Google recently updated its Android software version to 5.1 Lollipop and has begun rolling it out to various devices. Now the software will be headed to users of the Moto X, regardless of which generation they have.
According to Nida I. Zamir of TechFrag, Motorola has already rolled out the latest Android update on its Moto G Google Play Edition (GPE). However, the company plans to roll it out to other devices as well, including the first and second generations of Moto X.
"It is still not clear when these devices are to get the updates," Zamir wrote. "At the moment, Motorola is doing a soak test for Android 5.1 but has showed no signs of a full rollout so far."
Zamir contended that Motorola plans to skip out on the Android 5.0 Lollipop update entirely and move on to 5.1 instead for some devices. This was confirmed by Motorola's software product manager, George Schuster, in a Google+ post.
"Given the improvements in Lollipop 5.1, we have decided to move all efforts to upgrade these devices directly from KitKat to Lollipop 5.1," Schuster wrote.
Initially, Motorola confirmed in a blog post back in November 2014 that the Android 5.0 Lollipop will be included in the first and second generations of Moto X. However, Schuster noted that the company ended up going with Android 5.1 instead of 5.0, which triggered some negative comments.
"We did not do this without weighing the various pros and cons, but at the end of the day, we felt it was the best path to ensure we deliver our consumers the best available solution," Schuster wrote. "We have starting a number of test soaks with 5.1 in a number of regions and hope to be fully deploying the upgrades soon."
However, Zamir reported that Motorola's plans could be thrown into disarray again if the rumors surrounding a future release of Android 5.1.1 Lollipop come to fruition.
Regardless of which Android Lollipop version Motorola ends up sending to its users, Gareth Beavis of TechRadar reported on the upsides of going with that software.
"New Android Lollipop is slicker, faster, more beautiful and, importantly, kinder on the battery than ever," Beavis wrote. "The new interface is clean and simple, and the whole platform is designed with little flourishes that make it seem premium and useful, which is something that Google will be hoping entices the manufacturers to bring in more recognizable elements of it when they upgrade their handsets to the new platform."
Beavis noted that "everything has been polished" in the latest Android software, although it can be "complicated to learn" at times.
"This also makes it the most customizable, the most rewarding and personal if you spend time putting it together just how you like," Beavis wrote.
As for when the third generation of the Moto X would come out, Rick Osterloh, president of Motorola Mobility, hinted at its release date on Twitter. A social media user asked him on March 25 whether or not the latest rendition of the Moto X would come out within a certain time frame.
"We try to stay on a roughly annual cycle for all of our products, including Moto X," Osterloh wrote.
Jacob Siegal of BGR elaborated on the history of the Moto X and its previous launch dates.
"The first-generation Moto X launched in August 2013, not long after Google acquired Motorola," Siegal wrote. "In September 2014, Motorola unveiled the second-generation Moto X, widely considered to be one of the best Android phones of the year (even in spite of its late entry to the market)."
Based on that precedent, Siegal contended that the third-generation Moto X could be released by Motorola "in September or October at the very latest."
"This will give Motorola plenty of time to see how the market responds to the radical design changes from Samsung's lineup as well as the tried-and-true approach from HTC," Siegal wrote.
Moto X users can find the upgrades for their devices on Motorola's website.
