After such a long delay, Google has finally started rolling out Android Lollipop to Android One smartphones in India. There is no official word on the exact version number of Android Lollipop that is being rolled out, but we believe that it might be Android 5.1 as Android One smartphones launched in Indonesia and Philippines were found running it.
To those with Android One phones in India, here’s where we are with the over-the-air (OTA) update that will bring Android Lollipop to you soon. We’ve already started rolling out Lollipop to a small number of phones in India. This is a gradual process and so each week we’ll push the OTA update to more phones selected at random (pro-tip: connecting over Wi-Fi will increase your odds). We thank you again for your patience, and please stay tuned for further updates.
– Caesar Sengupta, Product Management Director at Google
You should keep in mind that it is a phased rollout, so it is possible that some devices might get it this week, while others get it in the next one. However, as per Sengupta, being connected to a Wi-Fi network increases the chance of devices picking up the update.
During the launch of Android One smartphones in India, Google had promised that Android One devices will be one of the first running the latest version of Android, along with Nexus devices. However, Google failed to roll out Android Lollipop to Android One devices; Micromax Canvas A1, Karbonn Sparkle V, and Spice Dream UNO. Various devices from Motorola, Samsung, Xolo, and Micromax received Android Lollipop before Android One handsets.
Android 5.1 Lollipop comes with a few new features and bug fixes, and the most important feature seems to be tailor-made for dual-SIM smartphones like Android One devices. With Android 5.1, users will be able to set different theme colour for each SIM so that you'll know which one is being used for placing calls. It is quite surprising to know that there was no native support for dual-SIM devices till Android 4.4 KitKat, and the OEMs had to do the extra work to make it work.
Other features in Android 5.1 includes better screen pinning support, changing Wi-Fi and Bluetooth from Quick Settings Menu, new clock and auto-rotate quick setting animations, new way to dismiss heads-up notifications, and quick setting toggles for colour inversion and Wi-Fi Hotspot.
If any one of you own Android One device, please let us know in the comments if you have received the Android Lollipop update, along with the changes and performance of the device after the update.
Via | Source | Image Credits
