Slowly but surely, Marshmallow is coming to more Android devices. The latest recipients are the 2014 Moto X (2nd-gen) in Brazil and the 2015 Moto X Style (3rd-gen) also in Brazil in India. These two key markets are important because Moto X phones are very popular there. Motorola’s Senior Director for Software Product Management David Schuster proudly announced on his Google+ page that the updates are ready to be deployed for certain channels and devices.
We expected that Moto phones will be the first ones to get any update from the Android team. However, release isn’t for everybody yet. Don’t be frustrated if you don’t see the latest update on your phone but don’t worry as it will be pushed anytime soon. Wait for that over-the-air (OTA) notification before you can update the phone and enjoy the new features like improved volume controls, new Memory Manager, and contextual information on Google Now on Tap.
This Android 6.0 Marshmallow upgrade brings a lot of new features and enhancements to the latest mobile platform. On the quick settings panel, the ‘Do not disturb’ button has been added so you can easily access it whenever you need peace and quiet. To check memory usage of installed apps, there’s a new Memory Manager for the information you need. To further customize your UI, there’s the System UI Tuner added to the settings menu.
Another feature is the Doze mode that helps preserve battery. The phone will automatically doze off whenever device is idle already. By dozing off it means phone will turn off unnecessary background processes to fully optimizer power and save battery. Another battery-saving feature is the ‘App Standby’ that helps reduce battery drain. Those apps that are seldom used are not shut down but sent into a reduced activity state according to Google.
Of course, new App Permissions model is included so users have more control over what the apps can share. Permissions previously granted to apps can be modified right on the settings menu. You can also modify permissions by type. Meanwhile, App Links’ actions can be set to ‘Open in this app’, ‘Ask every time’, or ‘Don’t open this app’.
When it comes to expandable storage, microSD cards can now be used in internal storage or portable storage mode. The ‘Google Now on Tap’ feature brings contextual information to be sent based on what’s showing on your screen. For those who like to share files within apps or to contacts, the Direct Share features enables easy sharing with the share icon. You’ll see this within a particular app and then a list of contacts will be displayed, choose one, then send.
If you receive an OTA message that update is ready, just choose “Yes, I’m in”, then select “Install now”. Phone will automatically restart after installation is successful.
To manually check if update is ready, go to Settings> About phone> System updates> Select “Yes, I’m in” then “Install Now”.
SOURCE: David Schuster, Motorola
