Motorola Android 5.1 Lollipop Update Distribution [July]

The update to Google’s latest Android 5.1 Lollipop hasn’t been as smooth as nearly anyone wanted or hoped, but it’s still coming slowly and surely to millions of smartphone owners. Over the past month or two Motorola has been extremely busy with updates and here we want to dump the progress of multiple Moto phones that are pending or getting Android 5.1 Lollipop.

Unfortunately Motorola lags behind when it comes to the Android 5.1 Lollipop update, but that all changed in July as they released a series of upgrades for multiple devices, including the original Moto X from 2013. Android M is on the horizon, Moto aims to bring Android 5.1 to many users.

Thanks to Google quickly releasing Android 5.1 and then another Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update, not to mention Android M, manufacturers have been slower than usual to deliver updates. That said, Android 5.1 Lollipop is coming to many different Motorola devices soon, and below is a breakdown of what owners should know.

Android 5.0 Lollipop was officially released on November 3, when Google sent the code to manufacturers and the Nexus 9 tablet was made available to the public. Motorola only took a week to get started, and on November 10 they kicked things off by updating the Moto X 2014 Pure version to Android 5.0.

Motorola was extremely quick to roll out Android 5.0 to most devices, but it was fraught with a few issues and bugs that Google addressed with Android 5.1 and 5.1.1. Moto X, Moto G, Moto E, or even DROID Turbo or Ultra owners are all waiting for an update or have recently received an update.

Motorola Smartphone Updates

Late last year Motorola promised to share more details about the updates and launched a new update. updates the web page along with details about which devices will see the updates and when. While there are no exact dates, each device will be updated accordingly and the details will evolve and refresh once the phones in question are updated. We’ve seen it keep changing over the last few months, but some users are still stuck with 5.0 and waiting for Android 5.1 to come along and fix multiple issues.

Motorola has confirmed that all of these devices will receive Android 5.0 Lollipop soon, and most have. A few already got Android 5.1 Lollipop, but not all. The DROID Ultra, Max, and Mini are a big exception. They will likely only get one more update to Android 5.1 later this year.

So when will all these devices be updated and what can their owners expect? Here’s everything we know so far, thanks to multiple comments on Google+ by a Motorola employee. David Schuster. While we’ve already reported most of these updates separately, below is a breakdown of multiple Moto smartphones that have been updated or should see an update soon.

Moto X 1st and 2nd Gen

The Moto X is clearly a top priority for Motorola and thankfully it was one of the first devices to see the updates. The Pure Edition was updated a long time ago, but it took until earlier this month for others to finally get it.

So far Moto X 2nd Gen updated To Android 5.1 Lollipop on Verizon, AT&T, Pure Edition (T-Mobile) and even US Cellular. Wetting tests started around the end of June and the first week of July and were finally made available to all owners. Verizon got it first, then AT&T and US Cellular got into the mix at the same time. Not to mention the unlocked version he got a long time ago.

All 2nd Gen Moto X owners in the United States should be running Android 5.1 Lollipop and if not, go to settings and manually check for updates. Some smaller regional carriers may still be waiting, but all major carriers have delivered the latest version.

Those with the original 2013 Moto X (1st Gen) are in a similar boat, but slightly behind the new variant. Motorola’s employee in June shared tons of information It’s about the original Moto X, but the update is still not here for everyone.

Last week, we confirmed that the original Moto X Android 5.1 update is finally ready for AT&T and Verizon, but it’s still in the final soaking test period. AT&T users can check for updates and get them manually right now, and Verizon should release them in the next few weeks.

Verizon hold testing has not yet started as the update is still in test labs, but when a hold test arrives, the full update will arrive in 3-5 days for all users. We expect it to arrive very soon.

For other carriers and non-US regions, the original Moto X is either still in testing or preparing for release as we speak. All 2nd Gen owners should have it, and all 1st Gen Moto X users can expect Android 5.1 to be delivered before the end of July.

DROID Turbo

After months of waiting with tons of rumors and a few delays, the Moto DROID Turbo on Verizon finally got Android 5.1 Lollipop on July 1. This was big news because it never got Android 5.0 and went straight from Android 4.4 to Android 5.1 Lollipop.

The DROID Turbo Android 5.1 Lollipop update has already arrived and all owners must be enjoying it. That said, we’ve heard a few horror stories about problems or worse battery life when it should have been better. Here are some potential fixes for bad DROID Turbo Lollipop battery life.

We may see several maintenance updates in the near future, otherwise Turbo owners are now waiting for Android M like many other devices.

Moto G

The Moto G is a bit of a closed device, because it has multiple versions, a 4G LTE model, not to mention both the first and 2nd Gen Moto G from 2013 and 2014.

The first Moto G Android 5.1 Lollipop update arrived in April, but that was only for the Google Play Edition handset. Both the first and 2nd Gen Moto G are already on 5.0, but the Android 5.1 update for most of them has not yet appeared.

The Moto G isn’t traditionally available on all carriers except Verizon, so updates have mainly been for the unlocked version sold by Motorola or at Amazon and other retailers. 4G LTE Moto G 1st Gen took it Expect more Moto G Android 5.1 updates to arrive over the past week and all month long.

Motorola’s own employee approved The original Moto G will see Android 5.1 Lollipop, but all it said was that the company was working on it and will update it as more information comes in. We know that both Moto G variants will see Android 5.1, the real question is when.

engine e

The Moto E, a device even cheaper than the $179 Moto G, was announced last year. It’s an extremely small, wallet-friendly device mainly for prepaid carriers or emerging markets outside of the US. However, it is available in the United States and oddly enough, it has already received an upgrade to Android 5.1 Lollipop. In fact, it was one of the first. Verizon’s Moto E also enjoys Android 5.1 Lollipop.

DROID Ultra, Maxx and Mini

Last and certainly not least, Verizon Motorola DROID Ultra, Maxx and Mini. Motorola has confirmed that they will indeed receive an update for Android 5.0 Lollipop, but we have yet to hear any details about this device getting the update.

The focus was on all Moto devices and the DROID Turbo, and we can expect the Ultra and its siblings to get an update when it’s all done. But we are not sure whether this will be Android 5.0 or Android 5.1 Lollipop. Most likely Motorola and Verizon will roll out a final Android 5.1 Lollipop update for the DROID Ultra, Maxx and Mini, and this will be the last major Android update for this family of devices.

We’ll update when Verizon or Motorola share more details about aging DROID smartphones. In closing, Motorola has made a huge effort to roll out Android 5.1 Lollipop to all of its devices, and there are lots of them, and more software updates are expected as July continues. We believe all Moto phones released in the last two years, with the exception of the Ultra, Maxx and Mini, will see version 5.1 before the end of July.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DavidSchuster/posts/58Q5CtPmfgM