Android 6 Marshmallow available to download in the UK NOW (but there's a catch)

GOOGLE has started to roll-out the latest version of its Android mobile operating system, dubbed 6.0 Marshmallow, to a select few.

 

Google has started to roll out Android 6.0 Marshmallow – but only to those with Nexus devices.

Android will usually notify you when an over-the-air update is available for your device, but since the operating system upgrade is slowly rolling out across the world this could take a couple of days.

If you want to give the smartphone or tablet a nudge, head to Settings > About Phone or About Tablet > Software Update.

 

Marshmallow boasts a slew of powerful tweaks to the mobile operating system, including battery life improvements, granular controls over app permissions and an ever-present Google Now cards.

The new Doze battery conservation technology baked into Marshmallow can extend battery life on existing hardware by a staggering 30 per cent, according to Google. 

Google Marshmallow is compatible with the Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7 (second-generation, from 2013), Nexus 9 and Nexus Player.

 

Android 6.0 Marshmallow adds fingerprint recognition to the Google mobile operating system

 

Now on Tap brings Google Now functionality to in-app windows across the operating system

Google's recently-announced Nexus 5X and Huawei-made Nexus 6P will ship with Marshmallow pre-installed when they ship later this month.

The US firm has yet to announce when the update will be available to other manufacturers.

It always takes a number of months for Samsung, HTC and other Android handset manufacturers to tweak the Google software with their own skin, dubbed TouchWiz and Sense.

 

However Motorola makes very few tweaks to the software, offering customers an almost-pure Android experience, and therefore should be rolling out the update much faster than its main rivals.

Google, which recently became a subsidiary of a new technology company dubbed Alphabet, recently announced new Chromecast hardware.

The Californian firm updated the existing HDMI streaming dongle and added a new audio-based version, which transforms older sound systems into wifi-enabled connected speakers.