Nexus Lollipop Release Date: What Users Need to Know

Yesterday, Google kicked off the Nexus Android 5.0 Lollipop release for Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10 users. And while the company took mere baby steps, we now have some new Nexus Lollipop release date details to share with those that are interested in getting Google’s brand new update on board their Nexus device in the future.

Google’s Android L update was first announced as Android 4.4 KitKat’s successor back in June at Google I/O. At the developer event, Google did not confirm an Android L release date or name though it did outline many of its features and offer a pre-release beta to select Nexus users. In the weeks after the early beta release, we saw features teased and release dates rumored and last month, Google finally spilled the beans on Android L.

As expected, Android L is called Android 5.0 Lollipop. The update will be accompanied by two new Nexus devices including a Nexus 9 from HTC and a Nexus 6 from Motorola. Both devices will help usher in a new era for Google and its Android operating system. Problem is, Google still hasn’t confirmed a specific Android 5.0 Lollipop release date for owners of older Nexus smartphones and tablets.

Earlier this month, the company confirmed several Android 5.0 Lollipop updates for arrival including updates for the Nexus 5, Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Nexus 7 2012, and Nexus 10. And while those updates are confirmed, the Nexus Android 5.0 Lollipop release date is not. Rumors had pointed to an imminent release on November 3rd and right on cue we saw Google start pushing source code to its Android Open Source Project.

With that in mind, and Nexus users waiting on concrete release details, we want to take a look at the five most important things users need to know, right now about the Android 5.0 Lollipop release date for the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10.

Nexus Android 5.0 Lollipop Release Begins

Yesterday, Google announced the start of the Android 5.0 Lollipop update. The announcement, made on its official Android blog, focused on the update’s material design and some of the other changes and proclaimed that ” design is a major focus for Lollipop—the latest version of Android—which begins to roll out today.” The blog also notes that “while we first introduced material design this summer, today’s updates are just the beginning of delivering a modern design language for the next wave of devices in your life.”

The Android 5.0 Lollipop release has begun but the big steps are taking place behind the scenes, at least for the moment. Yesterday, Google began pushing the Android 5.0 Lollipop source code to the Android Open Source Project, also known as the AOSP. The push completed this morning and repositories for Nexus devices can now be found on Google’s developer website.

This is one the final steps towards a public release. In the near future, we should see Google post factory images and binaries for older Nexus devices, something that will allow Nexus users to install the update manually. That could happen sometime this month though Google still hasn’t announced when it will be releasing the software to non-developers.

Nexus Lollipop OTA Release MIA

Nexus users need to know that the Nexus Android 5.0 Lollipop OTA release is still missing in action. While Google is taking steps to deliver the Android 5.0 Lollipop update to Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10 users, it has yet to roll out the OTA upgrade for any of these devices. The start of the OTA roll outs will almost certainly come soon after the factory images and binaries appear on Google’s website. In other words, there’s no reason to be looking for an OTA roll out right now.

Official Nexus Lollipop Release Details

Google’s Nexus Twitter account continues to be coy about the exact Lollipop release date for Nexus smartphones and tablets. In response to questions about the Android 5.0 release, the account continues to suggest that the software will hit devices like the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 in the “coming weeks.” This is a company line that Google used when it first announced the Android 5.0 release back in October.

@sagarsshah20 Hi there, the Nexus 5 will be receiving the Android 5.0 Lollipop update via over-the-air and should be in the coming weeks.

— Google Nexus (@googlenexus) November 4, 2014

The company continues to use the word “should” when talking about the Nexus release. This leaves the door open for a delay and it helps to ensure that the company doesn’t set consumer expectations as far as specific release dates are concerned. A full source dump into the AOSP is as far as Google’s gotten and we don’t expect the company to confirm any specific release details in advance.

@SuperTiger1234 Hi there, both Nexus 7s will be receiving the Android 5.0 Lollipop update via over-the-air in the coming weeks.

— Google Nexus (@googlenexus) November 4, 2014

Nexus Android 5.0 Update Lollipop Update Features

What we do have now though is the full change log for the Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrade. A file, which is 20MB in size or so, has been released by Al Sutton. The change log is extensive and it confirms Android 5.0 Lollipop’s size. This is going to be a massive update for Nexus users and much bigger than any of the company’s recent updates including Android 4.4.

The full change log helps to shed some light on the upgrade in the hours and days ahead of its release and it’s a great way to familiarize with the software that’s expected to touch down some time this month. Nexus users, especially those with older devices like the Nexus 4, should prepare their device ahead of the update’s release.

Nexus Lollipop Release Rumors

Now is a good time to recap the Nexus Android 5.0 Lollipop rumors that have been swirling around in the days since Google’s official announcement. Nexus Android 5.0 rumors suggest that Wi-Fi versions of the Nexus 7 and the Nexus 10 will be the first to get Android 5.0 Lollipop. Those updates are rumored to be followed by updates for cellular Nexus 7 models, the Nexus 5, and the Nexus 4.

November 3rd was originally rumored to be the release for the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 though with that date now gone, the first Android 5.0 release date is up in the air. That said, given that the Lollipop source code is now in AOSP, it should only be a matter of time before Google delivers its first set of Android 5.0 Lollipop updates to Nexus users.

New information from Artem Russakovskii of Android Police suggests that while the Android 5.0 release for Nexus devices is close, it has been delayed until November 12th due to bugs. It’s not clear what this means for individual Nexus users but it looks like we won’t be seeing a Nexus roll out this week but next week several days after the Nexus 9 launch. That, of course, is a rumor.