A version of the Android operating system | |
Android Marshmallow home screen with some stock Google apps.
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Developer | |
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General availability |
October 5, 2015 |
Latest release | 6.0.1 (MOB31Z) / July 14, 2017 |
License | free software |
Preceded by | Android 5.1.1 "Lollipop" |
Succeeded by | Android 7.0 "Nougat" |
Official website | Official website |
Support status | |
Supported |
Android "Marshmallow" (codenamed Android M during development) is the sixth major version of the Android operating system. First released as a beta build on May 28, 2015, it was officially released on October 5, 2015, with Nexus devices being the first to receive the update.
Marshmallow primarily focuses on improving the overall user experience of its predecessor, Lollipop. It introduced a new permissions architecture, new APIs for contextual assistants (first used by a new feature "Now on Tap" to provide context-sensitive search results), a new power management system that reduces background activity when a device is not being physically handled, native support for fingerprint recognition and USB Type-C connectors, the ability to migrate data and applications to a microSD card, and other internal changes.
As of July 2017[update], 31.8% of devices accessing Google Play run Android 6.0.
The release was internally codenamed "Macadamia Nut Cookie". The first developer preview build, codenamed Android "M", was unveiled and released at Google I/O on May 28, 2015, for the Nexus 5 and Nexus 6 smartphones, Nexus 9 tablet, and Nexus Player set-top box. The second developer preview was released on July 9, 2015, and the third and final preview was released on August 17, 2015, along with announcing that Android M would be titled Android "Marshmallow".