Nexus Android 6.0 Marshmallow Update: 6 Things to Expect

For months, Android users have been able to get a little taste of the next version of Android, called Android M, through Google’s developer preview program. However, new software full of improvements and new features is rolling out to Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7, Nexus 9 and Nexus Player starting next week. Here are a few things users should know.

At Google I/O in May, Google officially announced Android M, and then last month confirmed it would officially be called Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The software has been open for testing for months, but the wait is finally over and it’s coming sooner than many expected.

Users with certain devices can try it right now with the link above, but the wait is almost over. At Google’s new Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P launch event this week, the company took a few moments to talk about Android updates. More specifically, Android 6.0 Marshmallow for all current Nexus users. Now that we have a real release date, read on to find out what awaits us.

During the announcement of two impressive new smartphones, Google confirmed that the Android 6.0 Marshmallow OTA (over-the-air) update will begin rolling out as soon as next week. This was our first real release date window given by Google itself. The company didn’t give an exact date, but many rumors point to Monday, October 5th, as the official launch date and the start of the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update.

Who Will Get Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Google has confirmed that starting next week, the Android 6.0 update will begin rolling out to users with Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7 (2013), Nexus 9, and Nexus Player. Nothing has been confirmed about the original Nexus 7, which will likely not see 6.0, and Google has yet to confirm the update for the aging LG Nexus 4.

This is the first major announcement regarding Android 6.0 Marshmallow and we may see other devices like the Nexus 4 make the list at a later date. It is worth noting that almost every smartphone released in the last two years should also get this feature, but here we focus on Nexus users.

Expect announcements of updates to their latest smartphones from Samsung, HTC, LG, Motorola and others in the coming weeks. Motorola was the first to use Android 5.0 with the Moto X, and we could see something similar this year with Android 6.0 Marshmallow and the new Moto X Pure Edition. Then Samsung’s Galaxy S6, Note 4, Note 5, LG G3, G4, HTC One M9 and others will finally see it arrive. We assume most manufacturers won’t release this until November or December, or even later, but we’ll update as details come in.

The link above goes into some in-depth detail on what’s new in Android M, but that was a very early look at the software when it first came back in May. Multiple changes have been made since then, new features have been added, and many tweaks have been made across the board.

Android 6.0 Marshmallow

With Android 6.0 Marshmallow, Google isn’t completely replacing Android and is instead enhancing the experience that is Android 5.0 Lollipop. Users will notice improvements across the board in terms of performance, stability, security, battery life, and tons of new features.

Google has added permission controls, Nexus edition and native fingerprint scanner support, Android Pay, Google Now on Tap (our favorite new feature), and something called Doze that improves standby battery life by up to 30% or more. The lock screen has been slightly changed, the notification bar is better, quick settings are easier to manage and customizable, and much more. We’re running the developer preview and more details can be found here, but we’ll reserve our decision until the official release arrives next week.

Google has made many improvements in performance, battery life and animations. Everything will be smooth, packed with material design effects and animations that first appeared with a stock Google Camera app on Android 5.0 and better, to name a few. It even has local and automatic app backups, simplified volume controls, better alert notifications, and more than we can count. Again, the link above details tons of new features compared to Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Android 6.0 Advance

Most Nexus owners know exactly what to expect, but if the Nexus 5 or Nexus 6 is your first Nexus, Google has a system. First, we will see new software coming to AOSP, the Android Open Source Project. It will then be able to be downloaded and installed manually via Google’s factory images (which completely wipes all smartphone data), after which we can wait for the over-the-air updates to roll out to all the devices mentioned above.

When over-the-air updates start rolling out, most users can instead of wait get the OTA update link and sideload it and install it like any regular software update without losing any data or wiping their phone or tablet. That said, I like to do a factory data reset and start from scratch on any major update like this.

Gradual Presentation

Google does what is called progressive or progressive rollout. Android 6.0 Marshmallow OTA software will start arriving via a notification on select Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7, Nexus 9, and Nexus Player devices, but for the first few days, Google only updates roughly 20% of all users. You probably won’t be one of them.

This gradual rollout process is careful to ensure there are no critical bugs or issues, followed by more updates for 30-50% of users in the next 3-5 days, followed by 75-100% in 1-. 2 weeks of the first day. This means the update should launch on or around October 5th, but some users may not see it until mid-October.

As a result, users can manually install Android 6.0 Marshmallow using the guide at the top of the page and factory imagesor by sideloading the update OTA file that we will receive and send to you for your convenience early next week.

Potential Issues

As with any software update, problems are always possible, as we’ve seen with Android 5.0 Lollipop or Apple’s new iOS 9. Everyone uses their phone differently, has different amounts of storage, installed apps, and other things.

As a result, there will likely be a few issues along the way or issues that could result in a quick update to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, as we saw with Android 5.0.1 Lollipop late last year.

However, most problems can be fixed by restarting after a software update or clearing the cache on any of these devices. This can be done by booting into recovery using apps like Clean Master or starting with a new phone with a factory data reset and a clean install of Android 6.0 Marshmallow. We know not everyone wants to do this, but Android 6.0 M has a great Tap N Go Restore feature that automatically restores everything on the phone after a hard reset.

Bug fixes

The absolute latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow update should be quick, easy, and hassle-free for most users, but it’s likely to run into at least a few issues along the way. No update is perfect, especially a huge one with tons of new features, changes and improvements.

We expect almost all Android 5.1 Lollipop’s issues to be resolved with Marshmallow, but it may bring a few of its own. Especially if your Nexus is a work device that needs to be used on a daily basis, it may be a good idea to wait a day or two after the update arrives for reviews to emerge and potential issues to be addressed. That said, it should be fine for everyone and if issues arise, we’ll be sure to update with additional details, bug fixes, and other information for all these Nexus smartphone and tablet users.

Stay tuned for more info, update links, and hands-on videos as soon as Android 6.0 Marshmallow officially arrives for everyone.