Android 5.0 coming to existing Nexus devices ‘in the coming weeks’ – Update 2
Google says Android 5.0 Lollipop, the new version of the operating system that will run by default on the new Nexus 6 and 9, will also be released “in the coming weeks” for the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10. Friday ‘preview’ versions and a new sdk will be released.
The next version of Android, of which a developer preview was released earlier this year, has been christened by Google Lollipop. Google always names Android versions after some kind of candy. Android Lollipop will be made available to a number of Nexus devices via an over the air update sometime “in the coming weeks”; the two-year-old Nexus 4 was not mentioned at first, but Google has still promised to provide this device with Lollipop. At the release, Google always puts so-called system images online and also releases the source code.
Android Lollipop is visually built around new design guidelines, which Google calls ‘Material Design’. Apps are divided into different visual layers, each containing depth information. This information is used in animations so that parts of the interface can move independently of each other and can move over each other. Google wants to use Material Design not only for Android, but also for other products. Lollipop will not only run on phones, but will also serve as the basis for new versions of Android Wear and Android TV.
In addition to a new interface, Android L contains many new features and APIs; Google calls it its most ambitious release to date. One of the biggest changes is the new notification system. Notifications can now be displayed on the lockscreen and it is also possible to show notifications as a small popup above the running app. Via a priority mode, users can set that only notifications from certain people or apps may generate a vibration or sound signal.
Another big new feature is ART, which stands for Android Runtime. It will replace the current Dalvik Virtual Machine, which has so far been used to run Android apps written in Java. According to Google, ART should make apps run faster and smoother, up to two times faster than Dalvik. In addition, ART is 64-bit compatible with full support for the ARMv8 and x86-64 instruction sets.
In Android 5.0, encryption of user data will be enabled automatically. The encryption keys are stored on the device itself. Android has long provided the ability to encrypt entire flash storage, but users had to manually enable it. Google can therefore not give investigation services access to Android L devices.
Additional new features include a battery saver mode, a new camera API, the ability to create multiple accounts, an option to bypass the screen lock when the phone or tablet is connected to a trusted bluetooth device, and – devices that have the necessary hardware for it – the ability to wake up a device by tapping the screen twice.
Update 19:35: Nexus 4 will get the update anyway, the article adjusted accordingly.
Update 20:41: google gives Friday ‘preview’ versions of the Android 5.0 software available. Then a new SDk will also be available, which developers can use to develop apps with the latest APIs.