Android L 5.0 Lollipop Update Release Date: Moto G the First Handset to Receive New Firmware
Google's Android 5.0 Lollipop has officially released through the search giant's own sponsored Nexus devices, but what about the rest of the Android sphere? Looks like the Motorola Moto G is the first smartphone out there to receive the highly anticipated firmware.
According to Ars Technica, the second-generation $179 Moto G is the first smartphone to receive Android 5.0 Lollipop over the air. The tech outlet posted Tuesday evening Pacific Time that they were currently in the process of downloading Android 5.0 for the Moto G. The website confirmed at the time at the update does not seem to be rolling out for the first-generation Moto G.
Moto G owners can go ahead and "check for updates" under Android's settings menu, and if they're lucky, the 387MB download should be available. Of course, as with all over-the-air rollouts, the new firmware will be pushed out in batches, meaning not every Moto G owner will get it at the same time.
It's almost no surprise that Motorola is the first one out of the gate with the new Android. The company has deep ties to Google and has built its new slew of smartphones around an interface that doesn't stray much from Google's original raw Android source code. A look at the official list of enhancements from Motorola shows that most of the new features are actually Android 5.0 Lollipop, and not some interface layered on top by an OEM. These include the new Material Design layout, more notification and priority options, better multi-tasking, and more.
Motorola announced Android 5.0 Lollipop for nine handsets at the end of October, making it the most ambitious smartphone manufacturer in a field full of Samsungs and HTCs. The company has made timely updates a priority, and rightfully so.
You see, Android smartphones tend to live in a fragmented market. Although Google releases the source code for Android for everyone to use, it still takes time to actually land on a mobile device. Manufacturers like Samsung, HTC, and Sony tend to load their own interfaces and services on top of AOSP (Android open source code), leading to delays that can last months. Carrier-tied variants of Android smartphones have it even worse as Verizon or AT&T further tailor the update for their customers.
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