Major mobile carriers in the U.S. T-Mobile and Sprint have just announced last Monday that Android 5.1 Lollipop update is now available to its Nexus 5 devices.
T-Mobile's and Sprint's support pages for Nexus 5 show the first Lollipop maintenance release of Google will be offered via over-the-air (OTA) installation with Wi-Fi. Although the update has been announced that it will be available via a cellular connection on a later date for T-Mobile, the carrier assures waiting fans that the update is right at the touch of a screen. T-Mobile's Nexus 4 smartphone and Nexus 7 (2013) tablet are also scheduled with the same update.
Meanwhile, Sprint has made available today the Android 5.1 Lollipop update for its Nexus 6 phablet. According to Sprint's support page, users must be aware that the update comes in stages, which will cause the update to completely arrive after several days.
To manually check the update, here's a good way to go.
1. Tap All Apps from the home screen.
2. Tap System.
3. Tap About phone.
4. Read the version of the devise to continue.
The update is 222mb. Make sure the phone has 55 percent battery life.
Android 5.1 Lollipop fixes several issues in 5.0 and brings in new impressive features. Android's official blog site showcases unnamed performance and stability improvements and bug fixes.
The device's protection is heightened with its Activation Lock feature. Lost or stolen device will remain locked until owner's registered Google account signs in, even if someone else resets the device to factory settings. Reportedly, this will be integrated with Lollipop's full disk encryption feature.
High Definition voice calling feature gives crystal clear calling between compatible T-Mobile and Verizon Nexus 6 devices. However, T-Mobile's Des Smith confirmed in a tweet that Wi-Fi calling will be a separate update, not included in the 5.1 OTA.
Screen pinning gives users revamped and easier instructions when scrolling up to see the Pin icon. The check box to ask for a PIN or security pattern lives in the App Pinning menu in Settings > Security regardless of enabling lock screen security. This feature was originally made to make it easier to lock kids or guest users into a particular app which was a bit confusing in the previous update.
The update provides improvements like the facility to join Wi-Fi networks and control of paired Bluetooth devices right from the Quick Settings.
Tweaks in the Quick Settings make each icon here animated when tapping it. With the new Quick Settings, easier hopping between Wi-Fi access points and Bluetooth devices can be made with the new dropdown arrows.
The traditional Mute mode has been removed from the latest update. Access to Interruptions menu is now made possible for music and videos playing. Simply tap the new Bell icon on the right and the volume slider will expand out into the familiar Non/Priority/All menu.
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