Android Lollipop 5.0, the latest version of Google's operating system for mobile devices, is now being rolled out to Android devices.
One of the latest devices to receive the Android 5.0 Lollipop update is the second-generation Motorola Moto X smartphone under the U.S. Cellular service.
The update, which will be for the 2014 model of the Moto X and not for its 2013 version, will introduce new features with the updated operating system including the implementation of the Material Design style user interface. Material Design will be featured through updated to visual components of the operating system, including notifications in the lock screen of the smartphone, more vivid and bolder use of color in the user interface and better-looking animations.
The second-generation Moto X for U.S. Cellular subscribers is not the last version of the smartphone to be receiving the update. However, the unlocked versions of the 2014 Moto X, along with the versions sold under Verizon Wireless and in the United Kingdom, have already previously received the Android 5.0 Lollipop update.
Once updating their Android operating system, users of 2014 Moto X smartphones should see a bit longer battery life for the device, in addition to improved tools that will assist in extending the life of the smartphone's battery throughout each day.
Another feature receiving a tweak with the Android update is the app switcher, receiving the new name of "overview space" per its previously name of "recents." The feature, in addition to listing the apps that have been recently opened by the user, also shows all the activities that were associated with each of those apps, such as several open browsing tabs in the Google Chrome Internet browser.
Another welcomed new feature is the addition of a flashlight to the smartphone, located under the quick settings of the interface. The helpful feature, which was already previously integrated into the iOS operating system for Apple's mobile devices, now comes to Android-powered devices.
The Android 5.0 Lollipop update also brings the new features named Downtime and Ambient Display, in addition to device sharing and the ability to keep the smartphone unlocked as seen as a "trusted device," which would function when a device such as the Moto 360 smartwatch or a Bluetooth-powered headset draws close to the location of the 2014 Moto X.
The update is already being rolled out to U.S. Cellular second-generation Moto X owners through a download of a software package with a size of 400MB. Users may want to make sure that the smartphone has enough free space and a sufficient battery life to make sure that the update goes smoothly.
