Last Monday, Google released several additions to the Android Lollipop mobile OS, incorporating the latest capabilities such as support for multiple SIM cards.
According to Google Android Platform executive Dave Burke, the Android 5.1 brings about improvements in terms of stability and performance to phones and tablets that have the Lollipop update.
Aside from supporting multiple SIM slots, Burke explained that the new 5.1 update also integrates Device Protection onto devices.
"Your lost or stolen device will remain locked until you sign in with your Google account"”even if someone resets your device to factory settings," the Google executive said.
Burke also mentioned that the Device Protection will be made available for majority of Android phones and tablets that are shipped with Android 5.1. Such protective capability will also be included in Nexus 6 smartphones and Nexus 9 tablets which have already received the OS upgrade.
In addition, other capabilities that come with the Android 5.1 update is the support for HD voice calling between devices that run on Android 5.1; it has been noted that only T-Mobile and Verizon customers will enjoy these "crystal-clear calls" upon receiving the latest Android update.
Several controls have also been added into the Quick Settings that enable users to easily join Wi-Fi networks and control pairing between Bluetooth devices.
Google first rolled out the Android 5.0 Lollipop update last November but certain delays were experienced when the company was obliged to address an error that drained the battery life of numerous devices.
Consequently, Google carried out benchmarking and crash testing for the Lollipop's patched version, leading to significant improvements and positive reviews for the OS upgrade this March. It was recently found, however, that the Android 5.0 has been running on only 3 percent of Android devices.
Moreover, Google did not mention in its latest announcement whether the Android 5.1 update will be fixing certain bugs that have been reported by Lollipop 5.0.2 users, such as poor battery performance, the absence of silent mode, inability to hide quick settings, problems in Wi-Fi connectivity and animation lag.
With the Android 5.1 update being announced this week, Android users can expect the over-the-air (OTA) update in the next few days, weeks or months, depending on the device that they own.
