5 reasons Android 5.0 Lollipop was a game changer for mobile operating systems

5 reasons Android 5.0 Lollipop was a game changer for mobile operating systems

Android phones were a jumble of clunky menus and mismatched designs in Android KitKat. Then came Android 5.0 Lollipop, a sugary-sweet update that transformed the mobile landscape forever. It brought a much-needed fresh coat of paint with Material Design language, a sleek revamp of the navigation bar, bold colors, and playful animations for an intuitive user experience on Android phones.

In this post, I go over the key UI changes introduced in Android 5.0 Lollipop and explore how they reshaped everything from the lock screen and keyboard to the recent apps menu and the core of Android app design.

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5

Introduction to Material Design

Nexus 5 home screen on Android

The shift from Holo to Material Design was a major leap. It was like Google hitting the reset button on Android’s aesthetics and creating a new visual language. Holo, with its dark backgrounds and sharp angles, felt outdated. In comparison, Material Design drew inspiration from the physical world (with concepts like paper, depths, light, and shadow) and delivered an intuitive interface that’s pleasing to the eyes.

Material Design offers a vibrant color palette, introduced the Roboto font, and gave Android a distinct and modern identity. When you look for Material Design makeover for the default apps like Google Calendar, Settings, Gmail, and more, the change is so drastic that if you see two apps side-by-side, you will be hard-pressed to tell that they are from the same operating system.

Google Nexus 6 featuring a Shamu wallpaper

I also want to point out the Floating Action Button (FAB). This iconic circular button became a signature element of Material Design. It provides a clear and consistent way to access the main actions within apps. Material Design’s influence extended beyond the mobile world, inspiring the same refresh for Google’s web apps.

Material Design also laid the foundation for future iterations of Android’s design language, including the more personalized Material You we see today. It gave a blueprint to third-party developers to modernize their Android apps (although many developers took their time with the implementation).

Additionally, an element of Material Design that impressed me when upgrading my Nexus 5 to Android 5.0 was the implementation of animations. The playful bounces, smooth transitions, and subtle fades were just plain fun to watch.

4

Revamped navigation bar and launcher

App drawer on the Google Nexus 6

Android 5.0 Lollipop didn’t only introduce Material Design to apps. It revamped some of the core elements of Android navigation and gave them a fresh and modern look. Remember those old icons for back, home, and multitasking in KitKat? Lollipop replaced them with simple geometric shapes.

The new icons were cleaner, more minimalistic, and more in line with Material Design’s aesthetic. Even the app launcher, which was heavily influenced by the older Holo theme, received a refresh. Lollipop introduced a cleaner, brighter design with a white background, making the app launcher feel airy.

3

Redesigned notifications and lock screen

A screen showing Android 5.0 Lollipop in action.

Source: Google

Here is where Android 5.0 shined for me. Google did more than revamp the home screen and app launcher. It overhauled the notification system, lock screen, and quick settings, making them more functional and visually appealing. Let’s start with my favorite addition: notification cards.

Lollipop introduced a card-based design for notifications that gave them a clean and modern look. Each notification was presented as a separate card with subtle corners and shadows. These cards displayed more than text. They included images, action buttons, and progress bars. Google also redesigned the quick settings menu with a grid of colorful icons.

The lock screen received a subtle refresh. It now features a giant clock in the middle, useful app shortcuts in the lower-left and lower-right corners, and a different unlock animation.

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2

Delivered a refreshing look to the default keyboard

A close-up view of Gboard.

Before Android 5.0 Lollipop, the default keyboard hardly received any tweaks. While it was functional, its black and gray design felt dated. Like the rest of the OS, the keyboard went through a neat UI makeover to blend with the installed apps. Google switched from a black to a white background, removed separate keys for each letter, and focused on a minimal look.

I thought it might be cumbersome to hit the right keys. However, after a day or two on my Nexus 5, I flew through messages on WhatsApp and Hangouts (does anyone remember that masterpiece?). The new layout proved to be just as usable, if not more so. Google took it to the next level with a Material You keyboard on Android.

Android Police homepage on the Google Nexus 6

The recent apps menu in Android 5.0 Lollipop was a departure from its predecessor. Before Lollipop, the recent apps menu was a vertical list of app icons or small previews. While it got the job done, it wasn’t visually appealing. Lollipop brought a dynamic 3D stack of cards, with each app represented by a full-screen card.

The transition to the recent apps screen was beautifully animated. The current app would gracefully fall behind the navigation bar. I prefer the old, recent app style to the current one, which involves horizontal scrolling.

From clunky to classy

2014 was a big year for Android. Google unveiled Android 5.0 Lollipop, an update that ushered in a new era of mobile UI. It wasn’t just eye candy. It was a fundamental shift in how we interact with our smartphones. From the lock screen to the app drawer, Lollipop brought a sense of playful elegance to Android.

Android 5.0 Lollipop changed the face of mobile UI and left a lasting legacy that we still see and feel in the smartphones we use today. While it was high on aesthetics, reliability wasn’t its strong suit. From memory leaks to a below-average battery life, here is why Android Lollipop was a disaster for early adopters.

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