The latest update to Google's popular mobile operating system is now official, as Android 5.1 Lollipop is ready to start rolling out to devices.

Amid the whole frenzy surrounding Apple's big Spring Forward event, Google quietly announced its new Android 5.1 update to Lollipop on Monday, March 9.

Android 5.1, as expected, will bring some performance enhancements, stability improvements, tweaks, and bug fixes to improve the overall experience, but the update also brings some neat new features to the table.

First of all, Android 5.1 Lollipop finally brings multi-SIM support, which was a highly-requested feature especially for Android One devices with dual-SIM card slots. Needless to mention, multi-SIM support will work on devices with more than just one SIM card slot.

"Whether you want to share your phone with a family member or better manage your mobile costs, Android Lollipop 5.1 now lets you use more than one SIM card on a device with multiple SIM slots," Google touted on the official Android blog on Monday, March 9.

Perhaps the more important new feature, however, is Device Protection, as it will add a much-needed extra security measure. If you lose your phone or it gets stolen, for instance, Device Protection will make sure that your device stays locked no matter what, until you sign in with your Google account. This means that even if someone tries wiping the phone, the device will still remain locked.

"With Device Protection, your lost or stolen device will remain locked until you sign in with your Google account - even if someone resets your device to factory settings. This feature will be available on most Android phones and tablets shipped with Android 5.1 in addition to Nexus 6 and Nexus 9," Google further explained.

The Android 5.1 update to Lollipop will also bring new HD voice calling features to the table, provided your device supports it.

As expected with new Android updates, Nexus devices will be the first ones to get Android 5.1. To get the necessary links to the Nexus factory images, as well as detailed instructions on how to handle the update process, head over to the Google Developers page at this link.