Tonight Google has finally released the biggest update to Android in years. Android 5.0 'Lollipop' as it's called has been announced alongside new hardware in the form of the Nexus 9 tablet and Nexus 6 smartphone. The operating system was first announced back at June's Google I/O conference, and is one of the most hotly anticipated Android updates ever. Android 5.0 Lollipop is a major departure for the mobile OS, with a completely redesigned interface, more fluid animations, a renewed focus on improving battery life and, for the first time, compatibility with 64-bit processors.
Android 5.0 Lollipop will go up against iOS 8, which along with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will give Apple devices a major boost. Google has been drip-feeding new features and announcements about Android 5.0 Lollipop over the past few months, so we've already got a lot to go on, even before the announcement.
We'll be regularly updating this article with all the latest updates, so keep checking back for the latest news.
Android 5.0 Lollipop release date
Revealed today, Android 5.0 Lollipop will be available first on Nexus 9, which can be pre-ordered from October 17th and will be available from the 3rd of November. The mysterious Nexus PLayer will also follow those dates. The Nexus 6 will follow a week or two later with pre-orders in 'late October' and on sale in 'late november'.
Those with older Nexus devices, namely the Nexus 5, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 (plus Google Play Edition devices) will receive updates to their devices 'in the coming weeks'. We're pleased to see the older Nexus 10 supported here, but otherwise there are few surprises.
Android 5.0 Lollipop updates for older phones
Any major Android release will be eagerly anticipated, but it's not much fun being stuck on an outdated version because your phone manufacturer doesn't plan to release an update. The situation with updates is starting to become clear but there's still a lot of announcements going on, so head over to our Android 5.0 Lollipop updates to find out if and when your handset is getting updated.
How to get Android 5.0 Lollipop developer preview now
If you want to get your hands dirty then an early version of Android 5.0 Lollipop is available right now as a developer preview form for the Nexus 5 smartphone and Nexus 7 tablet. You can download the developer preview of Android L 5 for free. With a bit of fiddling you can even install it on handsets from third party manufacturers; there's already a custom ROM for the HTC One (m7) and others are appearing every day on the XDA Developer forums.
Android 5.0 Lollipop Material Design
Android 5.0 Lollipop has over 5,000 new APIs ticking away behind the scenes, but the most obvious changes will always be the visual ones. The new 'Material Design' (Google's caps) scheme is set to appear on every Google platform, not just Android. Apparently Google drew inspiration from pens and inks, with every icon and user interface element casting an accurate shadow to give a sense of depth. Everything animates as you touch it, with objects flying into view and tapped icons rippling like puddle.
The home screen, lock screen, settings pull-down menu, main settings page and even the onscreen navigation buttons have received a makeover. Android 5.0 Lollipop will also include new system widgets to match the design scheme. Finally, every Google app will be redesigned to match the new look, with some having already been upgraded in time for the developer preview release.
Certain redesigned apps were teased behind closed doors at Google I/O, but that hasn't stopped leaked images appearing online. The highest profile leak so far has revealed a completely new look for the Play Store, on both tablet and smartphone. Images of a work-in-progress version of the app show a greater focus on images, a simplified layout, more colour coordination and more prominence for film trailers or app/game teaser videos. The leaked images still show Google has some work to do, as detailed content appears to be missing, but it should make it much easier to browse through the expansive Play Store to find what you're looking for once the update arrives.
The notifications system has been completely overhauled for Android 5.0 Lollipop as well. Currently, Android users have to unlock their device to check, respond to or dismiss notifications, but with Android L they will be able to do this from the lock screen. They will appear as a stack of Google Now-like cards, which can be scrolled through rather than flooding the screen. Each one has an in-line preview, giving context.
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Android 5.0 Lollipop features
Android 5.0 Lollipop isn't all about looks; it will also include lots of clever new features. Personalised unlocking is one of our favourites. Essentially it makes your smartphone or tablet search for familiar Bluetooth gadgets, Wi-Fi networks, locations and even voice imprints to deactivate any lockscreen protections, letting you jump straight into your phone when it knows you're nearby. If the device can't detect any of these metrics, anyone trying to use it will be presented with the standard lockscreen.
The recent apps page will become the recent content page, displaying all your content in one list of Google Now-styled cards. You'll be able to jump between apps and the web, with links in Google search results jumping straight from the browser into the relevant part of an app. Although not strictly built into Android 5.0 Lollipop, Google will also be giving its mobile webpages and search an overhaul in time for its release. The Material Design will be carried across, along with smooth animations and a slicker interface.
Google will be updating its stock Android keyboard for Android 5.0 Lollipop, adding more personalisation and scrapping the individual tiled keys - instead each letter will sit on a flat background, which should make it easier for those with larger fingers and thumbs to type quickly. Also set to arrive are a Do No Disturb mode, which automatically deactivates all notifications and audio during set times, support for Bluetooth 4.1 and a completely redesigned Audio backend with support for USB audio devices.
Android 5.0 Lollipop rumoured features - Multi-Window
Google has been pretty transparent about the features we can expect from Android 5.0 Lollipop, but that doesn't mean the company isn't also working on things that aren't ready for the public to see just yet. One of the biggest appears to be a multi-window mode, which would let you open several apps at once rather than force you to toggle between them one at a time.
According to AndroidPolice, Google has been working on multi-window support for the best part of a year, with the intention of adding it to Android once the next version of the operating system is officially released. It would work by swiping apps in the 'recents' menu to either the left or right side of the screen when your device is in landscape mode, or to the top or bottom when in portrait mode. The apps would then snap to fill half the screen. You could display two apps at a time - not four, as seen in Samsung'sGalaxy Tab Pro tablet range.
^ AndroidPolice mockup of the rumoured multi-window mode
You will apparently be able to set how much of the screen is dedicated to each app - either an equal 50/50 split, or 25/75, and drag text and images between the two open apps. According to the unnamed AndroidPolice source, the feature would be built into Android and wouldn't require apps to support it specifically, although it doesn't work particularly well in its early stage. If it does appear, we doubt it will be at launch then; intead we think Google may add it in a point update to Android 5.0 Lollipop once it's happy with performance.
Android 5.0 Lollipop performance
The biggest back-end change is the move from the Dalvik runtime to ART. Part of the operating system at a basic level, the ART runtime supports ARM, x86 and MiPS instructions, and a mix of AOT, JIT and interpreted code. Essentially Android now speaks a lot more languages and will work on more CPUs than its predecessor. This alone could improve performance by as much as twofold over Dalvik, without developers making any code adjustments.
DirectX 11-level graphics will finally make their way to Android using the Android extension pack. This set of APIs support advanced effects such as tessellation, geometry shaders, texture compression and compute shaders, and have the potential to put mobile devices on par with games consoles and PC games.
Android 5.0 Lollipop battery life
Google has concentrated on improving battery life in Android 5.0 Lollipop with Project Volta. Similar to how Jelly Bean's Project Butter was an effort to make animations feel smoother and more responsive, Project Volta includes a new battery historian to better visualise battery discharge. This will help users work out what a device was doing at any given point in a battery cycle to find out which apps are draining the most power.
A battery saver mode will be included in stock Android for the first time with Android 5.0 Lollipop, after being a common tweak for third party manufacturers. It will activate automatically when your battery drops below a certain percentage, downclocking the CPU, disabling extra features like location reporting and dimming the display. Google says a Nexus 5 running Android 5.0 Lollipop gets around 90 minutes of extra use over the course of a typical day, without actually changing how a customer uses their phone.
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