It's been more than five months since Motorola began Android Lollipop soak-test on Moto G (1stGen) in the USA, now the firmware has been finally released to the public en masse.
Technology blog Phandroid has confirmed that 2013 model Moto G (GSM) owners have begun receiving Android 5.0.2 Lollipop OTA (Over-The-Air) update notification on the devices.
The new update is expected to bring completely new design language ― 'Material design' ― bringing an interactive user interface, animation graphics, replacement of Dalvik with ART as its default runtime, which will bring improvement in performance and battery-life enhancements.
[Also read: Android 5.0 Lollipop: Top Key Features of New Google Mobile OS]
For the uninitiated, Motorola released the Lollipop update to Moto G (1 Gen & 2 Gen) in Brazil and India back in January. The company is expected to deploy new v5.1 firmware very soon.
[Read More: Android 5.0 Lollipop OTA Update Now Seeding to Moto G (Gen 1 and Gen 2) in India]
In a related development, Motorola has begun Android 5.1 Lollipop soak-test on the 2013 flagship smartphone Moto X (1st Gen). In April, Motorola had decided to stall the v5.0.2 Lollipop preview testing and start over the process with v5.1 to Moto X.
[Read more: Why Motorola Skipped Android v5.0.2 Lollipop to v5.1 for Moto X (2013) ]
How to install Android 5.0.2 Lollipop update on Moto G (1st Gen) via OTA:
If users are getting update notifications:
- Select "Yes, I'm in".
- After the software is downloaded, select "Install now".
- After the software is installed, your phone will re-start automatically.
- Your phone is now updated.
Since the roll-out process is carried out in phases, so it will take some time, probably a week to reach all corners of the country
Until then, follow these steps to manually check for update on your phone:
- Select the Settings icon in the apps menu.
- Select "About phone".
- Select "System updates".
- Select "Yes, I'm in". After the software is downloaded, select "Install now".
- After the software is installed, your phone will re-start automatically.
- Your phone is now updated.
Here is the official change-log of Android 5.0.2 Lollipop update on Moto G (1st Gen):
| Material Design | You will quickly notice a whole new colourful look and feel to your device - from fluid animations to new application and system themes, colours and widgets. |
| Notifications UI & Priorities | In order to alert you to the most timely and relevant information, the format and behaviour of notifications have evolved:
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| New Interruptions & Downtime Settings | You can tailor how interruptions behave, choosing to allow all, none, or only priority interruptions. You can personalise what counts as a priority interruption (reminders, events, calls, messages) and even tailor them to be from only contacts you specify. The Downtime setting will allow only priority interruptions during the times and days that you specify. e.g. allow only priority interruptions on the weekend. |
| Recent Apps (Multi-tasking) | The redesigned Overview space (formerly called Recents) will include both applications and separate activities within those applications. For instance, each open tab in Chrome will also appear here along with recent applications; both your Gmail Inbox and a draft email message will appear as separate cards. This provides a consistent way to switch amongst tasks. |
| Ambient Display | While your phone's display is off, Ambient Display can show notifications without turning on the full display. This will be triggered when a notification arrives. You will see notifications similar to that shown on the lockscreen. You can turn this feature on in the Display menu in Settings, and note that it will increase the power consumption of your device |
| Motorola Assist and Downtime | Motorola Assist integrates the new Downtime feature within Android Lollipop to control when you don't want to be disturbed. Motorola Assist also now uses the new Interruptions settings so that you can customise exceptions, such as letting only people on your starred contacts list get through. |
| Flashlight | Lollipop includes a new flashlight option as part of Quick settings (swipe down with two fingers from the status bar to see it). |
| Share your Device |
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| Pin a view/app | Screen pinning allows you to keep a specific app or screen in view. For example, you can 'pin' a game and your child will not be able to navigate anywhere else on your phone. |
| Battery | The battery settings panel now shows an estimated projection for how much time you have left while discharging or charging. You can also enable a new battery saver mode that will save power by reducing performance and most background data operations to extend your battery life. |
| Smarter Internet Connections | With Android Lollipop, your phone will not connect to a Wi-Fi access point unless there is a verified Internet connection. This feature improves hand-offs between Wi-Fi and cellular connections, helping to maintain your video chat or voice-over-IP (VoIP) call as you switch. |
| Performance | Your phone now uses the new Android Runtime to help optimise application performance. After upgrading to Lollipop, your applications will undergo a one-time optimisation process. Note that the optimisation for ART requires more space. |
| Smart Lock (Trusted Devices) |
Android Lollipop adds native support for allowing trusted devices to keep your phone unlocked (such as your Moto 360, a Bluetooth car kit or headset, etc.). Smart Lock replaces the prior trusted device capability in your Motorola phone. Note that you will need to add your trusted devices back after the transition to Lollipop in the Security settings menu under Smart Lock. |
