Android Lollipop has arrived, and with it come a plethora of new features and improved software. Available on tablets and smartphones, Android Lollipop will be rolling out to a variety of devices starting with Google’s own Nexus line.
So here’s a breakdown of features included on the OS courtesy of Android.com:
Material Design
A bold, colourful, and responsive UI design for consistent, intuitive experiences across all your devices
Responsive, natural motion, realistic lighting and shadows, and familiar visual elements make it easier to navigate your device
Vivid new colours, typography, and edge-to-edge imagery help to focus your attention
Notifications
New ways to control when and how you receive messages – only get interrupted when you want to be
View and respond to messages directly from your lock screen. Includes the ability to hide sensitive content for these notifications
For fewer disruptions, turn on Priority mode via your device’s volume button so only certain people and notifications get through. Or schedule recurring downtime like 10pm to 8am when only Priority notifications can get through
With Lollipop, incoming phone calls won’t interrupt what you’re watching or playing. You can choose to answer the call or just keep doing what you’re doing
Control the notifications triggered by your apps; hide sensitive content and prioritize or turn off the app’s notifications entirely
More intelligent ranking of notifications based on who they’re from and the type of communication. See all your notifications in one place by tapping the top of the screen
Battery: Power for the long haul
A battery saver feature which extends device use by up to 90 mins
Estimated time left to fully charge is displayed when your device is plugged in
Estimated time left on your device before you need to charge again can now be found in battery settings
Security
New devices come with encryption automatically turned on to help protect data on lost or stolen devices
SELinux enforcing for all applications means even better protection against vulnerabilities and malware
Use Android Smart Lock to secure your phone or tablet by pairing it with a trusted device like your wearable or even your car
Also See: Google Nexus 5 back in stock following Nexus 6 announcement with Lollipop
Device Sharing
More flexible sharing with family and friends
Multiple users for phones. If you forget your phone, you still can call any of your friends (or access any of your messages, photos etc.) by simply logging into another Android phone running Lollipop. Also perfect for families who want to share a phone, but not their stuff
Guest user for phones and tablets means you can lend your device and not your stuff
Screen pinning: pin your screen so another user can access just that content without messing with your other stuff
New Quick Settings
Get to the most frequently used settings with just two swipes down from the top of the screen
New handy controls like flashlight, hotspot, screen rotation and cast screen controls
Easier on/off toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and location
Manually adjust your brightness for certain conditions. Then, adaptive brightness will kick in based on ambient lighting
Connectivity
A better internet connection everywhere and more powerful Bluetooth low energy capabilities
Improved network handoffs resulting in limited interruption in connectivity. For example, continue your video chat or VoIP calls without interruption as you leave the house and switch from your home Wi-Fi back to cellular
Improved network selection logic so that your device connects only if there is a verified internet connection on Wi-Fi
Power-efficient scanning for nearby Bluetooth low energy (“BLE”) devices like wearables or beacons
New BLE peripheral mode
Runtime and Performance
A faster, smoother and more powerful computing experience
ART, an entirely new Android runtime, improves application performance and responsiveness
Up to 4x performance improvements
Smoother UI for complex, visually rich applications
Compacting background apps and services so you can do more at once
Support for 64 bit devices, like the Nexus 9, brings desktop class CPUs to Android
Support for 64-bit SoCs using ARM, x86, and MIPS-based cores
Shipping 64-bit native apps like Chrome, Gmail, Calendar, Google Play Music, and more
Pure Java language apps run as 64-bit apps automatically
Media
Bolder graphics and improved audio, video, and camera capabilities
Lower latency audio input ensuring that music and communication applications that have strict delay requirements provide an amazing real time experience
Multi-channel audio stream mixing means professional audio applications can now mix up to eight channels including 5.1 and 7.1 channels
USB Audio support means you can plug USB microphones, speakers, and a myriad of other USB audio devices like amplifiers and mixers into your Android device
OpenGL ES 3.1 and Android extension pack brings Android to the forefront of mobile graphics putting it on par with desktop and console class performance
A range of new professional photography features for Android Lollipop that let you
Capture full resolution frames around 30 fps
Support raw formats like YUV and Bayer RAW
Control capture settings for the sensor, lens, and flash per individual frame
Capture metadata like noise models and optical information
State of the art video technology with support for HEVC to allow for UHD 4K video playback, tunnelled video for high quality video playback on Android TV and improved HLS support for streaming
OK Google
Easy access to information and performing tasks
Even if your screen is off, you can say “OK Google” on devices with digital signal processing support such as Nexus 6 and Nexus 9
Talk to Google on the go to get quick answers, send a text, get directions and more
Also See: Google Nexus 9 is Faster than a 2012 Mac Book Pro
Android TV: Support for living room devices
User interface adapted for the living room
Less browsing, more watching with personalized recommendations for content like movies and TV shows
Voice search for Google Play, YouTube and supported apps so you can just say what you want to see
Console-style Android gaming on your TV with a gamepad
Cast your favourite entertainment apps to your big screen with Google Cast support for Android TV devices
Accessibility
Enhanced low vision and colour blind capabilities
Boost text contrast or invert colours to improve legibility
Adjust display to improve colour differentiation
Now in 68+ languages
15 new additions: Basque, Bengali, Burmese, Chinese (Hong Kong), Galician, Icelandic, Kannada, Kyrgyz, Macedonian, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Sinhala, Tamil, Telugu
Device set up
Tap & go: instant set up of your new Android phone or tablet by simply tapping it to your old one (requires NFC)
Whenever you get a new Android phone or tablet, you can bring over your apps from Google Play automatically from any of your old Android devices
Tap & pay: easily manage multiple payment apps by quickly switching between them
Print preview and page range support
Revamped display for battery, Bluetooth, data usage, and Wi-Fi settings and new search functionality in settings
New device level feedback for Nexus devices in Settings > about phone > send feedback
Improved ranking of your options within the share menu
Android Beam: lets you share a file with someone nearby by gently tapping the two devices together
Where supported by the hardware, your device will wake up as soon as you pick it up or tap the screen twice
Improved hardware keyboard accessory support including support for multilingual, emoji input, search key, and improved app and system key chords
The next thing most people want to know is when or if it is coming to their Android device. Well Android Authority has this covered and with a list of devices due to receive the update:
HTC
When: Within 90 days of the OS’s launch
One (M8) – confirmed by HTC
One (M7) – confirmed by HTC
One Mini 2
One Mini – confirmed by HTC
One E8
One Max
Butterfly S
Desire 816
Desire 610
LG
When: Unknown
G3 – rumoured but unconfirmed
G2 – rumoured but unconfirmed
Motorola
When: Unknown
Moto X (1st Gen. & 2nd Gen.)
Moto G (1st Gen. & 2nd Gen.)
Moto G with 4G LTE
Moto E
Droid Ultra
Droid Maxx
Droid Mini
Nexus
When: November 3rd
Nexus 4
Nexus 5
Nexus 6
Nexus 7
Nexus 9
Nexus 10
OnePlus
When: Within 3 months of the OS’s release
OnePlus One – confirmed by OnePlus
Samsung
Just like LG, Samsung hasn’t given out any official information regarding handset updates. The only hint we’ve seen of Android 5.0 on a Samsung device comes from a leaked preview build running on the Galaxy S5.
Galaxy S5 – leaked preview
Sony
When: Unknown
Xperia Z3
Xperia Z3 Compact
Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact
Xperia Z3v
Xperia Z2
Xperia Z1
Xperia Z1 Compact
Xperia Z
Xperia Tablet Z
Xperia Z Ultra
Xperia ZL
Xperia ZR
Android One
When: “Soon” after launch
Karbonn Sparkle V – guaranteed by Google
Micromax Canvas A1 – guaranteed by Google
Spice Dream Uno – guaranteed by Google
Updates will be made available over the air (OTA) and you’ll receive a notification informing you of its availability and prompting you to download and install the new OS.