Owners of the HTC One M8 Developer Edition and the unlocked variant are finding a new Android 5.0 Lollipop software update over the air for the International model numbers. Those residing in the United States are not part of this installment. The build number for the same is 4.16.1540.8. In case you didn’t know already, the KitKat software is now outdated and the Lollipop is the latest available for Android. Furthermore, we’ll see future updates coming under the Lollipop name for most of this year 2015.
The first batch of smartphones and tablets to find 5.0 Lollipop were the Google Nexus and Motorola ranges. We know the HTC handsets were fashionably late. That happens regularly because the new Android software update must be integrated with the ‘Sense” software that comes native with HTC devices. While it’s fantastic to have if you own the M8, it also takes additional time for Google and Android to work together with HTC so that the software runs seamlessly. Take the word seamlessly with a grain of salt because it will likely still come with a few bugs and stability issues that will be ironed out in future installments. However, this is ready for installing on your daily drive and should fulfill 99% of device owners with upgrades they are pleased with over the current version they are running.
Android 5.0 Lollipop features come with a material design user interface, material design in the application drawer, Android Beam, tap and go NFC payments, battery saver mode, Android RunTime replacing Dalvik, new Easter Egg that plays like Flappy Bird, device sharing capabilities, screen pinning and the ability to pick up tasks where you left off such as with your songs, photos and more. Moreover, owners of the 2014 HTC flagship are finding improved security with Google patches, smart notifications with the updated notification screen, a new Quick Settings menu, smoother and faster ROM experience, Android Smart Lock, Guest User accounts and still more you’ll find after updating or by researching more specifically about what’s inside the update. You’ll find heaps of information on Lollipop coming directly from Google search.
As usual, the over the air notification is coming at different times for everybody with the International model. That means some of you are already finding the buttons to tap the “download” and “install now” from the display, while others are still waiting. The last batch of roll outs could be several days or even weeks away from today.
Those preferring to err things on the side of caution will like backing up the data before accepting the system message. Furthermore, you should accept the software version when you are using a stable WiFi connection to bypass any unwanted data charges and high traffic over the HTC network.
If any of you reading this are already using the 4.16.1540.8 OTA software version on your device, please let us know in the comments. Are you experiencing a shaky ROM or are you enjoying everything thus far?