It seems that the Canadian owners of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ have been waiting forever to receive their Android 6.0 Marshmallow update. There were several dates given and then yanked away. It brings us great pleasure to let you know, that Marshmallow for both devices are now available for download – and at 1277.89MB, it is quite a large update and bumps you to Android 6.0.1. It also appears to be a Canadian wide update and so far, Telus and Bell users have said they received their updates. To force your update with either the Galaxy Note 5 or Galaxy S6 Edge+, press Menu -> Settings -> About Device -> Software Update -> Update, and that should download the update and ask you if you want to install the file.
This upgrade will not only bump you to 6.0.1 Marshmallow but also adds a new TouchWiz that “provides enhanced usability and an updated visual design,” which should mean a kinder and gentler overlay. TouchWiz has improved with each update and for those that hated TouchWiz a few years ago, may find out that they like this new rendition – give it a test drive. Marshmallow adds Google Now on Tap, an upgraded app permissions manager, support for those fingerprint sensors that are popping up on the new devices and the Doze battery saving feature, lots of good stuff to make Android even better than before.
Quick Connect will help you easily find and connect to nearby devices by supplying you with a list of currently selected devices and previous connections you may have had. Fingerprints are more securely protected and a pattern, pin or password is required to add additional fingerprints. A new vibration pattern is now applied and the new Doze feature is an advanced power saving mode that restricts sending and receiving background data and helps to extend battery life. Samsung also reminds you to first upgrade your Samsung Gear (if you have one) before the smartphone update. The rules also remind you that the Android 6.0 upgrade no longer supports the Decrypt device function and once you upgrade to Android 6.0, encryption cannot be disabled – you must disable encryption before upgrading by going to Settings -> Lock screen and security ->Other security settings -> select Decrypt device. Also, other apps installed on Lollipop may need to be updated after the Marshmallow upgrade.