The much awaited Android L release was introduced earlier last month during Google I/O technology event and now the fans are eagerly waiting for the new Android iteration to hit their devices. Even though Google didn’t officially reveal when the Android 5.0 L update for Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7, Nexus 10, and other supported devices will be released for the public, we can make estimations based on the company’s previous releases.
The Android 5.0 L release is no doubt the biggest update Google’s mobile operating system has seen since its debut back in 2008. The first thing you’ll notice is probably the new Material Design philosophy which aims to make the interface more intuitive with the help of 3D effects and shadows.
The Android 5.0 L notifications and lock screen have also suffered important changes. The lock screen is now accommodating your notifications and you will be able to interact with them as soon as you pick your smartphone up. Google has also found a clever way to prioritize the notifications you interact with more frequently. The notification bar has been redesigned and the Quick Settings button has vanished. Now, the Quick Settings menu is located one swipe down away from the notification bar. In order to access Quick Settings you will have to swipe down once to bring up notifications, then swipe once more to show Quick Settings toggles.
Quick Settings also introduces “Adaptive Brightness” instead of Auto Brightness, rotation lock shortcut, Do Not Disturb Mode, and it seems that the Android L Developer Preview code also hides some clues about the possibility of changing the Quick Settings toggles.
The status bar will now change color to match the action bar of the app running on the screen, while being transparent in the home and lock screens. The Android 5.0 L multitasking received a new interface that is a reminiscent of the Chrome for Android card-based tabs page. Besides receiving a makeover, the Android 5.0 L multitasking also allows apps to display more than one card.
The new Android iteration also introduces ART instead of the obsolete Dalvik runtime, support for 64-bit processors, USB audio-out, search within Settings menu, and enhanced battery life.
Even though the Mountain View-based company didn’t reveal when the Android 5.0 L update for Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10 will be released, we strongly believe we will get to see it in flesh sometime mid-fall. So far, Google released two Android updates a year, one in the summer and one mid-fall.
Android L was officially previewed at Google I/O this summer and the Developer Preview is already available for both Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 2013. From now on, Google will probably adopt an Apple-like strategy, intruding new Android iterations developer previews during I/O then make them available for the public in the fall. We are expecting the final version of Android 5.0 L to be released sometime in October, synchronized with the debut of a new Nexus device.
Even though it was rumored that the Nexus program will be discontinued, one of Google’s officials dismissed the rumors. Reports in the industry are talking of an 8.9-inch Nexus tablet manufactured by HTC and codenamed Volantis. If the rumors are to be believed, the tablet will pack a 64-bit enabled Tegra K1 processor, 3 GB of RAM, 8 MP rear-facing camera, 3 MP secondary shooter, and “aluminium zero-gap” construction.
After the Android 5.0 L update for Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10 will be officially released, the new firmware will also be released for the members of the Google Play Experience tribe in a matter of weeks. Motorola might be one of the first OMEs to update their smartphones to Android 5.0. Furthermore, HTC announce they will update both One M7 and One M8 to Android L within 90 days after they receive the final version from Google.
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