7 reasons why you'll love the Android Marshmallow update

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Authored by: Scott Adam Gordon Nov 5, 2015

androidpit nexus6 wallpapers 2 — © NextPit

Android 6.0 Marshmallow introduced many new and improved features but it can be hard to know which ones will offer a tangible benefit to your device. Let me be your guide. Below are seven of the main reasons why we're desperate to upgrade to Android Marshmallow.

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AndroidPIT Nexus 6 Android 6 0 Marshmallow review 20 — Seven reasons we can't wait to get Android Marshmallow. / © ANDROIDPIT

1. Selecting text is easier

It’s taken until Android Marshmallow to improve the text selection feature to the point that it works as it should, but now you can highlight text more easily than before. It’s one of those problems that you don’t really notice until it gets fixed, but selecting text prior to Marshmallow was often tricky. With Android 6.0, just tap and hold on a word and it will highlight it.

AndroidPIT Nexus 6 Android 6 0 Marshmallow review 38 — Tap and hold on a word to select it. It really works now. / © ANDROIDPIT

2. Doze will extend your battery life

Doze probably the feature you’ve heard most about, but Google has worked hard to optimize the Android OS so that the background processing is reduced when the device is in standby. The effect? Better battery life for all. Read more about how Doze is going to double your battery life.

nexus 5 screen — Even the Nexus 5 battery life has reached an acceptable level thanks to Doze. / © ANDROIDPIT

3. App permissions give you greater control

App permissions can now be granted or denied on a case-by-case basis. Don’t want the Facebook app having access to your photos? Deny this individual permission while still using other features of the app. Nice.

AndroidPIT Nexus 6 Android 6 0 Marshmallow review 22 — Don't want Google Calendar to have access to you emails? It doesn't have to. / © ANDROIDPIT

4. Google Now on Tap is super-useful

Google Now is becoming more and more intelligent. With Now on Tap, the Google assistant can identify what’s on your screen to provide context-sensitive actions based on the info displayed. Find out how to enable and disable Google Now on Tap at the link.

AndroidPIT Nexus 6 Android 6 0 Marshmallow review 46 — Get contextual information about anything on your screen with Google Now on Tap. / © ANDROIDPIT

5. You'll get more control over sounds and notifications

The Lollipop notification setup has been redesigned to make putting your device on silent easier. Really, this should have always been a simple procedure, but Lollipop made it complicated. Marshmallow is here to set the record straight (or at least, set the record to a quieter volume) by streamlining the settings and removing the Priority, None, and All subheadings.

AndroidPIT Nexus 6 Android 6 0 Marshmallow review 41 — The simplified volume settings of Android Marshmallow. / © ANDROIDPIT

6. There's better fingerprint integration

Even if your phone has a fingerprint scanner, it probably isn’t being used to its full potential yet. Until Marshmallow, Android did not provide native support for developers to mess around with fingerprint identification. Now Google has made it easier for app and smartphone developers to integrate and adapt the fingerprint-scanning technology into their products, opening the doors for exciting things to come.

AndroidPIT Nexus 6 Android 6 0 Marshmallow review 31 — Get ready for secure, contactless payments and more with Android 6.0. / © ANDROIDPIT

7. Apps can run embedded browsers

Another feature that seems like a small improvement, but will undoubtedly please many people, is that browsers can now run from within apps. This means that instead of being prompted to open Chrome (or another browser) to enter a password, for example, this will now occur in a small browser window within the app.

Are you excited for Android Marshmallow yet? Let us know what forward you're most looking forward to in the comments below.