Working of Apps on Android 5.0 Lollipop

Android's newest version brings a few changes to the recent apps feature, making it easier on the eyes and available even after a reboot. It's good to get a style refresher every five years or so. I just got a new pair of glasses, and everybody's saying they're changing my look. Six years into Android's lifespan, it's getting a major facelift as well. Android 5.0 Lollipop brings a new, flatter look, better notifications, redesigned core apps, and performance improvements that address some important missing app categories on Android devices.

I'd love to say Lollipop is a "must upgrade," except you don't have a choice: You have to wait to find out if your device maker and carrier will deign to allow you to upgrade. That's always been Android's greatest weakness, and it's why 40 percent of Android users are on versions two years old or older. But it's a big enough deal that you should seek out Lollipop where you can find it.

The latest version of the "recent apps" feature in Android looks and behaves differently from previous ones.

In Android 5.0 Lollipop, you'll find that the recent apps button has been redesigned. Instead of two overlapping rectangles the button is now a single square. This falls in line with the other simplistic navigation buttons, circle (home) and triangle (back).

Navigation buttons on Android 5.0 Lollipop

The look of the list of recent apps has also changed. In Android 4.4, the app name was left-aligned and connected to the app icon with a line. The app icon then overlapped a small screenshot of what you were last doing in that app. For Android 5.0 users, recently used apps will display in a scrolling stacked arrangement (as seen at the top of this post).

Apps can be removed from the list the same way as before -- individually with a swipe or a tap of the X button in the top right corner -- but there is no "clear all" button at this time.

The other new feature involving recent apps is that the list can persist even after you reboot your device.