Google’s open source mobile operating system Android has gotten up yet another level. With the newest iteration of the OS (Marshmallow), the web giant has packed in significant improvements and a lot of changes into a small package.
While the OS will come pre-installed in most of the newer smartphones releasing in the near future, manufacturers will also want their slightly older phones to boost Marshmallow. First in line to reveal which of its existing smartphones will be getting the Android 6.0 upgrade, just like old times, is Motorola.
The smartphone manufacturer today unveiled a list of 11 of its existing smartphones that will get the official Marshmallow upgrade in the coming weeks via a blog post. Here’s the complete list:
- 2015 Moto X Pure Edition (3rd gen)
- 2015 Moto X Style (3rd gen)
- 2015 Moto X Play
- 2015 Moto G (3rd gen)
- 2014 Moto X Pure Edition in the US (2nd gen)
- 2014 Moto X in Latin America, Europe and Asia2 (2nd gen)
- 2014 Moto G and Moto G with 4G LTE2 (2nd gen)
- DROID Turbo
- 2014 Moto MAXX
- 2014 Moto Turbo
- Nexus 6
Most of the list doesn’t come as a shock as there had already been rumours about these devices getting the new OS revamp. Moreover, Moto runs stock Android on the majority of its smartphones out-of-the-box, without any major modifications, so upgrades can be expected for longer terms. The only con to Moto’s announcement today is that the company hasn’t yet revealed a particular time frame when the devices will get the upgrade.
We’ll work fast but we won’t push the upgrades out until we know they’re ready
Moto’s VP of software product management Bjorn Kilburn writes in the blog.
Look for more news on timing in the coming weeks.
Many of Moto’s proprietary features are also going to be discontinued as Marshmallow provides duplicate services for the same. It’s Moto Assist function, for instance, will retire because of the ‘Do not disturb’ function in Android’s ‘Sound and Notification’ settings. Also, Moto’s Chrome browser extension will also be taking a break.
Since we created Motorola Connect, several similar services have shown up on Google Play and many consumers have moved from SMS to other over-the-top messaging services,
Kilburn writes.
If you are eager to know when your Moto device gets the new Marshmallow upgrade, keep checking the company’s software upgrade page regularly.
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