The release of Android Lollipop (version 5.0) saw one of the biggest updates to the operating system to date, not only visually with a large splash of Material Design but also through the introduction of numerous backend functions and refinements.
While Android 4.0 finally unified the Android experience on smartphones and tablets, Android 5.0 sowed the seeds for Android powering a whole raft of new devices including smartwatches, televisions and even in-car technology. So what will the next version of the operating system bring?
What will Android 6 be called?
First off, it’s not yet confirmed if the next major Android update will use the 6 denotation. It could be a point update like Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and Android 4.4 KitKat, which were both big updates in their own rights but still stop-gaps until 5.0 Lollipop.
What we can be pretty certain of is that its code name will use the name of a sweet treat beginning with ‘M’ just as all previous versions have gradually made their way through the alphabet since ‘Cupcake’ (the first two were Alpha and Beta). The guessing games before a new version of Android is released is part of the fun.
That leaves some obvious candidates such as ‘Marshmallow’, ‘Milkshake’, ‘Muffin’ or ‘Macaroon’. There’s always the possibility of another confectioner partnership much like with KitKat. Android M&Ms, anyone?
When will we see Android 6?
We’ll most likely get our first proper look at the new version of the operating system at Google’s annual developer conference Google I/O that’s being held May 28-29. The session schedule for I/O 2015 has just been announced and, alongside a three hour keynote, there's a session entitled 'What's new in Android' that will run for an hour. Launching at I/O 2015 would provide time for developer previews over the summer and a full release probably around November, likely alongside a new Nexus device, keeping with previous release schedules.
What do we want to see?
While Lollipop was a great evolution of the operating system, there’s still plenty of room for improvement. Here are a few features we would love to see:
Integrated Android Wear support
Rather than needing you to install a separate Android Wear app to communicate with your smart watch, it would be great if this functionality was baked into the operating system and was more seamless.
Dark mode / night mode
There’s an awful lot of white used for stock Android 5.0 from the app drawer to menu bars. These aren’t great for battery life on certain screens but they’re also incredibly harsh on your eyes – especially at night. A dark mode would help but even better would be a mode that could filter out blue light that has been associated with negatively effecting your circadian rhythm; making it more difficult to fall asleep.
Manual camera functionality
Many smartphone manufacturers are including custom camera apps alongside their Android customisations, seen recently with the LG G4. These often offer far more manual exposure controls, something we would love the stock Android camera to have as well.
Battery improvements
Android 5.0 introduced ‘Project Volta’, an initiative to get better battery performance out of smartphones and tablets. This included tracking such as ‘Battery Historian’ that gave you a better overall look at battery consumption by different apps and services. Battery saver mode also helps to get a little more power time when the battery is running low by disabling background services. We expect to see this evolve with the next version of Android, which should hopefully mean to even greater battery efficiency.
Better notification syncing between devices
Anyone that has an Android smartphone and tablet has probably gotten annoyed by notifications appearing on multiple devices that don’t get cleared when you acknowledge on one device. So if you get a Twitter notification on your phone and get rid of it, it’s still there on your tablet. It would be great if notifications were synced across devices so there was less duplication. It’s also especially annoying if you’ve not had your tablet on for a few days only to be greeted by a massive wave of notifications when you turn it back on as it catches up with notifications the device has missed (that you might have actioned or cleared from your smartphone).
More sophisticated data usage warnings
Previous versions of Android made it easier to keep a tab on your mobile data usage, useful for those on limited data tariffs. You could also set warnings so you knew when you were approaching your limit, which is handy. We would love to see more sophisticated warnings, such as day-to-day warnings so you could more easily ration your usage over the month. An optional data ticker in the notification bar could also be useful.
Smart app uninstalls
The storage option in the settings menu helps you get an idea of how your storage space is being used and distributed, whether by apps, music or videos. It would be useful if you could get recommendations on apps you could uninstall if you’re running low on space, this could be based on infrequently used apps, for example.
Ability to uninstall any app
Some of the pre-installed apps with Android have better alternatives, such as the Calendar. However, there’s no way to uninstall the stock apps, meaning they clutter up your app drawer even if you don’t use them. A way to uninstall these would be great.
Faster updates
This is a big one for many. Google is infamous for slowly rolling out updates in waves, meaning you could be waiting weeks before an update reaches your device. This is exacerbated by the need for manufacturers to make their own customisations. Having tighter control over custom skins, or making them completely optional, would speed things along.
