LONDON: Despite the seemingly self-assured cessation of the Google Play Edition program, there is always work to be done so that those who came before can stand tall today. On that note, Google has now begun offering an OTA update to last year’s LG G Pad 8.3 GPe which brings the device up to Lollipop 5.1 (Lollipop MR1) and is 204MB in size.
Carrier devices still aren’t getting Android 5.1, but Motorola said last week that its older phones from 2013 — the Moto X, G, and E — will bypass Android 5.0 and go right to the newer software. The company started pushing Android 5.1 to the Google Play Edition of the Moto G 2014 just yesterday. It’s going to take time for network operators to test the software before the carrier-branded versions receive it, however.
So what’s inside Android 5.1? Google addressed some of the issues found in Android 5.0, for sure, saying there are general stability and performance improvements. There are new features too.
Google added native support for multiple SIM cards in Android 5.1, likely due to its Android One project. Android One brings standardized hardware requirements to low-cost phones — think sub-$100 — for regions where multiple people share a single phone. This could help with dual-SIM phones used by employees though: One SIM for work calls and one for personal.
From a security perspective, Android 5.1 adds a Device Protection feature: lost or stolen devices stay locked until you sign in with your Google account. That’s handy for consumers and businesses who want to protect their locally stored data.
The new software should make those conference calls a little more enjoyable too.Android 5.1 adds HD Voice with wideband audio codecs, allowing for much clearer conversations on networks that support it. Joining a Wi-Fi network at the office or on the go gets a little easier as well: You can do so right from the Quick Settings screen in Android 5.1.
