Android 5.1.1 Lollipop Release Date Updates for Motorola Moto G 1st Gen, 2nd Gen, 3rd Gen; Moto E 2013 & 2014

Aug 19, 2015 06:15 PM EDT

The big question when it comes to Motorola phones, particularly from the Moto series, is when Android 5.1.1 will be coming.  There have been numerous reports on the status of Android 5.1.1, and this is the latest report as applies to the first and second generations of the Moto G (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Generation) and the Moto E (2013 and 2014 version) from such carriers like AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and US Cellular.

According to Neurogadget, the biggest hang-up for users of the Moto phones is Stagefright.   If you are not familiar with Stagefright, it is a glitch that has affected a lot of Android devices, not just the ones form Motorola. 

Stagefright allows hackers to operate your device by sending an MMS to you.  This MMS message comes in the form of a catchy video, one that you will be tempted to open.  Once it is opened, your device will be suddenly infected.  This is what is causing the hold-up on a lot of Android devices, like the LG and various Nexus devices.  Samsung, who probably gets out their rollouts the fastest, is also having equal problems with this. 

When Android 5.0 was rolled out to Android devices last year (or this year, if you got yours late), it was reported that there were bugs with it.  So Android 5.1 was rolled out, and now Android 5.1.1 is made to fix those bugs. There are plans for Android 5.1.1 to roll out to the Moto G (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Generation) and the Moto E (2013 and 2014 version), and here is some recent news.

Moto G

For the most part, only one generation of the Moto G is listed on the Motorola site, and it says for the 2nd Generation of the Moto G, it rolled out on June 2015 for Verizon.  It rolled out earlier for T-Mobile, starting in April 2015.  With AT&T and Sprint, the Moto G will be "upgrade to the Android 5 Lollipop release of Android, pending partner support.  For U.S. Cellular, both first and generation Moto G is listed, and both say that they will upgrade to Android 5 version, "pending partner support". 

A recent report from the IB Times states that users of the 2014 version of the Moto G should be receiving the Android 5.1 Lollipop update, as it is now live in China.  David Schuster, Motorola's senior director of software management and unofficial spokesperson of newest Android versions on Motorola phones, hinted at the impending release of new Lollipop to other countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and India. 

The Moto G 2nd Generation Android 5.1 rollout in China has been confirmed by the iDigitalTimes.  There are also reports that a soak test variant of Android 5.1 for the Moto G LTE (2013 version). 

Moto E

The Moto E began its rollout on Verizon and U.S. Cellular on June 2015, and one month earlier for T-Mobile.  The device doesn't even appear for AT&T. As for Sprint, it says that it launched with Android 5.0 Lollipop. 

There is a report from the iDigitalTimes with some news about the Moto E:  "I have gotten a lot of questions recently about Moto E (1st Gen) timing for the Android 5.1 Lollipop upgrade. As some of you know... we had run into an issue in our early testing of the upgrade that has been a real challenge to debug."  There appears to be some soak test in Brazil and India going on with this. 

Of course, the rollout of 5.1.1 will be made obsolete with the introduction of Android 6.0, which is apparently going to be called Android M or Marshmallow.  Expect even more of a wait time for when this comes to the Motorola Moto series.