X

Get familiar with Android 5.0 Lollipop

We go hands-on with the new version of Android. Check out what's new!

Sarah Mitroff
Sarah Mitroff is a Managing Editor for CNET, overseeing our health, fitness and wellness section. Throughout her career, she's written about mobile tech, consumer tech, business and startups for Wired, MacWorld, PCWorld, and VentureBeat.
Sarah Mitroff
nexus-6-2770-001.jpg
1 of 14 Josh Miller/CNET

Meet Android Lollipop

Android 5.0 Lollipop is the latest flavor of Google's mobile operating system. We saw a demo of it from Google and it looks like of the biggest releases in a long time.

nexus-6-9418-012.jpg
2 of 14 Josh Miller/CNET

Material Design

The most obvious change in Lollipop is the fresh design aesthetic, called Material Design. It uses a lot of bright, rich colors and adds depth with shadows to give Android a sleeker, more minimal look.

nexus-6-2958-018.jpg
3 of 14 Josh Miller/CNET

Whimsical look

Material carries over to most of the pre-installed Google apps, with bright colors and whimsical illustrations.

google-android-lollipop-9064-001.jpg
4 of 14 Josh Miller/CNET

New notifications

Lollipop also introduces a new notification approach. You'll now see notification cards on the lock screen, and you can respond to certain alerts from there.

google-android-lollipop-9064-001.jpg
5 of 14 Josh Miller/CNET

Priority mode

If you want to take a break from your endless app notifications, but still want to hear from important people, there's a new mode called Priority. You turn it on from the volume controls and it blocks any less important alerts.

nexus-6-2805-006.jpg
6 of 14 Josh Miller/CNET

Quick Settings menu

The new Quick Settings menu, which appears when you swipe with two fingers from the top of the screen, shows new options, including a flashlight and an improved Wi-Fi toggle.

google-nexus-9-9369-015.jpg
7 of 14 CNET

Overview

The new name for "recent apps" is Overview, and it shows your recent activity in your open apps.

Not only does the menu show your recently opened apps, it will also show multiple tasks within each app, such as your inbox and an email draft in Gmail.

android-lollipop-5-user-accounts-photo.jpg
8 of 14 Jason Cipriani/CNET

User accounts

Android tablets have had multiple user accounts for several years, but now phones can have them too.

google-android-lollipop-9064-001.jpg
9 of 14 Josh Miller/CNET

Screen pinning

Another new feature in Android 5.0 is screen pinning, which means you can lock an app on the screen so that the user can't exit it. It's useful if you loan your device to kids, so that they can only play a game and not mess with your Facebook account.

google-android-lollipop-9064-001.jpg
10 of 14 Josh Miller/CNET

Pinned app

Here, a game is pinned to the screen.

google-android-lollipop-9064-001.jpg
11 of 14 Josh Miller/CNET

People app

The People contacts app gets a major redesign, with bright colors and a grid of contact photos.

google-android-lollipop-9064-001.jpg
12 of 14 Josh Miller/CNET

Google Now search

Google Now has been part of Android for a few years now, and it's getting smarter with every new release. Here, you can talk to it to send a message.

google-android-lollipop-9064-001.jpg
13 of 14 Josh Miller/CNET

Quicker setup

You can now set up a new Android phone much more quickly than before. Port over apps, settings, account information and more by tapping your new phone against your older NFC-enabled phone.

google-android-lollipop-9064-001.jpg
14 of 14 Josh Miller/CNET

Streamlined volume control

Material Design extends to the volume control, which looks sleeker than ever.

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos