Why won't my S5 let me update to Lollipop?

[AC Question]

My s5 won't let me update to lollipop.

My s5 always displays the most recent updates installed message when searching for software update. The only difference from other s5s is that it has the lte symbol on the back. Water damage about two months ago but dried out and works perfectly. I have been searching for updates ever since lollipop was rolled out to s5.

 

[Rukbat]

Re: My s5 won't let me update to lollipop.

Water damage about two months ago but dried out

So there's some damage inside the phone. (How much depends on what was in the water. If it was just clean tap water, there's mild hydrochloric acid in the phone now, slowly eating away at it.) Read our wet phone guide, Oh, no! My Phone got Wet!.

 

[Sam1304]

Re: My s5 won't let me update to lollipop.

Thanks. How long do you think it will last? Aditionally, why would only the software update be affected by this.

 

[Rukbat]

Re: My s5 won't let me update to lollipop.

How long? Anywhere from another 5 minutes to 10 years. I'd have to open the phone to see how much damage there is already to even make a wild guess.

As for the effect it has, that's totally random. a molecule of sulfur here, a molecule of nitrate there - there's no way to determine what chemical is sitting where, causing a short or eating through a copper line. That's why you wash the phone with alcohol the moment it gets wet - to dilute and get rid of everything that was in the water. In the shop we'd totally disassemble he phone, drop it all into an alcohol bath and wash each part individually. Since you can't do that, 3 baths, forcing alcohol through the phone is about the best you can do, and hope the phone lasts longer than you want to keep it. (It usually does, unless you want working antiques.) Letting the water evaporate, concentrating the chemicals, is close to the worst thing you can do. (Plugging the charger into the phone while it's still underwater and turned on guarantees that the phone is dead.)