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Android N may be just around the corner, but Marshmallow is yet to be available on the vast majority of Android devices around the world. Having said that though, most manufacturers have started rolling out Android 6.0 to their smartphones and tablets in recent times, and Sony is no exception. Recent reports indicated that the Japanese consumer electronics giant had started updating its Z5 range of smartphones to Android Marshmallow, and now, the company’s mobile division has confirmed that news via a post on its official Twitter account. According to the post on the microblogging site, the Xperia Z3+ smartphone as well as the Z4 tablet will also get the latest version of Android alongside the Xperia Z5 devices in this round of Marshmallow rollout from the company.
Sony has also mentioned that the update is being rolled out in phases, so it might take a while before the company is able to push through the new software everywhere around the world. There is no country or region-specific ETA given by Sony just as yet. As usual, factory unlocked versions of the devices will likely get the updates earlier than carrier-locked models, but Japanese carrier NTT Docomo was reportedly one of the first off the blocks to roll out the update earlier this month, so it shouldn’t be long before the new software is available to just about all different versions of the aforementioned devices globally. Marshmallow is expected to bring goodies like Google Now on Tap, an all-new App Permissions manager and a brand new battery saving feature called Doze, along with a bunch of other tweaks and changes.
Along with all the native Marshmallow features, Sony’s stock UI (user interface) for Marshmallow will incorporate a new launcher, which certainly looks a little different from the one most people have become used to. One thing to note is that the Marshmallow update from Sony will be based on Android 6.0 and not 6.0.1, which happens to be latest version of Android. Either way, reports indicate that the February security patches will also be included as part of the incoming update, which is certainly good news for all users of the aforementioned devices from Sony.