Lollipop update arriving on the Sprint Galaxy Note 4 and T-Mobile Galaxy Note 3

Android Lollipop might only be on 3.3% of devices, but that number should be increasing every day. Earlier today we told you about Lollipop rolling out to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 in India. Now we’re seeing some more Samsung + Lollipop love here in the U.S. The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 for Sprint and Note 3 for T-Mobile are receiving Lollipop right now.

This information comes straight from Samsung and Sprint themselves. Over on the FAQ for the Tmo Note 3 on Samsung’s site you can see “Android 5.0″ started rolling out on March 4th. On Sprint’s website you can see the same update started rolling out on March 5th.

Samsung also lists “Wi-Fi calling experience, Resolved Wi-Fi calling one way audi, and Resolved IPv6 email setup” in the changelog. The update should be rolling out now, but don’t expect every device to get it today. Check out what TouchWiz looks like on Android 5.0 in our hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S6. Welcome to Lollipop Land!

Uncarrier 9.0: What T-Mobile is doing to earn the business of businesses

There was another side of T-Mobile’s Uncarrier announcements today that business owners might want to be made aware of. The first is an all new simple choice of plans that get cheaper with the more employees you have.

It starts off at per line from 1-20 lines, goes to per line for lines 21-1,000, and per line for anything above that. All plans feature unlimited talk and text, and come with at least 1GB of data for your employees to use should they need it. Doesn’t sound too bad. T-Mobile says this effectively makes their business plans up to 40% cheaper than the other wireless carriers.

To continue on the front of simplicity and choice, the company gives you the freedom to add more data on a per-line basis, so if the CEO needs 10GB and his underlings only need 5GB, that’s totally possible. You could even opt for a “data pool” where you pay only what you and your employees use, from 100GB (.75 per GB) up to 1TB (.25 per GB). T-Mobile says it solves the problem of businesses paying for far more data than they’ll ever need, something other carriers purportedly design their plans around.

There were a few other perks sprinkled throughout the announcement, including a free .com domain name and website through GoDaddy, free .com email address and service through Microsoft Office 365, and discounts of up to 50% for family members of business customers. Not too shabby at all. Be sure to run these new features by your boss if you want them to consider giving it a go.

Sony Xperia Z3 back on sale at T-Mobile and with a new lower price

Claims that T-Mobile discontinued the Sony Xperia Z3 a few weeks ago seem to have been a bit premature. Although the device was reportedly no longer for sale earlier this month, it seems it may have simply been out of stock. The Xperia Z3 has returned to T-Mobile, sporting a new, lower price tag than before.

Marked down from 0 to 0 (full price), the phone can be put on a T-Mobile payment plan for just .83 a month for 2 years. Not a bad deal for a fully capable Android handset, one of the best even. After Sony quietly announced the Sony Xperia Z4 in Japan to little fanfare, our fingers are crossed Sony has something better planned for later this year.

[T-Mobile]

T-Mobile is adding extra data to their affordable Walmart Family Mobile plans

For those looking for wireless service on the cheap, T-Mobile has long offered one of the best values in mobile with unlimited voice/texting plans exclusive to Walmart starting at just . T-Mobile announced today that they’ll be giving these postpaid plans a 500MB bump in data, bringing that plan up to 1GB of high-speed 4G LTE data, and 3GB for the plan.

The bump goes into effect tomorrow, April 18th and, as usual, is contract free and doesn’t require auto-pay or anything like that to gain a discount. However, T-Mobile will give customers a discount for every line they add, so there’s that. You can find Walmart’s Family Mobile plans (powered by T-Mobile) linked below.

[Walmart Family Mobile]

T-Mobile reveals when Lollipop for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will officially begin rolling out

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 owners on T-Mobile have had it rough. They’ve had to sit and watch as Android 5.0 Lollipop rolled out to the Samsung Galaxy S5 in February, only to hit the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 in March. Even though we knew Lollipop was coming (it had already rolled out to the Note 4 on Sprint), it’s only today that we know exactly when we can expect that rollout to begin.

T-Mobile Product Manger Des Smith revealed on Twitter today that Android 5.0.1 Lollipop for the Note 4 (N910) has officially been green lit by T-Mobile, and that a rollout should commence sometime next week. Keep in mind that the update does not include the all new, super streamlined TouchWiz that appeared on the Samsung Galaxy S6 or Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. It likely never will. We also hope all those bugs Lollipop brought to other Galaxy devices have all been ironed out.

As always, you can check the status of software updates via T-Mobile’s Software Updates page here. You excited?

Google finally gives us a changelog for Android 5.1, headed to T-Mobile Nexus devices today

We’ve been seeing Android 5.1 Lollipop appear on a few Android One devices for quite some time, but Google has remained quiet about it. We heard about a couple of changes early on, and now Google has come out to detail them in an official changelog.

For starters, they’ve confirmed the addition of new WiFi and Bluetooth dropdowns in the quick settings menu in the notification pane. We also know that a ton of bugs were fixed, though Google didn’t care to detail any of them.

So what about the stuff we didn’t already know? For starters, Android 5.1 Lollipop finally brings native support for dual-SIM devices, which is sure to be great news for those in markets where dual-SIM devices are the norm. Google’s also bringing proper HD Voice support, with the first devices getting HD Voice love being the T-Mobile and Verizon Nexus 6.

Finally, Google’s new Device Protection feature will make it so that a phone you mark as lost or stolen will need your Google password to get into, even if the person with the phone somehow performs a factory reset. Neat stuff, there.

So who’s getting it? And when? We’re sure Nexus devices are first in line, and we already know T-Mobile’s Nexus 4, Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 -are slated to receive rollouts as soon as today (with all of them having the same build number of LMY47D).

If you have one of those devices you’ll do well to charge your battery and get on WiFi to start checking for the upgrade. Others will have to wait until more rollout information is shared by Google and carrier partners, and we’ll be sure to report anything as soon as we hear more.

[via Google, T-Mobile 1|2|3]

Download: T-Mobile LG G3’s Android 5.0 Lollipop OTA file

T-Mobile’s LG G3 started receiving its Lollipop upgrade yesterday, though many were disappointed to find that it was only available over-the-wire with a tool only available for PC. If you weren’t able to use that tool to upgrade your phone you’ll be happy to know that we’ve snapped up the OTA file T-Mobile is eventually planning to push to handsets.

You can download the file right here, and either flash it through ADB’s flashing tool (here’s a handy guide on AndroidForums.com) or placing it onto the root of your storage and flashing it through your device’s recovery (you should name the file update.zip to ensure recovery can find it). We should note that you do this at your own risk, so if you aren’t comfortable carrying this out on your own then you should either find a way to use a PC or simply wait for T-Mobile to push the OTA to your device. Happy flashing!

T-Mobile will officially push out Lollipop for the LG G3 over-the-air on Tuesday, April 7th

For those that missed it, Lollipop is already available for T-Mobile’s LG G3 — but only through their PC updating tool. Which is odd, given these things are typically pushed out in the form of an over-the-air the update and downloaded straight to your device.

No matter, T-Mobile’s resident device guru Desmond Smith has shared with us the exact date we can expect Android 5.0.1 Lollipop to hit the phone over-the-air, no computer necessary.

According to Smith, T-Mobile will be pushing out the update on Tuesday, April 7th. So, if perhaps LG’s updater wasn’t working out for you, or you didn’t want to bother with manually flashing the OTA file, rest assured the update is less than a week away.

[Twitter]

Lollipop for the LG G3 and G2 on T-Mobile enters carrier testing phase, rollout imminent

If you’ve been keeping up with T-Mobile’s recently launched Software Updates page, you may have noticed some new activity. According to T-Mobile, the LG G3 and LG G2 should expect Android 5.0 Lollipop hitting their devices relatively soon. Both of the devices have officially left the “Manufacturer Development” stage and into the “T-Mobile Testing” phase for the major software update.

T-Mobile’s Software Updates page is a handy tool for keeping up to date with software updates for a variety of recently launched Android flagships, with the carrier defining their testing phase as the following:

“During this stage, the device will go through T-Mobile certification process testing to make sure you get the best quality software possible.”

While this will no doubt come as welcomed news to LG G3 (and G2) owners, we should note that the AT&T’s LG G3 received Lollipop nearly 6 weeks ago (Sprint’s a few days later), where the Korean model saw it all the way back in November. Needless to say, it’s been a long time coming. We’ve seen reports of the update actually lagging up the LG G3 more than usual, so you may want to consider factory resetting after updating to start fresh.

That being said, keep an eye for any incoming updates and feel free to drop us a line at press@phandroid.com if you see anything pop up. Cheers.

T-Mobile brings Data Stash to prepaid customers March 22nd

T-Mobile’s Data Stash is bringing rollover back in a good way, but there was still a large sector of their customer base who couldn’t even get in on the fun — those on prepaid plans. That will change March 22nd as the carrier has announced Data Stash will be headed to prepaid.

In case you missed it, Data Stash is T-Mobile’s “rollover for data,” promising that any amount of unused data allotted to you can be rolled into your data pool the following month. Data can be stashed for up to 12 months, so even if you go a few months without eating through your plan it will all stack until you use it or until that data has been “stashed” for 12 months.

It’s not perfect, but T-Mobile definitely didn’t have to do it and we’re glad they’ve shaken up the industry as a result. The company’s next Uncarrier announcement happens this Wednesday, so stay tuned for even more awesomeness coming from Magenta.

[via T-Mobile]

Samsung Galaxy S6 sales have doubled the Galaxy S5 on T-Mobile

The Samsung Galaxy S6 may not launch until tomorrow (April 10th), but apparently pre-orders are already doing very well. T-Mobile has sent out a press release about their Spring lineup of phones. Included in that press release was a nugget of interesting information about the Galaxy S6.

T-Mobile says sales of the new Galaxy S6 series in the first 10 days of pre-ordering have been nearly double those of the Samsung Galaxy S5. The Galaxy S5 was previously the most popular Galaxy device ever at T-Mobile. That’s pretty insane. If T-Mobile is seeing this huge demand you can bet other carriers are as well. One might think this spells doom for HTC, but T-Mobile says HTC One M9 sales have also been higher than the HTC One M8.

It’s no surprise the Galaxy S6 is outselling the Galaxy S5. People were very underwhelmed with Samsung’s offering last year, which is what spurred the complete redesign this year. Likewise, people have been underwhelmed by the One M9, but it still seems to be selling well enough. Which device are you buying?

T-Mobile Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge shipments starting to pop up for some lucky pre-orderers

Did you happen to pre-order a Samsung Galaxy S6 or Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge from T-Mobile this past Friday? If so, be sure to start checking your doorsteps: some lucky souls are starting to receive their shipment early.

One lucky XDA user posted shots of the unit he was lucky to receive as early as 8am Saturday morning. Early shipments aren’t unheard of, especially when it comes to T-Mobile. The company typically sends them out as soon as they can, though Samsung’s wishes of a global April 10th launch might mean this is simply an error.

Either way, if there is even the tiniest chance that your device could go out sooner than expected then you won’t want to miss it, so keep your eye on your doorstep leading up to the big day (and that goes for the rest of you non-Magenta users, too).

T-Mobile and AT&T LG G2 are now receiving Android 5.0 Lollipop

LG G2 owners on T-Mobile and AT&T are now being treated to Android 5.0 Lollipop. The news was announced at each company’s online support portal, and it should be available over-the-air for anyone willing and able to download it (and really, why wouldn’t you be?)

AT&T’s update (no word on file size or version number just yet) is fairly straight forward, bringing you the LG experience you’re used to infused with a couple of new Lollipop features such as improved notifications and searchable settings. AT&T has also removed a few bloatware apps, including AT&T Code Scanner, Beats Music, Browser Bar and Famigo.

For T-Mobile, you’re looking for software version D80130b, and it’s possible to come from 5 different previous versions:

• D80120g


• D80120e


• D80120a


• D80110g


• JDQ39B

You’ll have to endure a 617MB download over WiFi and make sure your device is adequately charged, but that’s a small price to pay for getting Lollipop on a two-year-old phone. Be sure to talk about your new goods in the comments below or over at AndroidForums once you have it!

[via AT&T, T-Mobile, AndroidForums.com]

 

 

Samsung Galaxy S6 & S6 Edge prices for T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint & US Cellular

Samsung has announced pre-sales for the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge will begin tomorrow, and you’re probably wondering how much money you’ll need in your pocket books for whichever model you’re after.

We’ll look to lay all of that information out for you for each major carrier and retailer set to sell the device. Be sure to check back throughout the day and rest of the weekend as we’ll update this post whenever more information rolls in!

T-Mobile

• Galaxy S6 32GB: down + .33 per month for 24 months, 9.92 outright


• Galaxy S6 64GB: .99 down + .50 per month for 24 months, 9.99 outright


• Galaxy S6 128GB: 9.99 down + .50 per month for 24 months, 9.99 outright


• Galaxy S6 Edge 32GB: down + .49 per month for 24 months, 9.76 outright


• Galaxy S6 Edge 64GB: .99 down + .66 per month for 24 months, 9.83 outright


• Galaxy S6 Edge 128GB: 9.99 down + .66 per month for 24 months, 9.83 outright

You’ll also be able to get a full year of Netflix for free when buying through T-Mobile before April 12th.

AT&T

• Galaxy S6 32GB: down + .84 per month on AT&T Next 24 (30 monthly payments)


• Galaxy S6 Edge 32GB: down + .17 per month on AT&T Next 24 (30 monthly payments)

AT&T will offer both devices in 64GB and 128GB variants, but they have not yet announced pricing for each specific model. Colors available will be Black Sapphire, White Pearl or Gold Platinum. AT&T is also offering off a Samsung Gear Circle Bluetooth Stereo Headset when buying any Samsung Galaxy S smartphone.

US Cellular

• Samsung Galaxy S6 32GB: 9 w/ two-year contract


• Samsung Galaxy S6 64GB: 9 w/ two-year contract


• Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge 32GB: 9 w/ two-year contract


• Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge 64GB: 9 w/ two-year contract

US Cellular will have White Pearl and Black Sapphire color options available, and these devices will also be available on the carrier’s down installment-based payment plan (though prices for those plans weren’t yet revealed).

Verizon

Info coming soon!

Sprint

Info coming soon!

Best Buy

Info coming soon!

Nexus 6 on T-Mobile now receiving Android 5.1 (build LMY47M)

Nexus 6 owners on T-Mobile are now receiving their update to Android 5.1 Lollipop. The build number for the update — LMY47M — is actually different from builds we’ve seen rolling out previously, so hopefully nobody flashed those in an effort to get a jump on 5.1. The update weighs in at about 409MB and should hit your Nexus 6 any minute/day now.

Android 5.1 brings lots of smaller tweaks to Lollipop, with new “anti-theft” security features that prevent unauthorized use after a factory reset, new quick toggles, animations, a heap ton of bug fixes and VoLTE (WiFi calling is expected in a later update). If you haven’t received a prompt yet, you can manually check for the update by heading to Settings > About phone > System Updates > Check now. Good luck!

[T-Mobile]

Buy a Samsung Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge from T-Mobile and get an entire year of Netflix for free

Whether you have a contract about to expire or you’re on the fence about the Samsung Galaxy S6, T-Mobile is looking to sweeten the deal for you. Besides being one of the few carriers in the US to offer unlimited data plans, T-Mobile and Samsung will now throw in a full year of Netflix for those buying a Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge, absolutely free of charge. If you do the quick math ( a month), that’s right around a 0+ value.

The offer is only available between March 27th through April 9th. After a purchase has been made, you’ll receive a promo code that you’ll need to submit by May 21st on Samsung’s promotions page here. It’s still unclear if this can be added to those who already have a Netflix subscription.

Unfortunately, like all the other carriers in the US, T-Mobile was mum on actual availability, still not giving us a solid date on when we can expect the device to launch. We imagine it’ll be around the time of the phone’s global launch on April 10th, but in the meantime, you can sign up for notifications via T-Mobile pre-register page here.

After just 6 months T-Mobile stops selling the Sony Xperia Z3

Sony is once again struggling to sell handsets in the U.S. After just six months on store shelves T-Mobile has discontinued the Sony Xperia Z3. It was looking like the Z3 may have been leading a resurgence when Verizon got in on the action, but apparently that has not been the case. Despite releasing some of the most beautiful Android devices ever made there is just not a demand for Sony phones.

@Serotheo The Z3 is no longer available. Here are our current Sony devices: http://t.co/ijK7q3PuYq *JB

— T-Mobile (@TMobile) April 5, 2015

In the past Sony has been terrible with timely updates, and though they’ve improved in recent years, they’re running behind with Lollipop. Android users don’t trust Sony to provide the latest software on time. It’s really a shame, because Sony does make some of the most stunning devices, and their software is clean and lightweight.

The future for Sony phones is not looking bright. We’ve seen leaked renders and photos of the Sony Xperia Z4, and it’s almost identical to the Xperia Z3. If consumers aren’t interested in the Z3 they’re not even going to realize the Z4 is a different phone. How do you feel about Sony phones? Have you ever owned a Sony phone?

T-Mobile Sony Xperia Z3, Z1s one step closer to Android Lollipop according to software updates page

It’s been a good few months since we saw Sony officially announce Lollipop for the Sony Xperia Z3, followed by a rollout for the unlocked US versions. The update has eluded carrier branded models in the US but by now it’s a story you’ve heard before. Carriers tend to delay the update process with the extensive testing that goes into any software update for a device operating on their network.

When it comes to the T-Mobile model, things weren’t looking so good given the phone disappeared from inventory a few weeks back. But it didn’t take long for the Z3 to return to T-Mobile’s store shelves (and at a discount no less), leaving us feeling a bit more optimistic that a Lollipop update was around the corner.

It now seems T-Mobile has recently updated their software updates page, with both the Sony Xperia Z3 and its older sibling, the Sony Xperia Z1s, showing that Lollipop has officially entered into the carrier testing phase. T-Mobile has 3 phases on their page: manufacturer development, T-Mobile testing, and then finally a completed status.

The next phase from here is the rollout and a completed status. Now that we’re one step closer, that rollout can’t be too far out. Stay tuned.

[T-Mobile]

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge customers on T-Mobile get Android 5.0 Lollipop

T-Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is now receiving Android 5.0 Lollipop! It’s 5.0.2, to be specific, and it’ll come in at a whopping 1.1GB. That means you’ll definitely want to jump to a stable WiFi connection and have your phone on the charger before taking it down.

You’ll be looking for software version N915TUVU1COD7, and it can be had over-the-air by heading to Settings > About Device > Software update. Alternatively you can also grab it from Samsung Kies and apply it using a PC or Mac. Be sure to go that route if the OTA is giving you issues, and let us know how it’s treating you once you have it loaded up!

[via T-Mobile]

T-Mobile LG G4 begins shipping tomorrow with a free 128GB microSD card

T-Mobile has confirmed that they will begin taking orders for the LG G4 online tomorrow, and that the flagship phone will be ready to ship as soon as you confirm your order. This is about a week ahead of its expected June 3rd in-store availability, so this may be the quicker option for you to get your hands on it if you don’t want to wait any longer.

The LG G4 has proven to be a pretty stoic competitor for 2015, with an exceptional camera, good design and great performance being the driving forces behind the much-earned excitement of future owners. You can read our LG G4 review if you’re wondering whether it’s worth its skin.

The phone will cost down and .99 monthly payments over 24 months, or 9.76 if you decide you want to go without a contract. That very reasonable price tag comes with an added 128GB microSD card for no extra cost, but only while supplies last. Not a bad deal at all, we’d say. Let us know if you’ll be picking one up once checkout goes live.

[via T-Mobile]