Google has formally cut support for Android Lollipop, now that was a special OS released back in November of 2014. This decision has been arrived at due to the fact that devices that run on Lollipop can no longer command a one percent share of active Android devices; thanks to the release of newer versions and better hardware.

Farewell to a Pioneering OS

Lollipop, can be described as the updated version of Android Os with a version number 5. 0, was a major update in the Android platform featuring Material Design for the first time on portable devices. In terms of graphic design, this new approach introduced a clean, new outlook to Android and shaped future construction of its appearance. The contradictions in the OOD were mentioned, and the OS was upgraded to version 5.1 in March 2015 and subsequently improved the user interface of the website again.

The Nexus 6 was actually a device that came with the Android Lollipop OS and it became a favorite of users rather soon. Nonetheless, as the newer years passed, and newer versions of Android were developed, the number of devices still running Lollipop shrank. Presently, these devices form below 1% of the active Android users, and due to this, they had to terminate the formal support.

Impact on Users

From this month the devices running on Android Lollipop will not be receiving updates for google play services. This backend service is useful to replenish many first-tier characteristics of the application such as the backup and two-factor authentication, as well as important enabling functionalities for developers. If these updates are not provided, Lollipop devices will continue to run but will not get any new features, updates to focus on security, or for supporting new applications.

"Android Lollipop was first released in November 2014, nearly 10 years ago, and since then, we've introduced many innovative improvements and features for Android, which are unavailable on Lollipop. Today, we are discontinuing Google Play Services updates for Android Lollipop devices since they account for less than 1% of active Android devices," a Google spokesperson said. "Lollipop devices will continue to function but won't receive any new features, important security updates, and may not be compatible with some apps. We strongly encourage users to upgrade to newer Android versions for the latest features and security enhancements."

Looking Ahead

Google stopped providing updates for Android Lollipop is not unique to the OS version since the firm has a history of policy when it comes to older versions of its operating system. As for Google Play Services, last July Google ceased the updates on Android 4. 4 KitKat, which is another OS that was excluded from the one percent active users category. By withdrawing the support on these slightly earlier versions, Google can be able to channel his or her efforts towards enhancing and securing better versions of Android.

As of now, updates are delivered to devices that have Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) or higher. Considering the upgrading flow of Android in the future, it could be seen that the support for Marshmallow will be dropped in the following years.

With the recent decision to no longer update Lollipop, the company's focus now shifts to the future, Android fifteen release to be specific. The new version is expected to be released after the Google event on August 13 and there's been expectation that it will introduce new features and improvements on the platform.

To sum up, on one hand, the reaching out the end of support for Android Lollipop is the end of an important chapter in the Android story; on the other hand, it is the indication of Google's readiness to develop android and offer users the newest solutions and protection measures. While using the Android system, people should update the OS to the newer versions to make use of these improvements.