Last month, Motorola had begun Android 5.0 Lollipop soak test for Moto G (Gen 2) in India. Now the American company has initiated the same process for the first generation model.
The company has begun sending out invites via Google Gmail to select Motorola Feedback network members who own Moto G (Gen 1) to participate in the new software preview test in India, reported Android Central.
[Note: Motorola is sending invites only to select users who are currently active on Motorola Owners' Forum. New users are also welcomed to join the club as well and if lucky, you might also get the soak test invite.]
For the uninitiated, soak test is an initiation to check for bugs and if no issues are reported in the consumers' feedback log, the company will officially begin mass software update roll-out across all regions.
If history is taken as any indication, then Motorola is likely to release the new Android 5.0 Lollipop to both the Moto G models (Gen 2 and Gen 1) update before the end of December or in early January.
[Also read: Motorola Moto G (Gen 2) to get Android 5.0 Lollipop Update in India Soon]
If Moto G (Gen 1) owners are getting the update notifications, then select - "Yes, I'm in" option >> then, after downloading, select >> "Install now." The phone will restart automatically and the OS will be updated.
It has to be noted that OS update is rolled out in phases, it will take some time to reach all regions.
Users can also check manually by going to Settings >> About phone >> System update.
The company is slated to release new Google mobile OS to Motorola device - Moto X Gen 2, Moto X Gen 1, and Moto E as well. Motorola has already opened an official Android 5.0 Lollipop tracking webpage [HERE] to assist esteemed Motorola device owners to keep a tab on OS update release details.
Here is the official change-log details of Android 5.0 Lollipop for Moto series devices, which was released in the USA:
| Material Design | You will quickly notice a whole new colorful look and feel to your device - from fluid animations to new application and system themes, colors and widgets. |
| Notifications UI & Priorities | In order to alert you to the most timely and relevant information, the format and behavior 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 personalize 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 lock screen. 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 settings to control when you don't want to be disturbed. Motorola Assist also now uses the new Interruptions settings so that you can customize 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 | You can now set up multiple user accounts on your phone. Guest mode is enabled by default. You can give calling and text privileges to other users of your device, or restrict them as you like in the Users menu under Settings.Note that the personalized Motorola experiences (Motorola Assist, Motorola Connect) are for the owner account only.The Motorola Camera, Motorola Gallery, and Motorola FM Radio applications support multiple user accounts. |
| 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 optimize application performance. After upgrading to Lollipop, your applications will undergo a one-time optimization process. Note that the optimization 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. |
| Security | Encryption can now use a stronger 256-bit key to help protect your data. Note that the stronger key will only be used after you perform a factory reset on Android Lollipop. Otherwise encryption will continue to use 128-bit key. You can turn on encryption in the Security settings menu |
