LG G3 Android 5.1 Update: What You Need to Know

In February, the LG G3 Android 5.0 Lollipop update is finally rolling out to multiple carriers in the United States after rolling out in other parts of the world. Since then, we’ve seen the G4 come with Android 5.1, and many G3 owners are hoping for the same treatment.

With the G4 already running Android 5.1 Lollipop and even the LG G Flex 2 getting the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update, G3 owners feel left out. Some reports and rumors have suggested it could be coming soon, but if other rumors are true, LG G3 owners will have to wait a long time before getting another update.

Google is busy with Android updates. They released Android 5.0, then a few minor updates, and finally Android 5.1 in March and Android 5.1.1 Lollipop in April aimed at fixing many minor bugs. However, the LG G3 is still on Android 5.0.2 and may not get Android 5.1 Lollipop at all.

The LG G3 Android 5.0 Lollipop update has revealed many minor issues and bugs that have been plaguing users, and the Android 5.1 Lollipop update is supposed to fix most of it. Users are reporting severe battery drain, app crashes and restarts, keyboard issues, and more.

Google quickly released Android 5.1 and Android 5.1.1 as mentioned above, aiming to fix most of the problems in Android 5.0. It’s something many Motorola, HTC and Samsung owners get, but LG may not deliver on it at all.

Recently, we’ve been hearing small reports and rumors about the highly anticipated Android 5.1 update for the LG G3, but there’s a chance it may never arrive. End reports suggest LG will not develop and release an Android 5.1 update for the LG G3, and will instead jump straight to Android M this fall.

The above report suggests that LG will not ship Android 5.1 Lollipop to the LG G3. Instead, the company will skip Android 5.1 altogether to get a timely update to Android M during the holidays this year. This would be a very bad move by LG, so we’re hoping for some confirmation. The Android 5.0 update is full of bugs even though LG has sent out a minor bug fix update last month and Google badly needs another update for Android 5.1 with all its fixes. Most importantly, a fix for memory leak issue that causes apps to slow down or crash and device reboots.

In May, Google announced the next version of Android, which will be called Android M until it gets an official name, and will be released in the fall. It likely won’t arrive until October or November, just like Android 5.0 Lollipop last year. They’ve released an early developer preview for select Nexus users, but that’s all we know so far.

If the rumor above is true, those who own the LG G3 will be stuck on Android 5.0.2 until another update arrives in October or November. Meanwhile, almost every manufacturer is busy rolling out Android 5.1 updates to the vast majority of smartphones and tablets.

We expect something similar to come for the LG G3, with LG already rolling out Android 5.1 for the LG G4 and Android 5.1.1 Lollipop for the LG G Flex 2. The rumor that LG skipped Android 5.1 altogether came from LG Hellas, a very small region that isn’t nearly as important as the United States.

What this means is that some smaller regions may not see Android 5.1, but most likely larger markets like the United States should get the Android 5.1 Lollipop update for the LG G3. The company hasn’t made any official announcements yet so details are still unknown, but users are extremely worried with these new rumors and we’ll be keeping an eye out for more details.

We also hear that LG will skip Android 5.1.1 Lollipop on its latest flagship, the LG G4, and update it directly to Android M. This means that LG’s flagship device from the past two years will not receive the latest version of Android and will instead be left to wait at least 5-6 months before getting the next major Android update released by Google. We’ve reached out to LG regarding these rumors and will update once we know more.