Sources at Android Pit are stating that the next major update to Android 5.0 Lollipop will be coming in late February in the form of version 5.1.
"Our source has informed us that Android 5.1 will be launched by the end of February 2015, and a second, completely separate source that is also privy to important information regarding Android updates, confirmed it," the publication wrote. "Not only that, this is allegedly a rather large update with many interesting new features!"
The alleged changelog describes the addition of silent mode after it was missing from Android 5.0, improvement to the way the operating system manages RAM, improved battery management even further than was first introduced with 5.0, and a fix for more wi-fi connectivity problems that have still been plaguing Lollipop users since launch.
When the wi-fi launch bugs were ironed out with 5.01 and 5.02, a whole other set of problems rose up in regards to the excessive consumption of network devices, and 5.1 is said to fix that as well.
Plus, a fix for problems with the OK Google function are being addressed, as well as notfication glitches, sporatic sound issues, and what's only described as general improvements in system stability.
Material Design was first introduced to 5.0 as one of the platform's biggest selling points, allowing users to experience a more simplified and efficient user interface for their Android devices. But some users weren't satisfied with the available color palette, so 5.1 is said to add more choices and changes, although Android Pit's source indicates that this might be saved for a version higher than 5.1.
Android 5.0 Lollipop was first introduced in November as the latest major update to the Android mobile OS platform, adding increased battery life, an improved notification system, and most importantly, the new Material Design user interface mentioned above.
So far, Google has only rolled the Lollipop update out to a select few devices, including those from Motorola, LG, and its own Nexus phones and tablets, but many more are scheduled to be updated this year. Several manufacturers, including Samsung, HTC, and Sony, have all said that they expect their devices to see Lollipop in the first few months of the year, so it could be any day now.
In light of this 5.1 update news, some publications, including Android Pit, are even starting speculation on what we could see with Android 6.0. The long wish list includes Material Design 2.0, laser keyboards, highly sensitive handwriting recognition, a much longer battery life in the scope of two or three days, better energy efficiency with dark color palettes, native quick settings customization, and more.
One feature that is understandably frustrating to Android users and surprising to those coming straight from Apple's iOS platform is the delay and fragmentation of new Android patch releases for different devices. If Google could find a way to solve that, we're sure many Android users would rejoice.
