Google Lets ‘Lollipop’ Loose, Let’s Have a Lick

The upcoming release of the Nexus 6 smartphone and Nexus 9 tablet doesn’t just signify the release of Google’s latest flagships, it also signifies the first major (as per version numbering, at least) Android OS release in three years. Called Lollipop, Android 5.0 brings a lot of sugary goodness to the table, and ultimately becomes Google’s most advanced Android OS yet. It also becomes the most flexible: Not only is 5.0 perfect for smartphones and tablets, it supports wearables right out-of-the-box.

Lollipop could very well be the yummiest Android release yet

Interoperability is a huge focus of Android 5.0, as is user control. Google wants you to be able to leave content on one device and move to another without missing a beat. It also wants you to have robust control over what you see and when you want to see it, as well as what others can see if you happen to hand your device over to another person.

A major part of this advanced control has to do with notifications. With Lollipop, you can effectively quell most notifications from coming through, which might be needed in case you want some peace and quiet, or you simply can’t be disturbed for a time. Most people won’t want to shut the entirety of the world out, however – important messages should still come through, of course, either from, say, your significant other or your boss. For those lucky folk, you can set them as “Priority” to ensure that they can still get a hold of you even when you’re just trying to chill (because you love them).

Another notification enhancement is the ability to handle some of them from the lock screen. This can be hugely convenient, because it’d save you from having to enter your pin code each and every time a notification comes through. With this ability, you can also respond directly to messages that come through, which isn’t that great of a feature from a security standpoint – so, if you don’t want that, you can simply disable the entire feature.

Handling notifications from the lock screen

A new battery saver feature is included with Lollipop as well, which Google says can extend your device’s life by up to 90 minutes. That’s nice, but I find a tie-in to this to be even more useful: Instead of simply telling you how much battery-life you have left, you’ll be told how long you have to go before you’ll have to plug it in. It’s merely a different way of looking at the battery, but I find it most appealing.

On the security front, you’ll be able to create a guest account and limit what others can see when they borrow your device, and if you want to take security to the next level, you can use Smart Lock to secure it with another device, such as a smartwatch or even your car.

Another feature to note is that encryption is on by default with 5.0, as it is with Apple’s iOS 8. That way, if someone finds your device, they’ll be out-of-luck with trying to get at the data. Unless they somehow guess the pin code, that is.

Quick settings is a subtle but useful thing to note about 5.0; swipe twice from the top, and you’ll gain quick access to some simple but useful tools. These include hotspot enable, screen rotation, cast screen controls, and even a flashlight (finally, no need for a separate app!). You’ll also see better toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and location.

Android 5.0 targets wearables just as much as tablets and smartphones

Given the fact that we’re dealing with an entirely new version number here, no one would blame you if you thought that the UI would be overhauled. It is, but I am not sure it’s such a major shift that it will confuse anyone who’s used 4.0. That’s a good thing, of course. Improvements here look to be more subtle, such as more realistic UI elements, like with the shadowing, and also with smarter responses to how you manipulate those elements.

A major release like this wouldn’t be typical without the promises of faster improvements, so Lollipop brings those along with it. ART, a brand-new Android runtime, is said to increase performance by up to 4x (note, that’s for the OS itself, not third-party apps or general performance), and now, there’s native support for 64-bit processors. With that, let’s hope that such devices become commonplace far quicker than they have on the desktop side of things.

Clearly, Lollipop isn’t a minor update, and admittedly, despite all I’ve written here, I’ve only taken the first few licks at it. If you want to learn about every last feature or enhancement that comes with 5.0, you can check out the official page (just click “See All Features” at the bottom).