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Dropbox declares end of support for Android 4.4 KitKat and 5 Lollipop
But the app will probably keep working for a long time
It's always admirable when a developer supports older operating systems; but there comes a time of diminishing returns when the effort to keep software working on old versions becomes disproportionately expensive compared to the ever-dwindling number of decrepit devices that still use an app. Such is the situation with Dropbox, which just declared the end of support for Android 5.x and older.
Android Messages just hit version 3.0. While hitting a new major version number might be an occasion for big things in some apps, this one appears to be a simple incremental step up from version 2.9. While there aren't any immediately obvious changes on the surface of this update, there are some things happening under the hood. It looks like support for KitKat has been dropped with this update, leaving behind about 12% of previously supported Android devices. There are also clues about changes to notifications about pictures and videos, enhanced chat features, and making purchases.
The Google Assistant listing on the Play Store might only be a glorified shortcut, but it's still one avenue for accessing the Assistant on supported devices. And, as of a few days ago, it was officially updated to support devices running Lollipop 5.0. Explicit Android tablet support was also added, which brings parity to today's announcement that the Google Assistant is now supported on the iPad, too.
Google launched Assistant over a year ago with the original Pixel phones, but it expanded to more devices just a few months later. However, only phones with new-ish software were included. Starting now, Assistant is coming to more phones and (finally) tablets.
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- 9to5Google have enabled a couple of potential upcoming features in the new Contacts update, just as they did with the latest version of the Phone app.
For anyone tied into Google's ecosystem, storing and managing contacts is best done with the official Contacts app. The Android version recently saw some minor cosmetic changes, improving its already eye-pleasing material look, and the web interface has also employed the same consistent design language since the start of the year. Until recently, the app was only available on Google branded phones, but now compatibility has been extended.
Feeling Nvious? I Nderstand. But I have to warn you: with Google I/O kicking off in a few hours, you'll bet that we'll hear more about N than we have in the past months and your situation is only going to get more Nsufferable.
OnePlus has been hounded pretty regularly in recent months by anxious OP2 owners wondering when Marshmallow is coming. Well, there's an OTA starting to roll out today and... it's not Marshmallow. Still Android 5.1, sorry. It does, however, bring RAW support to the camera, new security patches, and other little fixes.
Remember when Motorola promised that its 2013 phone lineup would be getting over-the-air updates to Android 5.0, almost a year and a half ago? Pepperidge Farm DROID Ultra, DROID Maxx, and DROID Mini owners remember: they've been waiting that long to get their much-needed upgrade, watching with envy while the Verizon-specific phones were passed over and Moto's more general X and G lines got their updates. Not that any of those neglected customers are particularly surprised at this point, but Motorola has finally recanted on its promise: there will be no Lollipop for the Ultra, Maxx, or Mini.
Google has released new platform distribution numbers, and if you're anything like me, you immediately want to know if Froyo is dead yet. Well, it's not dead, but usage has ticked downward for the first time in ages. Lollipop and Marshmallow saw some nice upward movement too, while everything else was down.
We're well past the point where any Android enthusiast would be expecting (or perhaps more accurately hoping) that his or her phone will be getting an update full of Marshmallowy goodness, perhaps delivered by some confectionary fairy. Alas, for owners of the Xperia C4 and Xperia C5 Ultra, it's a bag full of Lollipops instead. Both phones are now being updated by Sony to Android 5.1, a version of the OS which we'll remind you is now almost a year old.
If you're an LG G4 owner on Verizon, you may have heard about all the drama surrounding the phone's "touchscreen fix update" that has since rolled out on every other US carrier. Back on October 9, Big Red began rolling out this OTA as firmware VS98612A, but it was pulled two days later due to a major bug affecting the device's ability to receive push notifications while connected to Wi-Fi. A month-and-a-half later, Verizon and LG seem to have gotten their stuff together, and have now released a new OTA which shouldn't have the same problems that the original 12A update had. In addition to the long-awaited touchscreen fixes, people are also reporting that this update includes a new slow motion option in the camera app, and unlinks the ringer, notification, and system volumes a-la the LG G3.
Many of us would consider the Galaxy S6 a significantly prettier phone than prior iterations. It's thin, sleek, shiny, and slippery. Thing is, none of these characteristics are particularly appealing when you're climbing mountains or constructing oil rigs. Most manufacturers would say, "Tough luck, stick it in a case." But Samsung isn't like other smartphone makers. This company cannot turn down the chance to produce another piece of hardware, no matter how slight the change may seem.
The Galaxy S5 Active doesn't move around more often than a regular S5, but it might hold up better if you're the kind of person that does. Its rugged frame resembles a phone with a built-in Otterbox case. Customers who bought one from AT&T are now receiving an over-the-air update to the latest version of Lollipop.
The Verizon Ellipsis 8 originally seemed to us as an opportunity to put carrier branding on a tablet not gone to waste. The hardware may not be particularly impressive, but thanks to deals and promotions, a decent number of customers have gotten their hands on the tablet without feeling disappointed. Now they're about to make the leap from KitKat to Lollipop.
Google has updated the developer dashboard with new platform numbers and there's big news. There are now officially more Marshmallow devices in the world than Froyo ones. Maybe one day Froyo will die, but today is not that day. In other news, there was a big uptick in 5.1 usage and everything else declined.
It's that time of month again—yes, Google has updated the developer dashboard with new platform distribution numbers. A surprising twist this month is that 5.0 variants of Android have gone down slightly. In fact, everything has gone down, with the notable exception of Android 5.1. That one is up almost 3%.
The big news of today was, of course, Google's announcement of Android 6.0 / Marshmallow. However, it's still going to be quite a while before we start seeing it widely distributed on devices not called Nexus. Now that we have that out of the way, AT&T's Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 variant can finally say goodbye to KitKat. Following Verizon's release of a similar OTA last week, Samsung and Big Blue have finally released an update for the mammoth-sized tablet, bumping it to Android 5.1.1 / Lollipop.