Android "M" has released, Here's what you need to know!

Say hello to ANDROID M, the latest mobile platform from Google, where thousands of bugs have been squashed and a new layer of polish and quality has been applied.

What You Need to Know ?

• What is it? The successor to Android Lollipop
• When is it out? Likely in September (2015)
• What will it cost? As with all Android upgrades it's free

Android M name (Macadamia Nut Cookie)

So ANDROID M is official, but it's missing it's sweet treat name and we expect Google to keep that under wraps until later this year when it starts rolling out the update, but internally it's currently going by the name Macadamia Nut Cookie.

Android M release date

Bad news folks, you won't be able to get your hands on Android M straight away - unless you're a developer.

The Android M developer preview is available, but the main Android M release date is set in 2015 - and we'd say it's most likely to be September.

Android Pay

Android Pay isn't just available with Android M, it will be supported on devices with NFC running Android KitKat and above.

There's no need to open an app to make a payment, all you'll need to do unlock and place your handset on a compatible contact less payment terminal.

Android M fingerprint support

We've seen some smartphone manufacturers already include fingerprint scanners in their devices, but with Android M Google is looking to make the support standardized across the whole platform.

As well as allowing you to unlock your device and pay for media from the Google Play store the fingerprint scanning tech is also open to developers.

That means devs can build it into their own applications, allowing you to sign into them without the need for a password, as well as pay for goods using Android Pay.

Android M Developer Preview