The jump from Android 5.0 Lollipop to the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS version has been anticipated by users since the latter was rolled by Google late last year. However, owners of the HTC One M9 and One M8 models will not have to wait for long as an over-the-air (OTA) Android 6.0 update is set to arrive in the next few days.
Mo Versi, HTC's Vice President of Product Management, sent out a series of tweet over the weekend indicating that the HTC One M8 devices will soon begin receiving Marshmallow OS upgrades. He mentioned that January 25th is the target date for its dissemination.
The HTC executive further said that the more recent HTC One M9 phone on various carriers will also be updated. "Great news for our Sasktel, Rogers, Wind and Videotron HTC One M9 owners! We'll go live on Monday for the Marshmallow OS update. Thank you!" Versi tweeted on Saturday.
There is still no word on when the AT&T and Verizon variants of the said handsets will receive the firmware. However, reports suggest that the latest Android OS has finally made its way to Asian models of the HTC One M8. The Marshmallow update of the One M8 for Asian markets has a ROM version number 6.14.707.1, brings a number of bug fixes and improvement, and weighs a hefty 1.14GB.
The Taiwan-based consumer electronics company had earlier announced that the software would be pushed out to other devices in its lineup such as the One M9+, One A9, E9, E9+, ME, E8, One M8 Eye, Butterfly 3, Desire 816, Desire 820 and Desire 826 at some this year.
The Android 6.0 update specifically made for HTC devices will come with the new HTC Sense UI, Doze battery standby technology, and adaptive storage function that will allow users to expand their phone's storage, among others.
Furthermore, Android Headlines reports that telecom company Telus has just revised its Android M update schedule for a handful of smartphone models. The earliest one listed to arrive is for the 2015 edition of the Moto G on January 14. Users who got their HTC One M8 and M9 from the carrier should receive their Marshmallow update on January 18.
The next round of upgrades is set on February 1 for the LG G4 flagship. It is also the day when the new Nexus 6P device from Google and Huawei will get an update, but it will only be a small security update as it already runs on Android 6.0. Finally, Telus has scheduled both a Marshmallow and security update for the LG G3 on March 14. It the same device that Rogers is also showing as "Coming Soon."
Google's latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow brings with it several improvements, but one of the most significant is "Doze." It is a feature that extends a device's battery life by learning and adapting to users' app usage pattern to redirect power only to critical apps. Another practical feature is "Google Now on Tap." It is a context-based feature that works by showing search results relevant to the content shown on the device's screen at the time the search request is made.
