HTC One M7 Google Play Edition (GPE) and Motorola DROID Turbo are the latest smartphones to enjoy Google's first maintenance release (M1) for Lollipop. HTC's vice president for product management Mo Versi announced via Twitter that Android 5.1 Lollipop update has been made available to One M7 GPE. However, One M7's Android skin version will not move on from Android 5.0.
Android 5.1 Lollipop update will be delivered to One M7 GPE by the OEM through Google's infrastructure, but it is up to HTC to put together drivers and the OS.
On February 17, Versi teased on Twitter the Android 5.1 Lollipop update will be coming up this month. A follower asked Versi regarding bug fixes for GPE owners. In a response tweet, he said: ""It'll be tied to Google's next MR, which is in March."
Due to Android 5.0's fixes, Mo Versi wrote in HTC's website: "We've been working hard in the labs with Google and our carrier partners ever since the code release and are making great progress so far." Reports suggest then that it might be an Android 5.0.2 coming up.
Android 5.1 Lollipop first came to Google's budget Android One phones exclusively distributed in Indonesia and the Philippines.
Meanwhile, Motorola DROID Turbo will also be directly receiving the update, passing over Android 5.0. According to Motorola's software engineer Luciano Carvalho, Verizon demanded the jump along with a VoLTE or HD voice calling support. The native VoLTE support built into Android 5.1 Lollipop reduces bugs related to the service.
Google first released Android 5.1 Lollipop other than Android One on devices Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7, Nexus 9, and Nexus 10 and Motorola Moto G, Moto E, and Moto X.
Android 5.1 Lollipop also brings Device Anti-Theft, new screen pinning and Quick Settings, mute mode and more.
With Device Anti-Theft, lost or stolen device will stay locked until owner's registered Google account signs in. The phone will also remain locked even if someone resets the device to factory settings. Reportedly, this will be integrated with Lollipop's full disk encryption feature.
The revamped screen pinning feature gives users easier instructions when scrolling up to see the Pin icon.
The Quick Settings has been tweaked with minor changes wherein each icon here becomes 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.
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