The much-anticipated Android 5.0 Lollipop has a release date of Nov. 3, a date that was revealed in a note to developers.
There are a number of reasons for users to update to the latest Android operating system.
When Google unveiled what was then simply known as "Android L," it was adamant about its new design language, called "Material Design." This design language makes extensive use of animations and layers to deliver a much more intuitive experience. Basically, Android 5.0 Lollipop will feature more movements and will be much more uniform across Android devices in general, including phones, tablets, in-car systems, TVs, and more.
Notifications in Android 5.0 Lollipop have also gotten some much-needed improvements. A device will now rank notifications based on what it thinks are most important. Users will also be able to change how often notifications are delivered to them and will be able to only let certain people contact them.
Security is also a focus for Google in Android Lollipop. Data encryption is now the default for users, preventing data from being stolen or hacked into. It's important to note that data encryption itself is not a new feature on Android Lollipop, but that it being the default option is what's new.
Another much needed and exciting feature of Android 5.0 Lollipop is its battery-saving features. Developers will be able to tweak their apps so they don't take up as much battery juice and a new power-saving feature reportedly allows users to get a whopping 90 minutes of extra time out of their device.
Other smaller features of Android Lollipop include the ability to lock the phone to one particular app in case a friend needs to borrow your phone to make a call but will probably try to post a humorous Facebook status in the process. Android will also now include Chrome tabs in the main app switcher, allowing users to more easily move between different apps and tabs.
Unfortunately, not everyone will be able to update to the new version of Android. While users of Google's Nexus devices will get the update fairly quickly, as well as Motorola users, users of other devices may have to wait a while or may not get the update at all.
HTC has said that users of the HTC One M8 and M7 will get the update within 90 days of the release of the software. However, other manufacturers have kept rather silent about their plans.
