Nexus 4 Android 5.0 Lollipop Release Confirmed

Google’s Android 5.0 Lollipop release is finally official and the company says that it will be rolling the update out to Nexus devices in the coming weeks. And while the update is confirmed for the Nexus 5, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10, the Nexus 4 Android 5.0 Lollipop update release took users on a little bit of a ride this morning.

Android L was first announced as Android 4.4 KitKat’s successor back in June during Google’s annual Google I/O developer event. At the event, Google did not confirm an Android L release date or a name though it did outline many of its features and push out a pre-release version to Nexus 7 2013 and Nexus 5 users. In the weeks after that release, we’ve seen features teased and release dates rumored and today, Google finally spilled the beans on Android L with an extensive announcement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TRmgMe2STL0

Google’s Android L update, as expected, 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, one that is dominated by Android 5.0 Lollipop instead of Android 4.4 and Android 4.4.4 KitKat.

The company has not confirmed a Android 5.0 Lollipop release date though it says that the update will be arriving in the coming weeks. Google says that the update will be coming for Nexus 5, Nexus 7, Nexus 10 and Google Play edition devices in the near future though it doesn’t get into any specifics regarding its release date. With Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 release dates slated for November, a release for these devices in and around that time seems likely.

In the buildup to the Android 5.0 Lollipop release, we heard that the Nexus 4 Android L update might be in play. We were skeptical given Google’s 18 month software support policy and today’s announcement made good on those suspicions. Google did not confirm a Nexus 4 Android 5.0 Lollipop update.

Google typically sticks to an 18 month rule wherein it kills off software support ahead of the two year mark. The Nexus 4 will turn two in the next couple of weeks and while it initially looked like the Nexus 4 Android 5.0 Lollipop release was dead in the water, the company says that its absence was a mistake and that a Nexus 4 Android 5.0 update will be rolling out.

In a post on Google+, the company says that it made a mistake and that the Nexus 4 will be getting the update down the road. The company’s press release now reflects the change and lists the Nexus 4 among the devices confirmed to be getting Android 5.0 Lollipop. It’s a strange development and we can’t help but wonder if Google decided to make the change after getting feedback from angry Nexus 4 users. Whatever the case, the Nexus 4 Android 5.0 release is on.

Android 5.0 Lollipop is going to deliver a number of new features to Android users including the update’s new Material Design, battery life improvements, bug fixes, changes to settings and notifications and more. It’s a big step up from last year’s Android 4.4 KitKat update which is why the company is calling it Android 5.0 instead of Android 4.5.

The company’s Android 5.0 update is set to hit a number of other devices as well. HTC’s confirmed it for within 90 days of its initial release and Motorola’s confirmed it for last year’s Moto X. Samsung Android 5.0 rumors point to an arrival for the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Samsung Galaxy Note sometime later this year though that remains unconfirmed.