Android has come a good distance since its debut in 2008. The primary main launch was Android 1.5 Cupcake, and now we’re returning to dessert-themed names with Android 16, which has the interior codename Baklava. The trendy UI we see in Android right now, Materials Design, was first launched with the launch of Android 5.0 Lollipop in 2014.
Nonetheless, issues did not go as easily as Google had hoped. Whether or not you owned a flagship Android smartphone or a price range mannequin on the time, Lollipop struggled to carry out correctly. Here is why Android Lollipop is usually considered one of many worst Android releases in historical past.
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5 Materials Design didn’t ship consistency
Lollipop’s new design was trendy, however removed from polished
Android seemed fairly totally different a decade in the past. Earlier than Android Lollipop, variations like Ice Cream Sandwich and KitKat used the previous Holo design language with robotic shapes and blue accents. However every part modified with Android Lollipop, as Google introduced Material Design for the primary time, that includes a glossy design with enjoyable and colourful UI.
Whereas Materials Design introduced smoother animations and a extra cohesive aesthetic, it struggled to ship consistency. As anticipated with any new design language, adoption took time, and lots of apps hadn’t transitioned on the time, leaving customers with inconsistencies throughout apps and units, leading to a fragmented user experience.
4 The notorious reminiscence leak bug broke the system
Customers suffered from poor efficiency and frequent app crashes
One of the crucial vital points Android Lollipop launched was the infamous memory leak bug. At a time when even flagship Android telephones had simply 2GB of RAM, customers who up to date to Android 5.0 reported that the system would devour an enormous portion of reminiscence — as much as 1.5GB — and to compensate, Android would forcibly shut background apps to liberate sources. This led to frequent app crashes and launcher redraws.
Past the reminiscence leak bug, customers skilled poor efficiency on Android Lollipop, together with lag, stuttering, and app crashes. Whereas the difficulty was finally addressed in Android 5.1, early adopters had been left annoyed by the poor reminiscence administration within the preliminary model. Some users even expressed thoughts of “abandoning [their] Nexus 5” as a result of severity of the issue.
3 Battery life took successful with Android Lollipop
The brand new OS drained extra energy than it saved
Android Lollipop launched a number of energy administration options, together with a Battery Saver mode that promised to increase battery life by as much as 90 minutes and a device displaying remaining battery life in hours. Nonetheless, mockingly, Google needed to delay the release of Android 5.0 attributable to a battery drain bug.
The problem stemmed from Wi-Fi, the place merely turning it on consumed extreme battery. Moreover, early variations of Android 5.0 prompted different phantom battery drain points that proved problematic for customers. A subsequent Android replace finally resolved these issues, with many reporting improved battery life — however solely after the problems intensified.
2 Android Lollipop lacked a easy silent mode
Precedence mode left customers confused and unable to mute simply
One other complained-about characteristic of Android Lollipop was the removal of a straightforward silent mode. Beforehand, customers might simply silence their telephones with a fast toggle, however Lollipop changed this with a characteristic known as “Precedence Mode,” designed to provide customers extra granular management over which notifications might come by.
Whereas the intention was to offer finer management over notifications, many customers discovered Precedence Mode complicated and fewer intuitive. Activating silent mode required a number of steps, whereas it beforehand took only a single faucet. Priority Mode eventually evolved into the “Do Not Disturb” mode (once more) with Android Marshmallow, however for Lollipop customers, the elimination of the straightforward silent mode made silencing their telephones unnecessarily irritating.
1 Lollipop had some odd connectivity bugs
A buggy replace made connectivity unreliable
If efficiency and battery points weren’t sufficient, Android Lollipop additionally launched bugs in connectivity. At launch, customers who up to date to Android 5.0 reported being unable to connect to certain Wi-Fi networks. This problem was broadly reported by customers making an attempt to hook up with company networks utilizing Cisco APs.
Though it was resolved pretty shortly, it was irritating for many who up to date their gadget solely to search out they could not connect with their workplace Wi-Fi. Moreover, many users reported Bluetooth points, together with hassle pairing with new units and random disconnects.
All in all, as Google sought to take Android in a brand new path with Lollipop, it confronted a number of points at launch. Nonetheless, it stays probably the most important Android releases in current historical past. The design path launched with Lollipop can nonetheless be seen in Android 15 right now. Whereas Android 15 is far more secure, it nonetheless has a number of minor bugs — however thankfully, they’re relatively easy to fix.
