Motorola has been one of the smartphone makers who have been working really hard in delivering the months old Android 6.0 Marshmallow firmware. Recently, the American tech company was reportedly rolling out the Marshmallow software to its Moto G (2nd Gen) handsets in US.
According to International Business Times, before Motorola has started rolling out the Android 6.0 Marshmallow to Moto G (2nd Gen) users in the US, it has released the similar update in some other regions. It was previously reported that the latest Android version was made available for Moto G (2nd Gen) users in India and weeks after, the company beta-tested the same in the Asian country and Brazil.
Motorola has clarified earlier that the handset which received the Android 5.0 Lollipop update in January 2015, would not receive the Android 5.1 update. Instead it would jump directly to the Marshmallow OS. In the US, since the Motorola has made the LTE version available, only 3G-enabled models would get the update. Nevertheless, those who have acquired the LTE version from outside the US will not receive the update in the country.
The said Android 6.0 Marshmallow for Moto G (2nd Gen) is expected to bring new features and enhancements to the device. Android Headlines noted that some of the changes upon upgrading the firmware include a new App Standby which reduces battery consumption from some apps that are rarely used. There is also a new App Permission system, wherein the apps will ask users to enable certain permissions once a feature requires them.
Upon upgrading the software, users can now choose how to open web links with the new App Links feature. Unlike some devices from other smartphone makers, the second-generation Moto G will be able to use microSD cards as expandable storage. It is also notable that the Do Not Disturb mode has been improved, as well as the volume controls.
Google Now On Tap is another addition that provides contextual information of whatever is displayed on the screen, while the new Direct Share feature makes it easier to share things within apps.
However some native apps from Motorola won't be available after updating to Android Marshmallow since its functionality is now considered redundant. One of which is the Moto Assist. It will be incorporated into some special modes such as Sleeping and Meeting or Driving and Home. The Motorola Migrate has some alternatives at the Google Play Store. And lastly, the Motorola Alert will be removed, but those who want to keep using it may download it from the Google Play Store.
For reference, MobileBurn cited some of the features that the Moto G (2nd Gen) has. This handset comes with a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 401, ,1GB of RAM, 8-megapixel rear camera, 2-megapixel front lens, 16GB of on board storage (an 8GB version is also available), a micro SD card slot, and a 2,070mAh battery.
As usual, users will be receiving a notification that will let them know that an update is ready to be downloaded. Just in case they haven't received any, they can manually check for the firmware by going to the Settings menub > About Phone > System Update.
