Android 5.1 Lollipop Update for HTC One (M8) With Sense 7 Confirmed for August

By Ketan Pratap | Updated: 30 April 2015 16:41 IST

HTC has confirmed that the Android 5.1 Lollipop update will start rolling out to the 2014 flagship, One (M8) in August, complete with Sense 7 UI introduced with the HTC One M9.

HTC's UK Twitter handle confirmed the news, saying, "The HTC One M8 will have a Software Update for Android Version 5.1 and Sense 7 in August 2015." The company was replying to a user about the next software/kernel update for the HTC One (M8).

To recall, the HTC One (M8) received its Android 5.0 Lollipop update in January that brought Material Design from Google apart from other features such as the new Android 5.0 Lollipop lock screen; notification tray; enhanced privacy features, and improvements to search function and support for multiple pages in recent apps are also included in the update.

The Android 5.1 update for the HTC One (M8) is likely to bring stability and performance improvements while also adding device protection and HD voice on compatible devices. Google started rolling out Android 5.1 update in March.

As promised by HTC, the latest Sense 7.0 UI will be rolled out to all its 2014 handsets later this year. At the time, the Sense 7.0 is only HTC One M9 - specific for now.

HTC Sense 7.0 UI is said to adapt to user's behaviour and bring new UI features such as 'Morning Bundles' that bring the top news and user's personal agenda of the day when a user's check their phone for the first time in the morning. Another type of bundle is Restaurant Bundle that shows up on lock screen around meal times with suggestions on nearby restaurants. These suggestions are powered by data from Foursquare, Yelp, and other sources popular in different markets.

A smart launcher widget is also included in the new Sense UI. The widget shows apps based on phone's location and usage patterns. Users can have three different profiles - Going Out, Work, and Home, each showing up to eight apps or folders, and the phone will automatically switch profiles based on the location.

The Taiwanese company recently renamed the BlinkFeed app available in Google Play store to Sense Home. The new Sense Home app essentially combines BlinkFeed with the new Sense Home widget and HTC Themes app that debuted with the Sense 7 UI.