Android 5.0 Lollipop

Motorola has a way of saying software is ready when it isn’t, and publishing release notes for major upgrades long before they actually begin rolling out. It can often feel like deja vu to see the announcement of an update rollout multiple times, so we of all people know that it can be frustrating. That said, Motorola’s David Schuster has posted to his Google+ account this morning to announce that the 1st-generation Moto X is receiving Android 5.1 starting today in a whole host of countries…

Verizon DROID Turbo 5.1 Lollipop update actually rolling out OTA tomorrow

Tom Maxwell Jun 30 2015 - 12:54 pm PT

Well, things change fast. Earlier today we reported on comments from Motorola’s David Schuster that a soak test of 5.1 Lollipop was rolling out for the DROID Turbo, and only hours later Verizon has unexpectedly announced that the update will roll out over-the-air to device owners starting tomorrow.

AT&T’s HTC Desire Eye getting Android 5.0 Lollipop OTA starting today

Stephen Hall Jun 30 2015 - 7:36 am PT

Owners of the super-selfie-shooting HTC Desire Eye on AT&T are about to throw a party. HTC’s Mo Versi has announced on Twitter today that the phone received technical approval yesterday and that the rollout of its OTA to Android 5.0 is to start rolling out today.

I actually own an HTC Desire Eye, and I have yet to see the update hit my device. It’s rolling out in stages over the next couple of days, though, so it probably won’t be long. In other Lollipop news today, Sprint’s Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge seem to be getting Android 5.1.

Great news for HTC Desire Eye AT&T owners! We've just received technical approval for Lollipop update! OTA to start tomorrow!

— Mo Versi (@moversi) June 30, 2015

New build of Android 5.1.1 Lollipop shows up for the 2013 Nexus 7 (WiFi)

Stephen Hall Jun 29 2015 - 11:43 am PT

We aren’t sure at the moment what — if anything — is tangibly new in this firmware, but a new build of Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, LMY48G, has just showed up for the 2013 Nexus 7 (WiFi). We’ve seen hundreds of scattered reports that OTA Lollipop updates are effectively bricking 2013 Nexus 7 devices, so maybe this new build is some kind of remedy for that situation.
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Motorola now rolling out Android 5.1 to 1st and 2nd generation Moto X

Stephen Hall Jun 22 2015 - 8:56 am PT

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We told you last week that an Android 5.1 soak test was beginning for the Verizon Moto X, and now it looks like the update has been made official. Motorola has today announced the rollout of Android 5.1 to both the original Moto X and the Moto X (2014), both of which should be rolling out imminently.

In Android 5.1, there are improvements across the board, including changes to how notifications are handled, drop-down menus for both Bluetooth and WiFi in the quick settings shade, device protection, system-wide performance improvements, and more.

We are excited to announce a new software update for Moto X (2nd Gen.) by Motorola. This update brings Android™ 5.1 Lollipop to your phone along with other improvements. Android™ 5.1 Lollipop improves stability and provides better control over notifications.

If you have the 2014 Moto X “Pure Edition,” then you’ve probably had Android 5.1 running on your device for about a month now. For those unfortunate enough to be stuck with a carrier version of the first- or second-generation Moto X, keep an eye out for the update to hit your device in the coming days.

Moto G (2015) seemingly leaks from multiple sources, isn’t very exciting

Stephen Hall Jun 21 2015 - 10:20 am PT

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The 3rd generation Moto G (2015) is likely to be just around the corner, along with the much-rumored 3rd generation Moto X (2015). And while we got what is probably a nice peek at the upcoming Moto X thanks to Upleaks last weekend, this weekend a couple of other sources are sharing some information about the lower-end budget phone from the Lenovo-owned company. Sadly, at least based on this information, the Moto G (2015) seems to be a bit of a snooze fest…
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Soak test for Verizon Moto X (2nd gen) beginning now, may be 5.1 Lollipop

Tom Maxwell Jun 19 2015 - 2:54 pm PT

Redditors in the /r/MotoX subreddit who own the 2nd-generation Moto X on Verizon are reporting that they’re starting to receive invites to participate in a software update soak test. There’s no word on what this update may be to – hopefully it’s a bump from 5.0.2 to 5.1.1, but those who are invited to soak tests first receive a survey they must complete and submit before they actually receive the update, and the survey doesn’t indicate the purpose of the update.

Soak tests are when a device manufacturer or carrier rolls out a software update to a select group of device owners who agree to test the potentially buggy software and report bugs as they notice them. To have been eligible to even be invited to this soak test, owners of the Moto X would’ve had to previously signed up for the Motorola Feedback Network program. There are instructions on how to do so are on Motorola’s forums (click here), but it’s unlikely that signing up now will result in receiving an invite for this particular soak test.

Amazon announces Fire OS 5 developer preview, discounted Fire HD 7 tablet for developers

Tom Maxwell Jun 19 2015 - 9:02 am PT

Amazon’s Fire brand of tablets and smartphones has mostly been panned as a flop. The company’s intense focus on being cheap and transferring every last penny of saved value onto the customer seemingly doesn’t translate into a culture good at building attractive devices, it seems. Nonetheless, Amazon has an updated version of the Fire OS that powers these things out and available for developers to test their apps on.

HTC One Max receiving its update to Android 5.0 Lollipop in some regions

Tom Maxwell Jun 18 2015 - 2:41 pm PT

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We wouldn’t blame you for not remembering HTC’s One Max, a 5.9-inch smartphone unveiled by HTC a couple of months after the standard One. It hasn’t received a hardware update since it was made available in 2013, and considering that HTC has no plan to release another One mini, we don’t expect it to see a refresher either. But anyway, the One Max surprisingly enough seems to receiving a software update that pushes it to Android 5.0.2 Lollipop.

EPIX channel available on Android TV starting today

Tom Maxwell Jun 18 2015 - 10:45 am PT

EPIX, the premium video network available on cable, satellite, and over the web, is releasing its channel for Android TV today, it announced in a press release. The channel will offer four live EPIX channel feeds as well as streaming access to thousands of movies, comedy events, and more.

Lollipop upgrade for 1st & 2nd gen Moto X hits soak testing in many countries

Tom Maxwell Jun 17 2015 - 1:06 pm PT

Another day, another expanded soak test of a Motorola software upgrade. This time, Android 5.1.1 Lollipop for the 1st and 2nd-generation Moto X in a bevy of countries.

Fairphone 2 is less like Project Ara, more like a movement to build fairer electronics

Stephen Hall Jun 17 2015 - 7:26 am PT

The Fairphone 2 is an interesting concept, and its promotional video might have you believe that the company just wants to jump in and compete with Project Ara before Google gets to even introduce its modular phone. But while the Fairphone 2 is definitely modular in its own right (although not quite the same way Project Ara is), the phone represents a push across the board to rethink how smartphones are made—from mining to reusability…
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AT&T’s Galaxy Tab S 8.4 receiving OTA update to 5.0 Lollipop

Tom Maxwell Jun 16 2015 - 4:27 pm PT

Another day, another OTA update for a Samsung tablet. Today it’s the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 on AT&T, which is receiving a bump to Lollipop (hurrah!). The update is to 5.0.2, not a more stable version like 5.1.1, but be grateful that you’re at least getting all the goodness that comes with Lollipop.

This information is courtesy of a support page on AT&T’s website, which also says that the size of the update is over 1.1GB, so you’re going to need at least that much space available to download and install it.

As per usual, updates delivered by the major carriers tend to have notoriously slow roll-outs – waiting a week or more to see it come down on your device is totally normal. To check if it’s been pulled down to your device, open the Settings app, find “About device,” then tap “System updates.”

Google announces rewards program for finding Android bugs in Nexus devices, pays up to $8k

Ben Lovejoy Jun 16 2015 - 5:18 am PT

Google has announced Android Security Rewards, a program to reward security researchers and others who find (and optionally fix) vulnerabilities in the latest available Android versions for current Nexus devices. At present, this means the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9.

We’re launching Android Security Rewards to help reward the contributions of security researchers who invest their time and effort in helping us make Android more secure. Through this program we provide monetary rewards and public recognition for vulnerabilities disclosed to the Android Security Team. The reward level is based on the bug severity and increases for higher quality reports that include reproduction code, test cases, and patches.

Rewards range from $333 for a test case of a low-severity bug up to $8,000 for a “well-written CTS test and patch” for a critical bug …
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New (tiny) Moto X 2015 press render leak gives credence to previous sketchy rumors

Stephen Hall Jun 14 2015 - 2:05 pm PT

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Maybe the smallest press render ever leaked?

The above image? That’s the latest Moto X 2015 leak, straight from the infamous Upleaks leakster himself (or herself?). Unlike most of Upleaks’ credible leaks, though, this one is a little bit on the small side as you can see. We have what looks to be a Moto X design with a metal band on the back, what might be an AT&T logo stamped on that metal strip, and what is assumably the company’s “Active Display” feature around front.

It’s nothing all too spectacular. But what makes this leak interesting is that it corroborates a much sketchier leak—so sketchy that we passed reporting on it—that has been making the rounds for the last few weeks. It comes from a guy by the name of TK Tech News, also known as Total Tech. He has a pretty bumpy history to say the least. But it looks like he might be right this time, as his leaks line up perfectly with what we’re now seeing from Upleaks.

So let’s take a look at what we might know about the next Moto X, given this new image…
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Verizon has posted a simulator of the DROID Turbo running 5.1 Lollipop

Tom Maxwell Jun 12 2015 - 9:05 pm PT

We wouldn’t blame you for thinking the images above are leaks or even mockups of what Android 5.1.1 Lollipop might look like on the DROID Turbo – but you’d be wrong, because these are straight from Verizon’s website.

Soak testing of Android Lollipop for Moto X (1st gen) has begun

Tom Maxwell Jun 11 2015 - 3:25 pm PT

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Today was a bit of a downer for owners of the Motorola DROID Turbo, who learned that contrary to earlier information, there is in fact no set rollout date for the phone’s update to Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. That being said, we did learn that Lollipop is rolling out to the budget-end Moto E on Verizon, and now we’ve got word that testing of Lollipop has begun for the 1st-generation Moto X. If testing goes well and no major problems are identified, rollout should begin in about a week. Owners of the phone have been waiting quite some time for this big update.

David Schuster, a product manager at Motorola who’s quite reliable when it comes to information on Android software deployments, posted the following to his Google+ account this afternoon:

Hey guys, quick update here for Moto X (1st Gen). We have started full soak testing again in the U.S. on the 5.1 Lollipop upgrade for our retail channels. If the data looks good, we’ll move to full deployment in about a week.

In addition, we also initiated a full soak test for Brazil retail and Rogers in Canada yesterday for Moto X (1st Gen).

Please ensure that you have accepted any updates from the Play Store for Motorola Update Services (to version 4 or higher). You will need this to get the upgrade notification.

Motorola earlier in May began TestDrive – a program through which it tests early software with a tiny amount of select device owners who’ve agreed to participate – for the Moto X Lollipop update, and acknowledge frustration with the slow rollout, attributing it to “the lack of support from some of our partners.” We have to believe he was probably referring to carrier partners. But now it looks like things are moving along nicely.

Be together, not the same: Google’s phone picker helps you find the right phone for you

Tom Maxwell Jun 11 2015 - 2:46 pm PT

Around the time of the launch of the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9, Google revamped its marketing for Android with the new tagline “Be together. Not the same,” uploading to YouTube a handful of heart-tugging videos featuring a slew of different animal pairs playing together and being friends. These ads were meant as a real-world analogous to how Google sees its Android operating system today, in 2015: one operating system that can power a bevy of different devices in different environments and use-cases. Not just phones with different screen sizes but also watches, TVs, and cars, to name the primary ones. With so much choice, Google has launched a new website which, based on user input, helps narrow down which phones might be right for different people.

Verizon Moto E receiving its update to Android 5.1 Lollipop

Tom Maxwell Jun 11 2015 - 12:17 pm PT

The unlocked 2nd-generation Moto E might have already began receiving Android 5.1 Lollipop straight from Motorola in early May, but Verizon customers rejoice: your over-the-air update is dropping now.

This update brings all the changes we’ve come to expect from the 5.0.2 to 5.1.1 bump as well as a slightly tweaked “Interruptions” control menu and Device Protection, which ensures that a lost or stolen device will remain locked (aka can’t be factory reset) until the original owner signs into it with his or her Google account. Verizon has a handy PDF that covers most of the changes coming with this update.

To check if your Moto E has pulled down the update yet, head into the Settings app and select About Phone > System updates.

Motorola product manager: no ETA on DROID Turbo 5.1 Lollipop update

Tom Maxwell Jun 11 2015 - 11:53 am PT

A couple weeks ago we saw a Verizon employee take to his Google+ account to share a picture of a DROID Turbo running Android 5.1 Lollipop with a note saying that the update would drop sometime in “mid-June.” Today we have more news but it’s, well, somewhat of a step backwards. David Schuster from Motorola posted the following to his Google+ account:

Hey, I wanted to give a quick update on our progress on the DROID Turbo 5.1 lollipop upgrade since there seems to be A LOT of inaccurate information out there. We are still in the lab test cycle and things are looking good. We have not provided a launch date yet, but I will let you know as soon as the update is available.

The Verizon employee who made that post about the Turbo’s 5.1 update back in May had this to say about why update on Big Red can take a while:

Verizon delays on latest smartphones are due to Nationwide HD Voice. We want to make sure Software updates for HD Voice service is acceptable and does not impact voice quality. Verizon is the only company that has nationwide HD Voice in the USA. AT&T just has most metro cities here and there. T-Mobile and Sprint are way behind.

So now we really aren’t sure when to expect a rollout, unfortunately. We’ll keep you updated and let you know when it does, though.

Verizon LG G Pad 7.0 LTE receiving its Android Lollipop update

Tom Maxwell Jun 10 2015 - 7:23 am PT

The LG G Pad 7.0 was released back in July of 2014 alongside its bigger brother, the G Pad 10.1, and while it doesn’t rock the most high-end specifications, Verizon is giving it some love with an update to Android 5.0.2 Lollipop (yes, not 5.1.1). The software version number is VK41022A.

There isn’t much to be said about this update beyond what we wrote for the Verizon G Pad 10.1’s Lollipop update. LG’s custom UI additions have received a fresh coat of paint to fall in line with Google’s Material Design guidelines and all the features and improvements that are included in Android Lollipop are there – Smart Lock for authenticating the device when other trusted devices are nearby, the Interruptions menu which provides granular control over which app notifications light up your device, Floating Action Buttons, and more.

As always this is a carrier OTA update, so don’t be surprised if it’s a week or more before you see it in your system updates.

Cyanogen OS 12.1 coming to OnePlus One soon, but OxygenOS w/ Android 5.1 will have to wait for OnePlus 2

Stephen Hall Jun 9 2015 - 10:46 am PT

Cyanogen, along with announcing a couple of contests aimed at finding 3 people to give exclusive early access to the OnePlus 2, has this morning taken to its forum to give us an update on the current state of software for the OnePlus One and the OnePlus 2. The company says that Cyanogen OS 12.1, updated with Android 5.1 Lollipop is on the way and should arrive soon:

CM12.1, updated to 5.1, is on its way. We have a preview build that’s undergoing factory testing and google certification. You will have it soon.

Sadly, though, if you were hoping for the Android 5.1 updated version of OxygenOS, it looks like you’re going to have to wait for the OnePlus 2. It will be coming to the OnePlus One, however—just after it comes to the OnePlus 2 later this fall. A new build of OxygenOS will be landing soon with touchscreen fixes (also included in the above COS release).

…we won’t have an OTA for the community build of OxygenOS we released back in April for the OnePlus One until after the OnePlus 2 release. We will put up a new build very soon with the touchscreen fix for those of you who are experiencing this problem but we won’t have an official update until we have the resources to do a proper job.

While the company has been talking about the OnePlus 2 a lot this week, we still don’t really know anything about the upcoming handset. That said, the two contests that OnePlus announced today suggest that we might be hearing about the phone sooner than expected, so be sure to keep an ear out for the announcement—with OnePlus, we know it’s going to be teased (a lot).

Android Lollipop is on the way to Sprint’s LG G Flex 2

Stephen Hall Jun 8 2015 - 11:19 am PT