After officially launching Android 5.0 Lollipop last month alongside the Nexus 6 smartphone and Nexus 9 tablet, Google has finally rolled out the operating system to users worldwide. Android 5.0 Lollipop features the new Material Design philosophy.
 
"Design is a major focus for Lollipop-the latest version of Android-which begins to roll out today," said Nicholas Jitkoff, an Android Designer at Google, via the official company blog post on Monday.
 
Besides Material Design, Android 5.0 Lollipop features an improved notification system; Kill Switch and improved security; a new messenger said to be a simplified version of Hangouts; device sharing with Guest user mode; ART Android runtime for improved application performance and responsiveness; support for 64-bit devices and SoCs; native 64-bit apps; improved hardware keyboard accessory support (including support for multilingual, emoji input, search key, and improved app and system key chords), support for 15 new languages (including Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu); improved accessibility features (such as text contrast boost, colour inversion, and enhanced colour differentiation); improved audio, video, and camera capabilities, and improved Internet connectivity everywhere apart from more powerful Bluetooth low energy capabilities.
 
Google has also rolled out the source code of Android 5.0 Lollipop to its Android Open Source Project (AOSP) page with build number LRX21M, and has also started rolling out the source code for Nexus devices from the Nexus 4 to the Nexus 9. The company has also released updated Android 5.0 Lollipop documentation for developers.
 
The Android 5.0 Lollipop update will roll out first to the Nexus 4, Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 (2012 and 2013), and Nexus 10, apart from Google Play Edition devices. Android One smartphones should be next in line to receive the update. Motorola has said that Moto E as well as the first- and second-generation Moto G and X smartphones will get Android 5.0. Likewise, Sony will release the update for all Xperia Z series models, among other smartphones. HTC has said that its One and One (M8) smartphones will get Android 5.0 update within 90 days of its release.
 
Google describes Material Design as a "bold, colorful, and responsive UI design for consistent, intuitive experiences across all your devices. Responsive, natural motion, realistic lighting and shadows, and familiar visual elements make it easier to navigate your device. Vivid new colors, typography, and edge-to-edge imagery help to focus your attention".