Motorola announces which of its devices will get Android 6.0 updates
Since Android 6.0 Marshmallow will officially make its debut next week when it will land on Google's Nexus line of devices, Motorola thought it fitting to publish a blog post outlining its plans regarding Marshmallow updates. It's unfortunate that in this day and age very few smartphone makers are so upfront about their update strategies.
As you'd expect, Motorola has published a list of its devices that are going to get updates to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Yet you might not have expected the list to be this short, or for certain handsets to be missing from it.
Motorola says:-
"We believe your phone should look and behave like you want it to. That means our approach to software is ‘less is more’, so you can focus on the choices that are right for you. In fact, we’ve made it a priority to avoid bloatware and skins, and focus on identifying and tackling areas where we can enable more meaningful exchanges between you and your phone, such as simple voice controls and notifications that you can interact with even when your phone is asleep.
This philosophy has enabled us to make what we think are the most personal and responsive phones in the world, built on a foundation of pure Android with a few Moto Enhancements to improve (not impede) overall functionality.
The New Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS is Here
We think Android is one of the best phone ingredients out there, and there are some sweet enhancements with Marshmallow that we’re excited about. Here are a few of our favorites:
Doze Mode -- This new feature monitors your phone and puts it into a deep sleep when it’s not being used, which can extend battery life substantially.
Now on Tap -- We love Google Now, and it’s improved in Android M. Simply long press the home button to bring up the Google Now feature and display information based on whatever you’re doing at the time.
Android Pay -- Android M allows you to bring up Android Pay with a simple tap and easily make purchases without having to open a separate app.
Direct Share -- Share your photos, news, links, etc. with your favorite contacts easily and quickly.
Simpler volume controls -- A more intuitive way to control ringtone and media volume.
Changes to Moto Enhancements
The release of a new Android version is a great time to take a fresh look at our signature Moto Enhancements to ensure we’re complementing Android (not competing with it). Android 6.0 Marshmallow includes some great new features similar to things we’ve developed in the past. For example, you’ll find an option for ‘Do not disturb’ under the ‘Sound and notification’ settings to make sure you’re not interrupted during meetings or while sleeping. That’s similar to Moto Assist, so we’re removing Moto Assist as part of the upgrade to M.
Android M also enhances support for backing up user data. These improvements duplicate most of what Motorola Migrate provides. Consequently, we’ll retire Motorola Migrate and no longer preload it going forward. We will also retire the Google Chrome extension found in Motorola Connect. 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. Both of these products were valuable in their time but the world has moved on and they no longer add enough value to justify taking up space in your device. For more information about where to find a few of these common features within Android M or alternative apps other consumers use, check out our support forum."
Let's start with the good news then. The following devices will see the newest version of Android:
• 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 LTE (2nd gen)
• DROID Turbo
• 2014 Moto MAXX
• 2014 Moto Turbo
Add to all of these the Motorola-made Nexus 6, which however will get its update straight from Google (as is customary in the Nexus program). You may have noticed that neither generation of the affordable Moto E has been included, nor the first-gen Moto G and Moto X. And while these two may be considered too old to update at this point, the second-gen Moto E is only a few months old.
An actual release timeline for the updates for the devices that are getting them hasn't been outed yet, but Motorola says information on timing should become available "in the coming weeks".
Moving on, the company has also announced that it's going to stop developing some of its apps and services that have functionality that's now either built into Android itself, is very similar to Android features, or for which there are many third party alternatives.
Hence, Moto Assist will be gone in Android 6.0 Marshmallow, along with Motorola Migrate, and the Google Chrome extension found in Motorola Connect. The focus here is apparently on keeping things simple and bloatware to a minimum, and we assume most people would agree with this philosophy.
As you'd expect, Motorola has published a list of its devices that are going to get updates to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Yet you might not have expected the list to be this short, or for certain handsets to be missing from it.
Motorola says:-
"We believe your phone should look and behave like you want it to. That means our approach to software is ‘less is more’, so you can focus on the choices that are right for you. In fact, we’ve made it a priority to avoid bloatware and skins, and focus on identifying and tackling areas where we can enable more meaningful exchanges between you and your phone, such as simple voice controls and notifications that you can interact with even when your phone is asleep.
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| Source:-http://motorola-blog.blogspot.ro/2015/10/marshmallow-and-smore |
This philosophy has enabled us to make what we think are the most personal and responsive phones in the world, built on a foundation of pure Android with a few Moto Enhancements to improve (not impede) overall functionality.
The New Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS is Here
We think Android is one of the best phone ingredients out there, and there are some sweet enhancements with Marshmallow that we’re excited about. Here are a few of our favorites:
Doze Mode -- This new feature monitors your phone and puts it into a deep sleep when it’s not being used, which can extend battery life substantially.
Now on Tap -- We love Google Now, and it’s improved in Android M. Simply long press the home button to bring up the Google Now feature and display information based on whatever you’re doing at the time.
Android Pay -- Android M allows you to bring up Android Pay with a simple tap and easily make purchases without having to open a separate app.
Direct Share -- Share your photos, news, links, etc. with your favorite contacts easily and quickly.
Simpler volume controls -- A more intuitive way to control ringtone and media volume.
Changes to Moto Enhancements
The release of a new Android version is a great time to take a fresh look at our signature Moto Enhancements to ensure we’re complementing Android (not competing with it). Android 6.0 Marshmallow includes some great new features similar to things we’ve developed in the past. For example, you’ll find an option for ‘Do not disturb’ under the ‘Sound and notification’ settings to make sure you’re not interrupted during meetings or while sleeping. That’s similar to Moto Assist, so we’re removing Moto Assist as part of the upgrade to M.
Android M also enhances support for backing up user data. These improvements duplicate most of what Motorola Migrate provides. Consequently, we’ll retire Motorola Migrate and no longer preload it going forward. We will also retire the Google Chrome extension found in Motorola Connect. 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. Both of these products were valuable in their time but the world has moved on and they no longer add enough value to justify taking up space in your device. For more information about where to find a few of these common features within Android M or alternative apps other consumers use, check out our support forum."
Let's start with the good news then. The following devices will see the newest version of Android:
• 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 LTE (2nd gen)
• DROID Turbo
• 2014 Moto MAXX
• 2014 Moto Turbo
Add to all of these the Motorola-made Nexus 6, which however will get its update straight from Google (as is customary in the Nexus program). You may have noticed that neither generation of the affordable Moto E has been included, nor the first-gen Moto G and Moto X. And while these two may be considered too old to update at this point, the second-gen Moto E is only a few months old.
An actual release timeline for the updates for the devices that are getting them hasn't been outed yet, but Motorola says information on timing should become available "in the coming weeks".
Moving on, the company has also announced that it's going to stop developing some of its apps and services that have functionality that's now either built into Android itself, is very similar to Android features, or for which there are many third party alternatives.
Hence, Moto Assist will be gone in Android 6.0 Marshmallow, along with Motorola Migrate, and the Google Chrome extension found in Motorola Connect. The focus here is apparently on keeping things simple and bloatware to a minimum, and we assume most people would agree with this philosophy.
