HTC One Android 5.0 Update: What You Need to Know

Since first being announced back in October many smartphone owners like those with the HTC One or HTC One M8 have been anxiously awaiting more details regarding the Android 5.0 Lollipop update. It has arrived for a few devices already, including the HTC One and HTC One M8 Google Play Edition handsets, but below we’ll go over what regular HTC One owners need to know about the Android 5.0 update.

A few weeks after the initial release, Google started pushing the Nexus 6 Android 5.0.1 update to users. The Android 5.0.1 update comes just a few weeks after Google’s initial Lollipop release, aimed at fixing a few small problems with the initial software rollout last month. This same update is headed to all devices, including the HTC One and HTC One M8.

Read: 15 Best HTC One M8 Accessories

Back in November HTC confirmed many of its popular and most recent Android smartphones would receive an upgrade to the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop update, and now new information has emerged regarding a possible HTC One and HTC One M8 Android 5.0 Lollipop update. Information along with leaked screenshots, video, and more.

We’ve seen Motorola update a few stock unlocked devices, and even LG G3 Android 5.0 updates outside of the US, and now we’re hearing HTC is making great progress to beat the 90 day window, and actually deliver Android 5.0.1 Lollipop updates within 60 days instead.

HTC One M8 Android 5.0.1 Update

This afternoon the famed leakster and HTC developer LlabTooFer has revealed tons of details about the upcoming HTC One M8 Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update. Confirming HTC will indeed be pushing Android 5.0.1 (or even Android 5.0.2) to users soon, and is showing off the progress with some leaked screenshots and video of the software working in full.

The HTC One and HTC One M8 Google Play Edition phones were the first non Nexus smartphones to Android 5.0.1 Lollipop, and the regular variants for carriers and around the globe could be next. Initially we heard 90 days from HTC, suggesting they’ll try to deliver by February 3rd, but it could actually arrive much sooner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1B4Cw8-yEA

Overall all the grey and white colors have stayed in tact, something many HTC owners love, but they’ve introduced all the new animations and features or Android 5.0 Lollipop. We also see a new “Easy Mode” on the HTC, which will make the devices more appealing to first-time smartphone buyers.

Read: Android 5.0 vs Android 4.4 KitKat: What’s New in Lollipop

Google’s Material Design user interface guidelines have been elegantly blended into HTC Sense UI 6.0, which will be on board with the Android 5.0 update once it arrives. Speaking of which, the latest leak suggests it will debut on January 3rd for HTC One and HTC One M8 owners, beating HTC’s initial promise by an entire month. We’ll have to wait and see, and will know more soon enough.

Slow Arrival

Just as a reminder, this is a slow and staggered update. What this means is that Google and its partner carriers aren’t pushing the update out to all user at once. If they did the process would take longer for downloads to complete, and if any problems arise they won’t be able to stop it before millions of owners get the update.

As a result, Google does staged or staggered rollouts in small percentages, then bigger quantities, and finishes off the remaining 50-100% of users after 2-4 days of rollouts. This prevents further problems, keeps the update process running smooth, and ensures the best experience. HTC will do the same, and the Android 5.0 update was slightly delayed to include fixed with Android 5.0.1, and we could see further delays now that Android 5.0.2 has emerged.

We know waiting can sometimes be a hassle, especially if your device has a few bugs you’d like addressed, but the update should be here soon enough. Hopefully in early January, rather than pushing the 90 day window to the brink.

Android 5.0 Problems

The release of Android 5.0 Lollipop was the initial software debut, and as expected a few small bugs needed to be addressed. Once millions of users got it, more reports surfaced that got Google working on a fix. And while there will likely be a few small issues with Android 5.0.1 Lollipop too, it should fix a majority of the problems Nexus users have been facing.

Nexus 7 devices have struggled with video playback and reboot issues, the Nexus 5 had some batter issues, and the Nexus 6 Android 5.0 release saw complaints about freezing, battery drain, app restarts and reboots, as well as a few other minor problems that should hopefully all be addressed by the time HTC pushes out updates.

US Carriers

The HTC One M8 is available from most carriers in the United States, but it hasn’t received too many carrier or software updates. A few rolled out last month to fix a few bugs, and reportedly prepare the handset for Android 5.0, but that’s yet to be confirmed. We’ve seen AT&T, and Sprint push software updates, but those aren’t Android 5.0, as that’s expected to arrive at a later date.

In the past AT&T has been first to updates from HTC, ahead of others such as Verizon. While we can’t say for sure, carriers likely will have a big say regarding the HTC One Android 5.0 update, and they’ll likely release it in stages from each carrier at a different time.

This means those on AT&T can expect it to arrive at a different time than T-Mobile, or Verizon, but we’re not sure when that will actually happen. With Android 5.0 already rolling out to a few HTC One owners, HTC is likely turning attention to one of its biggest markets for the next update. That being the United States.

Delays

Of course, delays are always a possibility, and we’ve seen plenty of them from HTC in the past few years. Lately they’ve done a better job regarding software updates for many smartphones, but the possibility of delays is still very real. Above we mentioned Google’s already released Android 5.0.1, a slightly newer version with bug fixes, and that could cause a few potential problems for LG, HTC, and other manufacturers.

Many of them are in the final stages of software updates, getting approval from Google or carriers, and more, and will now have to integrate the Android 5.0.1 changes into the final release. We’ve seen some go forward without adding the newest additions, and some delay the release to ensure the most up to date software as possible.

All said and done, HTC promised updates for US HTC One and One M8 owners within 90 days of November 3rd, and we’re still waiting for those to arrive. That’s sadly the latest word aside from the leaks shown above, but we’ll update as soon as more HTC One Android 5.0 update details or information arrives.