These days the owners of a Nexus 5 and Nexus 4 smartphone and Nexus 7 tablets both 2012 and 2013 are receiving the automatic update for the new version of Android, called Android 5.0 or Lollipop, already present on Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 devices. . So the time comes to make a guide to all the new functions of Android Lollipop, the most visible ones immediately and the most hidden ones in the different configuration menus.
This time, it is a more radical update, which changes not only the graphics, but also the inside of the operating system, made more performing and optimized, improving security, privacy, notifications, usability and appearance of Android smartphones .
Below we then see what's new in Android 5 Lollipop and 5.1, summarizing the main functions and the most hidden tricks in 18 points.
Starting from the most visible and most important changes of Android 5 and 5.1 we see:
1) Change the design of the operating system
The new design is called "Material" and involves all Google applications. Android 5 is well recognized for new icons, bright colors and smoother animations. The All Apps menu is now a window that floats on top of the main screen.
2) Battery saving mode
This is not visible to the eye, but is felt after a certain period of use. The smartphone with Android Lollipop has a longer battery life because the system optimizes energy savings when it is not in use. The new Android Runtime (ART) which replaces the previous Dalvik Runtime call allows devices to distinguish more effectively between important and secondary activities. In addition, application developers will be able to take advantage of this new runtime to optimize the code of the apps so, in the coming months, we should see a marked improvement in the battery life of Lollipop smartphones. What is visible is the notification icon when the battery drops below 10% charge and the request to activate energy saving when it drops below 5%. You can also make the energy saving mode activate automatically when the charge is less than 10% or 5%
3) Notifications
The notification system has been revised and improved in Lollipop. Notifications appear on the main screen to be more visible. At the same time, when for example you use the Google Maps navigator and receive a phone call, instead of seeing the call on the whole screen effectively interrupting Google Maps, the notification appears at the top with the possibility of answering or ignoring. With the Android Lollipop notifications there are also some more hidden tricks and features that you need to know.
4) notifications on the lock screen .
It is now possible to view, manage and reply to a message without having to unlock the phone and without opening the specific application.
This can be disabled if you have privacy issues.
The notification options are in Settings -> Audio and notifications . From here you can choose whether to display all the notifications on the blocked device, whether to hide the more private sensitive ones or to disable the function.
5) Interruptions, priorities and "do not disturb"
On the same menu you will notice an option called Interruptions that allows you to stop the notifications of certain applications. To understand how interruptions work, you have to start from the concept of priority . Pressing the volume keys will open a small menu where you can choose whether to receive notifications for everything, whether to receive them only for apps with priority or whether to turn them off. If you disable notifications, you get " do not disturb " mode. If instead you choose to use the "priority" mode, you can optionally choose how many hours to keep it before returning to normal mode. When choosing priority, only notifications from certain applications or phone calls and messages from certain contacts will be received. To choose the apps with priority, go to the Settings menu -> Audio and notifications, then to Interrupt to activate the priority of the calls and messages, in addition to those of the events of external apps. By activating the priority of calls, you can also choose one or more contacts considered priority.
In the same menu you can also choose to use the " Priority " mode on specific days and at certain intervals of hours, useful for example when you go to the office and do not want to receive disturbing calls. Now go back and from the notifications menu, tap the " App notifications" option to choose the priority ones . From this list it is also possible to block the notifications of some applications forever, which is very useful to avoid spam in the notification bar coming from games or other apps.
With a bell button that appears by pressing the volume keys on the side of the device, you can silence.
6) Multitasking (Overview)
By pressing the button at the bottom right, which now has the icon of a square, you access multitasking of Android 5, different from that of Android 4, with the apps that scroll as if they were pages of a magazine. Everything is more fluid and flowing, you can see the last activity done on the various open applications and you can close an app by pressing on the X of its window. Android 5 multitasking, which is called Overview mode, now also includes individual tabs open on Google Chrome. Finally, note that if you turn the phone off and on again (you cannot restart it), the overview still shows the recent apps opened before turning off the phone.
7) Guest user
On an Android 5.0 smartphone or tablet, the guest user can be activated so that he can use the smartphone without being able to make phone calls or use private applications. The Guest user does not use the default Google account and uses the smartphone as if it were new, without the possibility of spying on the contents of the owner.
To configure it, go to the Settings -> Users menu.
You can switch to the guest user at any time by pulling down the notification bar at the top and touching the smiley face at the top right.
This also works when the smartphone is locked. The guest account is different from the user account which can be more free in the use of the phone, depending on the administrator configurations (see also: Create user and guest account on the Android tablet or use limited profiles)
8) Lock the phone on an application
Let's say that a friend asks us for a cell phone to make a phone call.
With Android Lollipop, before giving him the phone, you can lock it on the app to make the phone call so that the friend can not do anything else and has no opportunity to look at our photos or our messages.
The function is activated from the security menu, scrolling to the bottom where " Screen lock " is written.
Once active, touch the " Overview " button (see point 6), scroll the app to be displayed and touch the green pin button. To unlock the phone, press the back and pan keys simultaneously for two seconds.
Optionally, you may be asked to enter the unlock code first.
9) Smart Lock
In the security menu there is now an option called "Smart Lock" which allows you to unlock your smartphone when it is in contact with a bluetooth or NFC device. You can also make sure that your Android phone is always unlocked at home and in your pocket.
From the same menu you can also activate the unlock with facial recognition and unlock with the voice saying OK Google .
READ ALSO: Which protection and screen lock is more secure for Android "> Gmail app that supports multiple email accounts (even non-Gmail).
11) You can turn on the flashlight from the quick control menu that appears by expanding the notification bar downwards.
12) Ability to migrate data from an old Android smartphone to a new one with Lollipop using the bluetooth connection.
The data transfer wizard appears when you switch on a new smartphone for the first time (or after installing from scratch).
13) In the quick control button panel (by pulling down the notification bar), you can touch the phone signal icon to immediately view the data traffic consumed, useful for keeping consumption under control for subscriptions with limited internet traffic.
14) The clock app has been improved, with the possibility of setting different alarms for the various days of the week.
If you set the alarm alarm, you can quickly access its configuration by touching the clock that appears by expanding the notification bar. the Clock application constantly changes its background, depending on the time of day.
15) High contrast text for people who see little of us, can be activated from the Settings menu -> Accessibility .
16) The encryption of the phone is enabled by default and it becomes an option that can be immediately activated the first time a new smartphone is turned on. If the update has been carried out, you can activate the phone encryption from the security menu.
17) New app for SMS messages called Messenger, to be installed separately.
18) Double tap to turn on the screen, only for smartphones that support it (does not work on Nexus 5).
19) Voice command Ok Google recognized even if the phone is unlocked and also with the screen off (the latter only on supported smartphones).
20) New Easter Egg trick, going to Settings- info on the phone, tap on Android version 4 times in quick succession to see the Lollipop lollipop. The trick does not end here, tapping the lollipop several times and then long pressing on it opens a game that is practically identical to Flappy Bird.
21) Better controls for WiFi and Bluetooth
In practice now, with Android 5.1, by pulling down the notification bar to find out the quick controls that activate wifi, bluetooh and other things, you can touch on the name of the wifi network to which you are connected to change it or to access its settings. This is a small change that makes accessing certain network settings much faster. The same thing happens for bluetooth profiles, by touching the name and selecting the one to use from the drop-down menu.
22) Detection of body contact
In Android 5.1 (and also in Android 5.0) the Smartlock function has been improved on smartphones. We have explained how to use Smartlock to keep the phone always unlocked in the house.
Now you can also keep your phone unlocked even outside the home, automatically, if you activate the option, in Settings -> Security -> Smartlock, of the detection of body contact . The way this detection works is that once you unlock your phone with PIN or pattern, it will no longer be locked if it is in your pocket, purse or hand. The process works thanks to the accelerometer of the device and, even if it leverages a little security, it is really convenient to avoid unlocking the smartphone every time you pull it out of your pocket.
23) Improved the lock on screen
Screen lock works to lock the display on a specific application or image, with no possibility to go back. To lock the screen on an app, open it, press the square button to scroll through the last used apps, slide your finger upwards and then touch the pin icon to lock it. This is perfect for locking your cell phone when a child uses it or when given to a friend to stop them from spying on other things. In Settings -> Security -> Screen lock, you can now ask that to unlock it you also need to enter the sequence or PIN.
Android Lollipop will also be available soon for Motorola smartphones (Moto G in the first place), HTC One, LG G3, Sony Xperia and, further on, also the Samsung Galaxy for which, as usual, there will be wait patiently.
READ ALSO: Android 6 Marshmellow Cheats and guide to new options and features
