sure Apple didn’t update this? Reminiscent of crummy ios updates
Any users from sprint with galaxy s5 can update to lollipop 5.0 right now, 02/05/2015
Don’t do it. Supposed to make battery last 30% longer. I’m pretty sure mine is dying 30% faster. Disappointed.
Same here, just a little Web browsing and the phone is dying faster and running hot.
SO hot. Unbelievable
Updated earlier today and my S5 is already running hot ♨ any dying faster. Not happy with it.
Glad to know I’m not the only one.
Not sure if I should factory reset it and start from scratch.
Got it at midnight in my living room and spent 4 hrs trying to get wifi to stay connected. Finally just turned OFF mobile networks at home. It’s 2011 all over again! Charging reeks, battery life reeks. It’s a sad day.
What sucks is rooting is encouraged but if you do you can not update yr phone to lollipop!
Is there anyway around this?
Went to the SEC @ BB with my Boost Mobile S5 yesterday, Rep. verified they can only update Verizon at this time (as noted in other comments)
My Boost Mobile S5 received the lollipop updates OTA last night (02/06). Probably because they’re owned by Sprint which received it the night before. I am NOT happy with the loss of Samsung’s “blocking mode” which has been replaced by a Google priority interruptions setting.
As noted by other commenters, I’m also having issues maintaining a wifi connection in my house that did not exist before…
WiFi issue resolved thanks to Sprint forums, go to settings, WiFi, Advanced, turn OFF “Smart Network Switch” (I also disabled the “Connections Optimizer”.)
When will t-mobile Samsung Galaxy s5 lollipop will come