Google releases WebView for Lollipop devices to the Play Store
Google fairly recently released a WebView app to the Play Store in a beta state so they could begin updating it independently from major Android updates. The newer versions of WebView let apps render web pages without having to jump to an external browser like Chrome, keeping things neatly packed together instead of using several apps and instances. It’s only available on Lollipop, but sadly, that’s how some newer features are.
Today, that WebView app has ditched the beta tag and is available in the Play Store, ready for regular updates. It’s still only compatible with Android 5.0 and up, but hopefully your device won’t have to wait too much longer to get the update, if you haven’t gotten it already.
Hit the link below to install it on your Lollipop smartphone or tablet.
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Android 5.1 Lollipop Announced. Keep on Licking.
Long gestating in the hearts of minds of the Android faithful, today Google officially announced the update for Android Lollipop to version 5.1. No more extra decimal points for you.
The update, announced via the official Android blog by VP of Android Platform David Burke, brings with it a number of subtle refinements aside from the usual stability and performance improvements. Android 5.1 actually allows the use of more than one SIM card on devices with multiple SIM slots. The image above shows an example of this at work, giving the user a choice of which phone line to use to make a call. Pretty nifty.
Device Protection will allow a lost or stolen device to remain locked until one signs in with a Google account, even if a ne’er-do-well attempts to perform a factory reset.
Another new addition is high definition voice calling on compatible devices. The Android team doesn’t specify, but we assume this is voice carried over data and not the usual cellular connection. But we could be wrong.
Bluetooth connections will now be able to be managed directly from Quick Settings. No longer will you need to go through a whopping two levels of UI to reach those precious connections. But really, it’ll be nice to have that in the forefront.
Surely other updates will come to light as 5.1 starts rolling out, presumably first to Nexus devices, but sometimes other manufacturers, like Motorola, even manage to beat Google to the punch.
Let us know if you get an upgrade notification. Google’s notice says that “today” they are “rolling out” a new version of Android, but it’s unclear whether that means “rolling out” in the sense of a big reveal or actual OTA updates. So just hit your “Check for Updates” button over and over and over until something happens.
Source: Official Android Blog
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Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE-A (SM-G906S) getting the Lollipop update
With most variants of the Samsung Galaxy S5 now getting the Android 5.0 update, the manufacturer’s LTE-A variant in Asia is not far away from getting an update as the company has seemingly begun the rollout.
The carriers are believed to be seeding the update to the SM-G906S variant of the Galaxy S5 LTE-A, which is mostly available in South Korea. As far as the changes are concerned, we shouldn’t expect a lot different compared to what we saw on the Galaxy S5 Lollipop update a few weeks ago.
The update introduces the build number, G906SKSU1BOB8, so make a note of that if you’re about to receive the update. It might take a while to appear on your device, depending on your location and carrier, so don’t lose patience if you don’t see the notification right away on your handset.
There are some subtle Material Design features in tow here, so you will see quite a few differences coming from Android 4.4. The update should be available as an OTA over the coming days, but make sure you keep checking the settings to see if an update is available for download manually.
Via: Sam Mobile
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T-Mobile customers with the HTC One (M7) to get Lollipop on March 10
This Tuesday, owners of the HTC One (M7) from T-Mobile will see a software update arrive on their handsets. Mo Versi, HTC Vice President of Product Management, announced on Twitter that the Lollipop update is coming on March 10. The over-the-air (OTA) update received technical approval from the carrier which allowed its rollout to be scheduled.
Source: @moversi (Twitter)
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Only Sony’s Xperia Z series will get Android 5.0 Lollipop
We have disappointing news for owners of Sony devices that do not belong to the Xperia Z series. Over the last few days, the company has responded to customers on Twitter wondering if their devices would be receiving the Android 5.0 software update. Sony will not be pushing Lollipop to devices other than its flagship series for some reason.
This was the most consistent response:
Hi. We can advise that the Android 5.0 Lollipop update is going to be released for the entire Xperia Z series only, we do apologise.
As Xperia Blog notes, there are many devices that Sony will be leaving out. Devices such as the Xperia C3, E1, E3, M2, M2 Aqua, T2 Ultra, and T3 are all among the devices from Sony to not get Android 5.0 Lollipop.
Sony should really start reevaluating its position in the mobile industry.
Via: Xperia Blog
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Sprint Galaxy Note 4 now getting Android 5.0 Lollipop
Listen up Sprint Galaxy Note 4 owners…..You are about to get Lollipop. Sprint started pushing the update over-the-air, but you know the drill……It could take literally 2 weeks or more until you get yours since it rolls out in stages. Yes, you can keep tapping, Check for Updates, but trust me when I say that it won’t do a thing other than make you feel like you think you are speeding things up.
You might not want the update so fast anyway because a lot of people are reporting bugs after Lollipop updates on various other phones. Let us know if you received the update and if you’re having any issues.
Thanks to the many of you that sent this in.
source: Sprint
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Sony’s Xperia Z3 is seen running Lollipop at MWC (Video)
Lately, it seems that everyone is getting an Android 5.0 Lollipop update on their smartphones, there are even rumours that Android 5.1 might be rolling out to Nexus devices in the next few days. Even Samsung has been pretty speedy with updates to its older phones, with the Indian Note 3 being the latest to receive Lollipop. This isn’t any comfort to Sony Xperia Z3 owners though, as they are still on the waiting list of devices to receive the update. There may be cause for hope however according to this video (after the break) taken at Sony’s MWC booth shows a Z3 handset running Android 5.0.2, while the narrator says that the Z3 Compact was also seen running Lollipop.
As you can see in the video below, the Xperia Z3 appears pretty slick as the narrator navigates through the menus, showing off the various Lollipop features. The UI appears to adhere to the Material Design guidelines almost entirely. If, like me, you don’t understand Italian, remember to turn the subtitles/captions feature on in YouTube and have the captions translated into your language of choice. So, there’s some hope on the horizon, surely Sony won’t make Z3 and Z3 Compact owners wait too much longer for the Lollipop update.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Source: Spaziotech
Via: PhoneArena
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Indian variant of Galaxy Note 3 (N900) is beginning to receive Android 5.0 Lollipop OTA
Samsung’s Galaxy note 3 is in the process of receiving its Android 5.0 Lollipop update around the world, with the T-Mobile version beginning to receive its OTA just a few hours ago. Now we have news of the Indian variant (N900) getting its first taste of Lollipop.
The Lollipop update is available via OTA and Samsung Kies software.This means you can choose to go into Settings/ About Device/ Software updates to manual nudge your handset into searching for the update. Or you can hook your Note 3 up to your PC and update it using the Kies software. You could also choose to update the handset manually, by downloading the update (click the source link) from Sammobile and installing it via the Odin application on your PC. Needless to say, we would rather recommend updating via OTA or Kies just to avoid any mishaps unless you are experienced in using Odin.
Source: Sammobile
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Samsung starts rolling out Lollipop update for Galaxy S4′s in the UK
Samsung has finally started rolling out the long-awaited Lollipop update to unlocked models of the Galaxy S4 located in the United Kingdom. This upgrade brings the latest version of the Android operating system, together with a multitude of new features, bug fixes and stability improvements to your handset.
The full changelog can be seen below:
- Android 5.0 Lollipop update
- Lock screen and Notification: New Lollipop UI style with enhanced privacy features
- Recent apps: Support multiple pages
- Addition of search function within settings
To start the upgrade, make sure you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network. Then, from the home screen, press the Menu key, followed by Settings. Scroll to the bottom and tap ‘About Device’, followed by ‘Software Update and ‘Update Now’.
Alternatively, if you don’t feel like waiting for the OTA, you could always download a copy of the ROM and flash it on to your device using the ODIN tool for PC. We highly recommend that you only attempt to install this software, in this manner, if you’ve had some previous side-loading experience, otherwise you could render your unit useless.
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Android distribution for this month shows Lollipop on 3.3% of devices
The latest distribution of Android was published earlier today and it shows that Lollipop has reached 3.3% of devices with Google’s operating system. This is an increase from January when Lollipop was not able to be registered, so it took the current version of Android about 3-4 months to become noteworthy. The most commonly found version is still Android 4.4 KitKat with 40.9% of the distribution. All of the other versions, with the exception of Android 2.2 Froyo, are continuing to fall.
Source: Android Developers
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