Android M arriving soon, Android 5.1.1 update out

Android M the reportedly big version number change in Google’s operating system platform is due to arrive soon. The expected date for the launch of Android M is said to be at the Google I/0 2015 which will be held at the end of May on May 28/29 maybe. A lot of refinements are expected in Android M but nothing over the top or spectacular in terms of visual treatment. We expect Material design to further evolve and become better over time. Another rumour is the launch of Nexus 5 (2015) edition along with Android M update in the I/O event itself. Some of the rumoured changes in Android M include better Google Now integration, Google Fit integration, performance boost as compared to previous builds, synchronization of notifications across devices is supposed to go to next level as one notification might show only once on any device. This means that if you checked a notification while logged in to from your PC it won’t show up again on your phone. Better parental controls, better enterprise support and features along with more gestures are expected to show up in Android M. It’s also being said that an extreme power saving mode would be present by default on Android M. It’s still unclear whether Android M would be a 5.x build number or 6.0 altogether as far as version number is concerned. Android M will also come with a complete auto-mobile solution thereby eliminating the need for a smart phone terminal to use Android with a vehicle and also giving Google more control over it’s “Auto” offerings.

Now let’s talk about Android 5.1.1 update which is going to arrive soon for many devices.

Android 5.1.1 update and what it has to offer?

Android 5.1.1 is your standard Android bug fix update. It comes with a number of bug fixes for Nexus smartphone and tablets. Android 5.1.1 was a major bug fix, but it also brought a lot of Lollipop problems for Nexus users in all kinds.  In April, shortly after the Android 5.1 lollipop update picked up speed, Google confirmed another Android 5.1 update which came to be known as Android 5.1.1. It isn’t as big as the Andord 5.1. Update but doesn’t make it any less small.

Early March, Google brought out Android 5.1. lollipop, a maintenance release which was released to make the system stable and fix some minor bugs. Android 5.1.1 comes into the picture with a mission in hand to bring even more bug fixes.

Some of the common bugs user registered were like camera crashing while taking pictures and memory leak bug even after updating the device to Android 5.1. Hence, the release of the Android 5.1.1. A lollipop update for Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7  and Nexus 10 was of utmost importance. According to Google, the new version brings improvement in Camera time put on Nexus 5 and Nexus 6, improvement for a recent passthrough feature on ChromeCast and fixes for security issues.

See more: Google Pagespeed service shuts down

Android 5.1.1 is available for the Wi-Fi only versions of Nexus 7 2012 and 2013, for the Nexus 9 and Nexus 10. The update is available over-the-air as well.

Even though Android 5.1 was considered just a maintenance version, but the update brought along handful of new features. It arrived with improvements for the Wifi and Bluetooth tiles in Quick Settings. Now if you press the “WiFi” and “Bluetooth” text you will open nearby WiFi networks and Bluetooth devices. Android 5.1 also added animation for the “auto-rotate” tile and the ability to manually remove the “Hotspot” and “Color Inversion” dynamic tiles.

Android 5.1.1 has also improved the heads-up notification system. Now you can swipe up a heads up notification to get it out of your way, without dismissing it from the notifications bar. In the previous version, when a heads-up notification appeared at the top of the screen, you could tap on it to open the app sending the notification, swipe it left or right to dismiss it (which was also dismissed it from the notifications bar), or to wait until the notification disappeared by itself.  There is also a new option for the “None” and “Priority” volume modes “Until next alarm”. The update also separated the media and ring tone volumes.

It has also brought re-designed interface for the contacts, creating / editing section, which now looks more Material. Also, the icons at the top of the Clock app (Alarm, Clock, Timer, and Stopwatch) now have an animation as you cycle through the screens.

Lollipop has made one of the most visible changes and i.e. the new material design interface which gives you vivid colors along with fluid transitions and 3D effects. The recent section is now called an overview and it has a card based interface. Google also added document based multitasking a feature that allows certain apps to show more than one card in the overview section, For Example, chrome can show one car for each opened tab, you can find them more easily.

This updated version of android shows multi user support for phone and lock screen notifications. You can choose the level of privacy for your apps. Screen pinning enables you to lock screen to a certain app, while features like Smart Lock can be used to remove lock screen security  when you are in a Trusted Place or your phone or tablet is connected to a Trusted Device. There is also a significant improvement in Battery statistics.

Stay tuned for more updates related to Android M and Android Lollipop‘s future builds. And don’t forget to subscribe to continue receiving such awesome updates from us!

Read more related to Android on Inspire2rise:

• Android Lollipop 5.0.2 update out for Moto G
• How to download songs from Soundcloud in Android
• Top fifteen Android apps for Bloggers
• Zlauncher for Android reviewed

Shreya Verma

Shreya Verma is a Bibliophile, food lover and a wild child! Currently working as an HR professional and trying to make a name in this big world!