Android Lollipop is indeed a substantive change to the Google operating system, particularly at the device's interface. Google and third-party developers have already adapted a host of applications to the new standards brought.
The Material Design has brought with it several new elements for an absolute interface makeover. However, the changes have also brought some difficulties for Samsung devices.
Some of these devices use an older version of the Android support library, which causes them to crash. Integration seemed difficult as the file path does not match.
It is said that devices running the older Android versions can still run apps with Material Design-based UI on the condition that the app developer integrates a ported library from Google.
"Leave it to Samsung to Samsung it up," said Koushik Dutta of ClockworkMod. "Various Samsung phones are including older versions of the Android support library in the framework or class path. If you use the new material support library, you'll see this crash on those Samsung devices: java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError:android.support.v7.internal.view.menu.MenuBuilder."
As the problem comes from the side of Samsung, Dutta noted that the only way to deal with the issue is to rename internal classes. This can be easily achieved by running ProGuard, which is a type of program that optimizes Android apps.
"To fix this, you must rename that class," added Dutta. He even gave a 1-liner sample in renaming the offending classes: -keep class! Android.support.v7.internal.view.menu."
Looking at the suggested solution, it may appear to lack some user-friendly content and hence, may only be deciphered by the most tech-savvy users. It is therefore wiser to think twice on implementing the steps on one's own judgment.
"There's an issue tracking this problem, but since it's really a Samsung bug, it's never going to get fixed on their end. Only way to fix it on the Google/AOSP side is to rename these internal classes," said Dutta.
Samsung is preparing to roll out the latest Android v5.0 Lollipop for a multitude of its devices. The Galaxy S5 along with the other higher-end ones are expected to feature the update before the year ends. Those devices that are more pocket-friendly may have to wait a while in order to get the Lollipop version.
There's no official explanation on the devices' use of outdated libraries. Moreover, there are also speculations that the TouchWiz implementation of Samsung may have caused such inconsistencies.
