It's been quite a long wait since the first and second generation Moto X (2013 & 2014) got an early taste of Android L 5.0.2 last year. But now the Android 5.1 Lollipop update is finally being released by AT&T and others in an over the air (OTA) rollout across the U.S.

Here's a hands on preview of the upgraded Lollipop firmware on the Moto X (2014), which includes a few surprises you might not expect.

Android 5.1 Lollipop On Moto X (2014): Hands On

Android 5.1 Lollipop is a much-needed upgrade from the giant, fully redesigned Android Lollipop update Motorola pushed out to the handsets over six months ago.

Unsurprisingly, Google's massive revisions of Android in its Lollipop update led to some major bugs and some minor annoyances, which Android 5.1 is fixing.

But before we get to the (boring) bug fixes, here are some really cool new features now available on the Moto X with Android 5.1 Lollipop.

Better Quick Settings 

As we reported in our hands on review of Android 5.0 Lollipop last year, Google made some big strides with the Quick Settings panel (in the notifications pull down). But it didn't get everything right, until now.

Now in the Quick Settings, you can select between multiple WiFi access points and different Bluetooth devices you've paired with -- all in the Quick Settings panel and without having the main Settings app open.

(Photo : Screencap - Robert Schoon)

This means you don't have to stop what you're doing to switch between networks, speakers, or Bluetooth headphones. Google also added animations to some Quick Settings buttons, like when you toggle the portrait mode lock.

You can also long-press extra settings you may or may not need -- like Hotspot or Invert Colors -- to hide them from Quick Settings.

(Photo : Screencap - Robert Schoon)

Finally, you can get directly to Quick Settings, bypassing notifications, with a two-finger swipe down from the top of your screen.

"Chop Twice" -- Fast, Screen-free Flashlight Activation

We've written before (and at length) about how the Moto X (2014) is a particularly great device because you don't need to fiddle with the touchscreen as much as with other smartphones.

Lollipop 5.1 just added a new screen-free capability with its "Chop Twice for Flashlight" feature -- which may remain hidden for those who update without reading this hands on (or Motorola's release notes).

Simply hold your Moto X (firmly!) and do a double karate chop motion with it. Your Moto X will vibrate twice to indicate the flashlight is on and then buzz once when you turn it off with the same gesture.

It works every time, and I could see it being quite useful (if you remember the gesture) in those moments every so often when you need a flashlight now.

Just make sure you don't ninja-star your Moto X across the room. It's a smartphone, not a shuriken. 

Better Notifications & Interruptions Settings

This is the big one that Google obviously needed to change for many different reasons: the Priority Notifications and "No Interruptions" settings.

Most importantly, while these settings were a great addition to standard Android, the way Google set it up was too confusing. It was too easy to miss an alarm because you set "no interruptions" the night before and forgot, and what constituted a "priority" interruption (and not) was all a-jumble.

Now you have clear choices: "All," "Priority" and "None." And to be even clearer, Priority comes with a star icon (as in starred contacts only) and "None" comes with a big clear ⊘ icon.

Best of all (and this was a big dumb oversight in 5.0 Lollipop's UI), you can now adjust your notifications settings and ringer volume while playing media.

(Photo : Screencap - Robert Schoon)

Other New Features, Tweaks & Bug Fixes

With Android 5.1 Lollipop, you also get Google Device Protection, which is a built-in "killswitch" similar to Apple's Activation Lock.

Basically, if this is activated and your Moto X is stolen or lost, no one can get in to your phone without a password and your Google account -- even if they reset it to factory settings.

You'll probably never need it, but it's a brilliant deterrent for theft, because it leaves them with a useless smartphone, no matter what they try. And it protects your data from them as well. The feature is tied to your Google account through the Device Manger, and available to activate if you set a PIN, password, or other screen lock.

Android 5.1 Lollipop also changes the finger-unlock distance needed to wake the Moto X from its Ambient Display mode "to reduce accidental interactions." I would suggest that if you have Ambient Display enabled and never really use it, switch it off and use the much more awesome Moto Display, which will make using the standby button to wake your Moto X a thing of the past.

Among the sundry other improvements, Android 5.1 Lollipop includes a much-needed swipe up gesture to remove heads-up notifications -- those pop-up notifications you get at the top of the screen (they will stay in the notifications panel, however, until you're ready to look at them).

The update tweaks to Android Runtime that leads to faster app launches, fixes problems with alarms not going off when they're supposed to, stabilizes Chrome launches and Netflix viewing, fixes various WiFi reconnection issues, and should help the device's battery life -- though that will have to be confirmed over the course of a few more days.

The full list of bug fixes is available from Motorola's changelog.

Moto X users: Any issues with Android 5.1 Lollipop -- either features, bugs, the OTA rollout or the update process? I'd love to know, so sound off in the comments below!

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