Now that Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS has begun to land on recent flagship devices, more models are starting to receive updates for Marshmallow's slightly older sibling, Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. The rugged version of Samsung's 2015 flagship, the Galaxy S6 Active, along with the Galaxy E7 and Motorola's 2014 Moto G, are among them.
The Galaxy S6 Active was released on June 2015, a few months after the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge arrived. It has been lingering at version 5.0.2 for quite some time. AT&T finally decided to offer users of the device a much awaited Lollipop upgrade. The US carrier is currently sending out an over-the-air (OTA) for Android 5.1.1 with build number G890AUCU3BOJE.
Once the upgrade has finished, owners of the Samsung smartphone on AT&T will be able to enjoy Samsung Pay along with all the other perks that the OS update will bring. Samsung Pay is the South Korean company's own version of the virtual payment service that competes with the Apple Pay and Google's Android Pay.
Apart from the build number, Samsung has not provided any other detail for the OS update on its support page. However, avid Android fans may already know that the software bump will carry over a list of improvements to performance, stability, and battery life. It is also intended to secure devices against the recent Stagefright vulnerability.
Another Samsung model is also slated to get version 5.1.1. This time, it is the 5.5-inch mid-ranger Samsung Galaxy E7. The device was released in February 2015 and has been running Android 4.4.4 KitKat. There are reports that users of the device in India have already received OTA updates for Android 5.1.1. The OS arrived with build number E700HXXU1BOJ7 and released for units with model number SM-E700H model device. If recent trends are to be consulted, an OS roll out to a particular region signals that wider distribution is about to be implemented.
Furthermore, a device from Motorola is also currently on the receiving end of Google's Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update. The second generation Moto G models tied to Verizon are now getting the OS upgrade. The device, released in 2014, is one of the Lenovo-owned company's best-selling smartphones, and this software bump will certainly satisfy some users.
Among the new features that 2nd gen Moto G owners can look forward to including the user-friendly Material Design, Ambient Display, new notifications and a new flashlight option that they can find at the Quick Settings panel. Meanwhile, Motorola-specific features such as Motorola Assist and Downtime will also be integrated.
Once the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update is available for the aforementioned models, a notification will appear prompting users to begin the download and installation process. Otherwise, they can manually check if the OS is ready by navigating to Settings > System > About Device > Software Update > Check for Updates.
