The Android N might just be a few months from happening but the latest official version of the Android – the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow – has just arrived on most Samsung mobile devices and one HTC smartphone, reports Neowin.
Based on statistics, only 7.5% of Android devices in the world have taken on the Android 6.0 Marshmallow since it officially rolled out in October last year. Of the 7.5%, Samsung accounts for the biggest number since the Korean tech giant happens to be the world’s largest Android vendor.
Thus, it no longer came as a surprise that when a firmware update to the Android 6.0 Marshmallow was officially unveiled, the Samsung mobile devices were among the firsts to receive it. The update also arrived on one HTC midrange smartphone.
Among the Samsung mobile devices to have started receiving the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow firmware updates include the 9.7-inch Galaxy Tab A, the Galaxy S6, the Galaxy S6 Edge, the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, the Galaxy S5 LTE-A, the Galaxy S5 Sport, the Galaxy Note 4, and the Galaxy Note Edge, details Yibada.
Just last week, the Korean tech giant officially unveiled a 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab A and it came already pre-loaded with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow.
There are also reports saying that the latest Android update will be coming very soon to the Galaxy A7, the Galaxy A8, the Galaxy Alpha, and the Galaxy Tab S2.
There is still no word yet as to when the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow will officially roll out to the latest Samsung flagship devices including the Galaxy S7, the Galaxy S7 Edge, and the smartphones on its very popular Galaxy J series.
There is also a bit of surprise in the rollout of the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow as it also came out on the HTC Desire 820 and in no other HTC mobile devices thus far.
Users of HTC Desire 820 should regularly check the Settings menu of their phone to know whether the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow update is already available in their area of the world or still not.
Coming in waves
As expected, the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow is coming out in waves so it may take some time before the update is available for all eligible devices. The update is reportedly 1.45GB in size.
Thus far, the updates have already been rolled out in South Korea, France, the US, but it is expected that it will also happen in the rest of the world in a matter of days.
There are reports saying that the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow update under American telco AT&T comes with several changes including the removal of apps such as FB Messenger, AT&T Live, and Keeper from the firmware. The YP Mobile and AT&T Mail have also been shifted to Virtual Preload.
The latest Marshmallow update also brings features including the Google Now on Tap, Runtime Permissions, and Doze to the mobile devices.
Relatively fresh from the firmware update
Although the Android 6.0 Marshmallow officially came out in October, it only arrived in Samsung devices beginning in February this year so the arrival of the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow happened barely three months after the major firmware update.
Google even worked with Samsung back then to hasten the update of the Android 6.0 Marshmallow on the latter’s devices.
The new features of the core Android 6.0 Marshmallow update included revamped app permissions; Google Now on Tap feature; new Chrome feature that will change the Web links; and Android Pay mobile payment system.
It also sports a new fingerprint API for developers to add into their apps; new Silent feature for sound and vibrate mode as well as a ‘Do Not Disturb’ feature to block all sounds, and battery saver features called Doze that will make Android devices smart about managing power.
The mobile OS is described as a more refined version of the Lollipop which also indicates that Google has also grown with the times. It is a bold rebranding similar to a young kid transforming into an adolescent.