Android 5.0 Lollipop Update for Samsung Galaxy S5: How to Install Test Build of the Firmware on the Device [TUTORIAL]

Samsung Electronics is yet to announce Android 5.0 Lollipop OTA update for its Galaxy S5 but the test build of the new software for Sprint variant of the smartphone with model number SM-G900P has been leaked.

Android 5.0 Lollipop OTA update has been rolled out to several devices, including Google Nexus series, HTC One and others, but it is yet to come to Samsung devices - Galaxy S4, Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Note 4. However, it looks like Samsung is working hard to bring the firmware to its devices, as it has been spotted running on some devices.

Now, the test build of Android 5.0 Lollipop for the Sprint bound Samsung Galaxy S5 has been leaked to XDA developers community by one named Garwynn, who claimed that he had "tested calls, SMS and other functions" but not all of the sensors.

The post comes with a disclaimer that claims the test build of the software is only for Sprint Galaxy S5 and should be run at one's own risk. It added that issues could arrive when the firmware is installed as it is not the official OTA.

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OnePlus accelerates its own tweaked Android OS after Cyanogen inks exclusivity deal with rival in India

OnePlus has announced today that it will be advancing the development of its own tweaked build of Android Lollipop following Cyanogen’s decision to give Micromax exclusive rights to use the OS on its handsets in India.

In a blog post, the company said that the first build of its new OS would be available for Indian users of One handsets to try from sometime next month. As the devices are due to arrive from December 2 though, they will actually arrive running the current Cyanogen Mod OS initially.

“It is truly unfortunate that a commitment we both made to our Indian users will now not be upheld. The One will continue to be supported globally and receive frequent OTAs,” it said. “We can’t explain Cyanogen’s decision because we don’t fully understand it ourselves.”

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Five Android 5.0 Lollipop annoyances Google should fix immediately

The 5.0 release of Android, dubbed Lollipop, is the biggest thing to happen to Android in years—possibly ever. The design and features have been revamped, and attention to detail is evident throughout. However, even our beloved Google is not perfect, and that means there are some bugs and just plain odd decisions in Android 5.0. Let's check out five of the most annoying little quirks in Lollipop and see how they might be fixed.

The Power Menu

In Android 4.4 and earlier, the menu you got when holding the power menu had a few options including toggling airplane mode, ringer modes, and of course, turning the device off. Some manufacturers even added reboot commands and additional settings. In Android 5.0 Google has gone backward and this menu now only includes "Power Off."

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Android Circuit: Samsung Switches To Tizen, Nokia's Android Tablet, Lollipop Update Problems

Taking a look back at the week in news across the Android world, this week’s Android Circuit highlights a number of stories including the return of Nokia to the consumer market with an Android tablet and launcher, Google aims Play at China, running Lollipop on a Nexus 7, the good and bad points of the Nexus 6, and how the iPhone will boost Samsung’s income.

Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many things that have happened around Android over the last seven day (and you can read the weekly Apple news digest here).

Nokia Returns To The Consumer Market With An Android Tablet

Probably the biggest news in the mobile world this belonged to Nokia. Following the sale of its devices and services section to Microsoft, the Finnish company was left with three major departments (Mapping, Networking, and R&D). Which made the reveal of an Android powered tablet at this week’s Slush Conference all the more surprising.

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Complex Android malware believed to have infected up to 4.5M smartphones in the U.S.

As many as 4.5 million American Android smartphone users may have been fooled into somehow downloading a complex malicious program on their devices since January 2013, The New Yok Times reports, citing security company Lookout.

Called “NotCompatible,” the malware has reached its third version, which is even more sophisticated than predecessors — Lookout said about it that it “has set a new bar for mobile malware sophistication and operational complexity.”

In order to ultimately infect smartphones, hackers have used various techniques, such as infecting legitimate sites with malicious code that’s automatically downloaded when a user visits that site from an Android phone, or by sending spam messages that offer fake security patches or weight loss solutions.

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Android 5.0 Lollipop SMS Bug Affecting Some Nexus Phone Users

Another day and another Android 5.0 Lollipop bug. This time multiple users running the latest Android build on the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 handsets are reporting a bug that is preventing them from sending SMS messages.

Notably, Google has now confirmed to a Dutch site (via Myce) that the SMS bug is also affecting the new Nexus 6 while a user has claimed that the new Moto X is also having problems with sending texts. The bug however is only reported to be affecting users on select carriers - Vodafone Netherlands, Vodafone India, and Mobistar (Belgium).

Reporting the bug on the Android Issue Tracker titled "Cannot send SMS Vodafone NL", Android 5.0 Lollipop users are claiming that the messages sent from an affected device never reach the recipient; though devices that are said to be affected by the bug can still receive messages.

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Android Auto is great, but automakers are holding it back

At the LA Auto Show this week, I spent time with a recent pre-release build of Android Auto using a Nexus 5 connected to a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. It's mostly the same as the version we were shown at Google I/O in June, apart from some minor refinements. For instance, the green, circular "a" logo that appears on the phone when it's jacked into the car now reads "Android Auto," and voice-based searches no longer cause a full-screen "listening" window to pop up — you just get a little pulsing "g" in the corner. The underlying concept, though, is unchanged: it's Material Design-infused Android for your dashboard, boiled down to the basics with copious use of speech output and voice recognition so that driver distraction is kept to a bare minimum. You're also locked out of using your actual phone when Android Auto is in use, another stab at limiting distraction by keeping eyes off screens and on the road.

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