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Google Announces Android 5.1

Posted by Soulskill on from the onward-and-upward dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Google has officially announced Android Lollipop 5.1. This is a small update to the mobile operating system, and focuses on stability and performance. The main new features include support for multiple SIM cards, high definition voice calls on supported devices, and the ability to join Wi-Fi networks and manage Bluetooth pairings through Quick Settings. The biggest new feature is "Device Protection." They say, "With Device Protection, 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. This feature will be available on most Android phones and tablets shipped with Android 5.1 in addition to Nexus 6 and Nexus 9."

4 of 172 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Does Android use systemd yet? by sexconker · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think the better question is "Does systemd include Android yet?".

  2. Re:Yeah but..... by Raxxon · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I own a OnePlus One. Don't have any issues with BS "carrier apps" or anything like that, because there are none (in general, some of the Cyanogen bits are a little 'special' at times).

    Sucks that Google hasn't made a requirement for a "clean" version of Android to be made available for major devices. That's where probably 75% or more of the issues come in.

  3. Re:Yeah but..... by farble1670 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Sucks that Google hasn't made a requirement for a "clean" version of Android to be made available for major devices

    you can disable any app, including apps packaged in the firmware. it won't even show up in the launcher after that. that's been in place since 4.0 (or so).

  4. Re:Yeah but..... by Cramer · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ...to the shitty lack of a file manager to the shitty mountain of built-in [crap]...

    So when did Apple start shipping a filesystem explorer? Oh, right, they don't -- you aren't supposed to look at the filesystem. And there are numerous crap-applications Apple installs and constantly updates that I (and others) simply don't care about. They cannot be removed (system app), nor can they be disabled/hidden; the best you can do is put them in a folder sort-of out of sight.

    There are plenty of Android APPS that piss me off, too. Like I need every app I've ever installed to wake up and "check in" when ever I turn on my tablet. That's not Google's fault; that's all on the asshats that wrote the apps.