The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 was the flagship of the year 2014 and is still considered the best smartphone that money can buy. But Android has little to do with the awesome experience of the Galaxy Note 4, unless you’re talking about Android 4.4 KitKat. Android 5.0 Lollipop and subsequent versions have not been very kind to Galaxy Note 4 users, who in turn were not very kind with Google about the whole ordeal. The number of Galaxy Note 4 bugs and issues on Android Lollipop is surprisingly high, although one should keep in mind that not all bugs surface on every device. While some devices have problems with battery life, others have problems with Wi-Fi and GPS and so on.
The most common Galaxy Note 4 bugs on Lollipop involve battery drain, the memory leak bug (which causes apps to randomly crash) and performance issues. Users of the Samsung phablet have reported that upon installing Android 5.0, they started experiencing battery drain issues. While Galaxy Note 4 battery drain is normal after a software update, it is representative of a software bug for the issue to persist for more than 3 charging cycles. While most users recommend a factory reset to solve the battery drain problems on the Note 4, some say that is only a temporary solution.
Galaxy Note 4 bugs also include performance issues, which range from sluggish animation in TouchWiz, to general lag across apps and the system. The recommended actions to take in this case are as follows: clear cache (you can do this in Settings), which if failed, a factory reset is due. As with battery drain, performance issues on the Galaxy Note 4 with Android 5.0 Lollipop are sometimes only temporarily fixed, but there are quite a few users who report that the factory reset solved lagging for good.
While performance- and battery issues on the Galaxy Note 4 are the most common ones, there are other issues in Lollipop that users are fed up with. Some experience GPS problems while on the road, which can be devastating, while others lose signal, data connection and Wi-Fi signal on occasion, without any precedent for the issue. Overheating when using the Galaxy Note 4 camera is also fairly common, although not as widespread as the performance issues mentioned above. These less common issues can be fixed by either minor updates pushed out by Samsung, by factory resets or by the next installment of Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.
The Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update is nowhere to be seen, but that doesn’t mean it’s not in sight. Although a precise release date for the update is not yet known, we do know details about what the update will bring to the phablet. First off, the sad news is that the Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update will not bring forth features that Samsung introduced into TouchWiz with the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. Themes support on the Galaxy Note 4 will not be available, unless Samsung decides to update TouchWiz as well as the OS of the device, which is unlikely, if not impossible.
TouchWiz on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge is actually quite good and comes with a handful of new features developed by Samsung. But these features are unlikely to end up on devices released before the 2015 Galaxy S line-up, which includes the Galaxy Note 4. that leaves users with three solutions. Although the Galaxy Note 4 Android 5.1.1 update is still a few weeks away, waiting for that to solve bugs is a good idea, as our sources tell us to expect a buttery smooth experience on every single Galaxy Note 4 after the update hits.
The second options, which coincidentally, is the crowd favorite, involves flashing Android 4.4 KitKat onto a rooted Galaxy Note 4. This process involves a bit of know-how, but if you go to XDA developer forums, you’ll be just fine. KitKat is praised by many Galaxy Note 4 users as being the ideal option for those that find themselves struggling with Lollipop for months on end. If you’re not fond of your warranty and are willing to root your phone, this might be the best option. Unless…
You might want to wait for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5. The Note 5 will not only come with the latest Android OS on board, but it will also have all the features that the Galaxy S6 line-up has and more, with a fresh new version of TouchWiz. The rumored specs of the powerhouse make it a pretty appealing device, so it might be worth it to wait until October to get your hands on that. But those that already have a Galaxy Note 4 might not want to upgrade so early, because after all, the Note 4 is not only powerful and awesome, it’s also expensive, and the Note 5 will be the same. Think of your options carefully and read the forums that I mentioned, because they can be a ton of help! Until further news, the Galaxy Note 4 bugs and issues will have to be either embraced or erased with Kitkat!
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