Android Marshmallow Announced By Google

The latest update for the mobile operating system of Google was given its official name, Android Marshmallow. The software was initially called Android M and was launched during the Google I/O event in May.

The name is consistent with the quirky method of Google in giving names for its mobile software. The company normally follows the alphabet when they name the software after sweets. For instance, the current version of the operating system is Lollipop while the previous version was called KitKat.

Android Marshmallow is expected to be released by fall. Over 80 percent of smartphones around the world use the software. The software allows users to utilize the services offered by the company through their phones. The new software will have some new features for its users. One of the new features is Android Pay, a mobile payment service that allows people to use their phones to pay for products through apps or at retail stores. Google Wallet was the previous mobile payment service of the company that did not do well in the market. The mobile payments market started to heat up after Apple Pay was introduced by Apple when it released the Apple Watch and iPhone 6 into the market. Samsung Pay was also launched by Samsung a week ago.

Android Marshmallow Announced By Google - image credit: technobuffalo.com

Now On Tap is a new feature that will come with Android Marshmallow for the Google Now digital assistant of the company. The new feature allows users to access Google Now by simply holding the home button of the phone. Google will tap into its stockpile of data to provide users helpful information depending on what they are currently doing with Now On Tap.

While the announcement of Android updates is normally trumpeted by Google, Android users typically take a long time before they start to use the software. Around 18 percent of Android users are currently using Lollipop as of the first week of August. Most of the users are using the older versions of the software, Jellybean and KitKat. Handset manufacturers normally take some time before they push updates into their devices.

On the other hand, iOS 8 of Apple us is currently being used on 85 percent of the devices of Apple after it was released last September.

Posted by George Daniels on Tuesday August 18 2015, 10:37 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Technology. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0